By Madison Mangoni
If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a new movie out called “Inside Out 2”. It’s a must-see. The first film, Inside Out, explores the inner workings of a young girl named Riley. In the film, the viewer sees Riley’s life via the five emotions she experiences: joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust. Each emotion Riley feels is represented by an animated figure. This movie was launched in 2015 and quickly gained popularity.
Inside Out 2 was released on June 14, 2024. As with the first film, it is gaining popularity among people of all ages, from children to adults. As someone who frantically ran to purchase a ticket and attended the movie, I thought it was flawlessly produced, and the filmmakers went above and beyond.
Both films are excellent examples of how, as you grow up, you may encounter different emotions. I believe it is a great approach to assist children and teenagers in navigating the ups and downs of life and friendships.
As a teenager going through high school in the age of social media and technology, you have to carry your own joy and optimism in a crowd of hundreds of people to counter the negativity, which can rapidly become overwhelming. The film taught me that, while we should all feel joy, there should also be opportunity for our other emotions to shine through. Even while we all agree that no one should be unhappy all of the time, it is okay to feel sad and cry at times since sadness is a normal emotion, or to experience anger and frustration.
The new film introduces four new emotions as Riley grows into her teens: ennui, anxiety, envy, and embarrassment. When anxiety was introduced in the film, I was impressed by how skillfully they conveyed the emotion. I personally related to this character in my daily life. Many teenagers and children suffer from anxiety on a daily basis, even if they are unaware of it. It can show up as an upset stomach or irritability or many other forms. In one of the film’s last moments, Anxiety is shown causing a storm surrounding the console used to manage Riley’s emotions. In this scenario, Anxiety is desperately attempting to “fix” Riley. From the outside, Riley appears to be suffering a panic attack. Joy intervenes and instructs Anxiety to “let her go,” leading Anxiety to relinquish control, and all of Riley’s emotions collect around her sense of self, and her panic attack subsides.
This moment demonstrates that your sense of self is unique and has its own ups and downs, but how you adjust to them is what is truly important. Anxiety tells joy, “I’m sorry, I was just trying to protect her.” Many people believe that anxiety is a bad feeling, yet it is not intended to do harm. Furthermore, it is there to assist us if we allow it. We may confront anxiety and say, “Thank you, but I’m feeling brave today, so you can take a break.”
The moral of the story is that this film is genuinely outstanding to watch, and Pixar has outdone themselves. If you haven’t watched the film yet, I advise that you should, you might just be surprised at how you too can relate. It can possibly help you work through something you are experiencing right now or some new experience yet to come.
“Emotions they all serve a purpose; they deserve to be felt not fixed.”
Sincerely, Madison Mangoni