nside Out returned after almost an entire decade and it was worth it. The headquarters are now in control of Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness but, at the cusp of teenage, Riley’s emotions are suddenly joined by some new ones. Unfamiliar ones. Perhaps Pixar has outdone itself with this movie. It is the best representation of the mind of a novice teenager.

The narrative resumes with Riley, now an adolescent, navigating the turbulent seas of puberty. The picture wonderfully conveys the intense emotions and internal struggles that accompany this phase of life. Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) return to assist Riley, but they quickly discover that adolescence presents a new set of obstacles for which they were unprepared. Anxiety is given a voice by the teenage favourite Maya Hawke. The cast is joined by Embarrassment (Paul Walter), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Boredom (Adèle Exarchopoulos) with occasional guest appearance by the all-time favourite emotion Nostalgia (June Squibb).

The disowning of the childhood emotions completely from the headquarters until the gradual acceptance of a balance between childhood and teenage emotions to seed normal functionality and self-acceptance again is a tumultuous journey.

When Anxiety takes control and the colour fades from the background of Riley’s mind with the entire focus on the negative self-belief the cinematography is at its best. The initial minor control of Anxiety in managing socially awkward situations and creating goals and timetables is shown as an important addition to the increased burdens of young adulthood. However, eventually the inability of Anxiety to let go of the control over the mind and the inability of the brain to process any other emotion in the moment has never been portrayed better than in Inside Out. The eventual increase in anxiety in Riley’s mind leads her to a panic attack executed perfectly in the animation.

The friendship between Sadness and Embarrassment, though given little screen time, subtly underscores the relationship between two negative emotions. The addition of the phone being taken away from boredom shows how the accumulated actions of Sadness, Embarrassment and Boredom result in Anxiety taking over and making things even worse than they were before. The character exploration of Anxiety and Envy’s friendship is another key highlight in the movie. The two often couple up to create disastrous long-term decisions.

Inside Out 2 is a must-see for viewers of all ages; for adults and parents to understand the complex brain of teenagers and how fragile the mind is without external factors adding to the chaos; and for children turning into teenagers to recognise their emotions, the functions of the emotions and how to balance those.

The use of the mind’s own imagination against the positive emotions and self-beliefs are part of another teenage dilemma that has been scrutinised in the movie and beautifully portrayed.

The eventual acceptance of Joy to let go of complete control and learn to share along with her realisation of how repressed memories at the back of the mind are causing functional disparities in Riley’s daily life show the need for regular evaluation of emotions and what memories are being filtered. The key dilemma of teenage is the inability to process negative emotions because the childhood has been collecting mostly positive memories. This has caused an eventual avalanche of bad memories that heighten the negative self-beliefs put forth by Sadness, Envy and Anxiety.

Inside Out 2 combines sound design with cinematography. The heartbeat-like sound effects and the echoing voices of her anxieties heighten her sensation of dread. The blurring of the frame’s boundaries and the minor fisheye effect distort reality, representing how worrying alters Riley’s perspective of her surroundings.

Inside Out 2 is a fitting successor to the first, providing a deeper and more subtle study of Riley’s emotions at a critical juncture in her life. It’s a film that manages to be both entertaining and informative about the human experience. With its emotional plot, outstanding voice acting, and amazing animation, Inside Out 2 is a must-see for viewers of all ages: for adults and parents to understand the complex brain of teenagers and how fragile the mind is without external factors adding to the chaos; and for children turning into teenagers to recognise their emotions, the functions of these emotions and how to balance these. Pixar has again produced a masterpiece that will be remembered for years.

The writer is an undergraduate student of psychology at FC College, Lahore