Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Inside Out 2 {ends 8/29}
I saw Inside Out 2 in the theater and had big expectations for it - I gave the original movie 3.5/5 and overall enjoyed it.
Inside Out 2 is now available for purchasing or renting at digital retailers (Prime Video, AppleTV, and Fandango at Home), and it will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 10.
One of my lucky readers will win a digital code of the film! Read below for more details.
Film synopsis
Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.
Bonus features
New Emotions – With Riley's imminent puberty, the story of Inside Out 2 always suggested that there would be a party of new emotions complicating Riley's world—and throwing a wrench into Joy's hard-won stability. But exactly what those new emotions could be was a big question mark. Casting the new emotions in Riley’s mind was a fun exploration into the shifting mindset of a teenager, and was also informed by some of the discarded scenes and characters from the original film. In this documentary we’ll discuss that process of creating Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Envy—from narrowing them down from a long list of possible emotions, to the design, animation, and voicing of these new, hilarious, and strangely recognizable characters.
Unlocking the Vault – In a kind of visual commentary, a group of central creatives watch and discuss the scene “The Vault.” As they stop and start—and refer to various IP versions of the scene—we’ll hear about the inspiration for Riley’s repressed memories like Bloofy and Lance Slashblade, the development of the scene in Story, and the technical challenges of creating 2D characters that exist in the CG world of Riley’s mind.
Deleted scenes
- Cold Open – In this alternate opening, a now 13-year-old Riley awkwardly fumbles her way through an original song she wrote for a school audition.
- Broken Joy – After momentarily being unable to drive the console, Joy worries that she might be starting to malfunction.
- Pool Party – After Riley tries too hard to be fun at an older teen’s party – resulting in utter embarrassment – her “Anxiety” becomes “Self-Loathing” who then ousts our hero emotions from headquarters.
- Puberty Park – After seeing their faces printed on “wanted posters,” Joy and the others rogue emotions race through a puberty-themed amusement park while being chased by mind worker cops.
- Shame Spiral – At a lock-in with some cool, older girls, Riley and friends play a game of “Never Have I Ever” that goes a bit too far – wreaking havoc in Riley’s mind.
My review:
In my video review, I gave this film 4/5 stars. It's rare that I like a sequel MORE than the original movie, but this was the case here. Since Riley is now a teenager (age 13), we get to see how she's interacting with her peers more, and Disney very cleverly shows how her emotions are changing, from when she was younger in the first movie.
The voice cast was great, too: Anxiety (Maya Hawke) was new, along with Digust (Liza Lapira), but we also have Phyllis Smith returning as Sadness, and of course Amy Poehler as Joy.
Overall I'd recommend watching this one - the rumor is that it won't be on Disney+ until December, but it's now out to buy or rent on digital.
GIVEAWAY:
One of my readers will win a code to download Inside Out 2! The code can be redeemed at MoviesAnywhere.com.
Giveaway will end on Thursday, August 29th at 11:59pm ET, and the winner will be notified via email the next day.
U.S. residents only, please.
Good luck!
Digital copy of Inside Out 2
