Inside Out is one of my favorite Pixar films of all time. If it weren’t for Toy Story 3, I think it would be the undeniable champion. Even still, it is in the argument. So, I did feel some wonder about a sequel to such a film that I found so beloved.

Rest easy. Inside Out 2 is wonderful. A beautiful film ripe with emotion and a cleverness that many films lack. It may not have the emotional wallop of “Take her to the moon for me, okay” from the original, but there are plenty of deep emotional beats that form together into a wonderful tapestry of what it is like to be a teen in the middle of puberty.

Riley is back, just turning 13 years old and life has tossed some conflict her way. And because of that, there are a group of new emotions arriving in the Control Center, immediately clashing with Joy and the others.

Inside Out 2 has such creativity and imagination with adapting feelings into these personified characters that is so very impressive. Each character has exceptional design and fit right in with the returning Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness.

The returning voice actors are great, including Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, and Phyllis Smith. Tony Hale, who replaced Bill Hader as Fear, and Liza Lapira, who replaced Mindy Kaling as Disgust, do wonderful work as well. Our new voices which include Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui and Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment are great additions.

Pixar animation is always top notch and this is just another example of that. The look of the film is visually stunning and gives everyone something to enjoy while watching.

The story is excellent as well as it focuses on Riley at a three day hockey camp. Something happened on the way to the camp that triggered Riley and her emotions have to work overtime in order to make things right, or as Anxiety tries to do, plan out her entire future.

The story of Riley is simple enough that anyone can relate to what she is going through. As a new teenager, this kind of news can be earth shattering and absolutely makes sense as to why Riley is affected as she was.

The movie is so cleverly written and is very funny throughout. It never feels as if it is just repeating the same formula of the original even though several of the beats could be considered alike. Everything inside Riley’s mind has changed enough from the previous film so to make this trip back there something feeling fresh and original.

Yes, there is no Bing Bong type moment, but I think the overall story may be stronger than the previous one. I certainly found the finale to be exceptional and I had tears in my eyes watching it.

For anyone who was claiming that Pixar had lost that magic, this should take that comment away. Inside Out 2 is an exceptional movie for both kids and adults and is probably the best movie of the year so far.

5 stars