Spoiler alert for Inside Out 2!
Alright, let’s get real here – there was a scene in Inside Out 2 that physically changed me, and I have to talk about it.
As someone who has been a fan of Inside Out, I couldn’t wait until the sequel, and when Inside Out 2 was announced, I could not remember a time when I was more excited about a movie. While I certainly cried when Bing Bong died or during the climax of the film, Inside Out has remained one of my favorite films ever—and certainly one of the best Pixar movies overall.
I didn’t get to see Inside Out 2 on opening day, but during a free night, I took myself to the movie theater and smiled when that familiar piano piece started to play. I found one scene at the very end that completely made me shatter in the theater and when I got home—and I have to talk about it today.
Spoilers ahead!
First Off, The Entire Movie Perfectly Describes Anxiety And Changing Of Emotions
I mean, I wasn’t really expecting less when it comes to Pixar. The company rarely misses.
Pixar is, at its core, a family movie company. While they make these fantastic animated movies that have indeed stood the test of time, becoming instant classics, they are a company that has so much to offer when it comes to the themes of their movies. There is truly something for everyone to understand, and all of their films hit an emotional level that is hard to reach with children’s movies.
Of course, Inside Out 2 reached that level—heck, it reached it before the film's climax—but I don’t think I was prepared for a children’s movie to explain how anxiety feels so well.
Back in May 2024, I discussed Max’s Turtles All The Way Down and how I felt it accurately portrayed anxiety and mental health, and I will say that Inside Out 2 is very much up there now. I actually adore how Inside Out 2 doesn’t paint anxiety as a villain – it’s more like this emotion that means well, and believes that overthinking everything will lead to us knowing everything and never being shocked or afraid of anything.
Which is, obviously, not super great.
But it’s the intention that matters, and how Anxiety, at the end of the day, truly just wanted to help Riley, but it all falls through.
The Climax, However, When Anxiety Takes Hold And Can’t Let Go, Sat Deep With Me
I’m sure that there are plenty of people who have discussed the anxiety attack in Inside Out 2. The moment that the old emotions were able to get back to headquarters was a huge step, but seeing Joy reaching out to help Anxiety, sat deep with me.
Anxiety tries to do everything in her power to help Riley, but she literally can’t let go, and even when Joy eases her away from the control panel, it still runs rampant in Riley’s mind – attacking it. Even trying to take deep breaths, trying to mitigate the stress – none of it works.
I never truly pictured what an anxiety attack looks like. In my mind, it almost feels like just a blob taking over as if it’s blocking out every single coherent thought. But seeing it visualized so perfectly genuinely brought a tear to my eye. It’s like this never-ending storm that makes you wonder how you’ll even survive.
But When Joy And Every Other Emotion Hugged Riley’s New Sense Of Self, I Cried
This. This was the moment that made me sit there, ponder, think, and sob my eyes out both in the theater and at home.
I never imagined the idea of our emotions physically hugging ourselves to try and calm our minds down. I also never pictured a Sense of Self, but the fact that it’s molded from positive and negative memories in Inside Out 2 also makes a lot of sense. How sometimes, those conflicting feelings and memories can lead to outwardly and internal beliefs.
But sometimes, those beliefs can be contradictory and lead to a panic attack—and it takes your emotions to calm those conflicting thoughts. However, that’s not exactly what made me cry.
That Moment Made Me Realize I Needed To Hug Myself Way More
I’m really hard on myself if we’re being truthful. I always have been since I was a kid, and even now, I tend to have days where literally all I want to do is cry because it feels like nothing is working out and I’m just trying to survive.
But that moment, when Riley’s emotions physically hugged her Sense of Self, changed me. In my mind, I saw it as physically taking the time out to give yourself a break, to take a deep breath, to literally hug yourself because these thoughts are too much, and you’re letting them overwhelm you.
I’ve had to deal with this for years, and it’s always been hard to describe what that looks like to those who have never gone through it. But Inside Out 2 did it in a way that made me realize that I don’t even hug myself nearly enough. These emotions are Riley’s emotions—so essentially, they are her, and she is learning to love herself—every messy part of her.
That’s just beautiful. It’s lovely writing, beautiful storytelling, and so much more, and I have a feeling it’ll sit with me forever.
I Hope That Inside Out 2 Will Help People Understand How Anxiety Truly Works – And Maybe Inspire Other People To Hug Themselves More, Too
The culture around mental health has changed a lot in the last ten years, and I’m sure it’ll only continue to change as time goes on. There will be better mental health movies, better representation, and so much more, but for right now, Inside Out 2 is the best example.
I think this would be the best movie for parents to watch if they don’t really know what their children are going through when they say they are anxious or are diagnosed with anxiety or whatever the case may be. It shows it in such a perfect way, and it is easy for anyone to comprehend and learn how to empathize.
But I think the bigger thing I hope this film does is teach people to love themselves more. I truly believe that we can’t love others until we learn to love ourselves and accept who we are, all the good and the bad. Riley’s emotions literally hugging who she is was the moment that made me realize that even now, I still need to work on that.
And maybe the film will inspire someone else to do the same.
Whether you see Inside Out 2 on your own or you see it with family, it’s always going to be a great decision. And now I’ll just wait another ten years for a third film, thank you.
