I kind of felt like Riley from the first Inside Out when I learned that there would be an Inside Out 2, as a maelstrom of emotions went off in my head when I first heard the news. Like, What? An Inside Out 2? Are they insane? Do they have any idea what they’re doing? Won’t somebody please think about Bing Bong?!
When ranking all of the Pixar movies, the original Inside Out has got to be close to the top. If not the top. Inside Out is not Cars. It’s not Finding Nemo. It’s freaking Inside Out! And, it does not need a sequel. Or at least, that’s what I originally thought. As of right now, I’m kind of still all over the place with my emotions on it, but I’ve grown to accept it a bit more now.
Even so, one thing that I can’t stand doing verbally, but I love doing in writing, is sharing my feelings, and that’s what I want to do with you today: share my strong, slightly angry emotions on how I feel about Pixar’s upcoming Inside Out sequel. Oy vey. They’ve really put me through the wringer with this news.
Fear: The Original Inside Out Is Already A Perfect Movie And I'm Afraid A Sequel Will Tarnish That Legacy
First off, Inside Out is a perfect movie. Don’t argue with me on this one. It’s perfect! We get to see a young girl going through the inner turmoil that most any child would go through after leaving the only place they know. Not only that, but her emotions then go on a wild, subconscious adventure together, creating a sort of almost buddy comedy with the most unlikely pairing of Joy and Sadness. I mean, why would Pixar even want to try to top something like that? Why mess with perfection?
My fear is that a sequel will mess up the legacy that the first Inside Out left behind as one of Pixar’s most creative efforts to date. I know, I know. We’ll always have that original movie. It’s not going anywhere. But still! Just think of a series like The Matrix, with its uneven sequels, and how it probably made you rethink how great the original was. Or, something like The Hangover sequels cheapening that lightning-in-a-bottle first movie. Just think about that!
Honestly, even though Ghostbusters II is my favorite Ghostbusters movie (and it’s much better than you remember it) even I’ll admit that it would probably make the first Ghostbusters that much more special if it had only been one single, oddball movie, rather than an entire franchise where you have both the best and worst moments from every Ghostbusters movie. I don’t want that to happen to Inside Out. In fact, I don’t even want any more Pixar sequels, period. Speaking of which…
Disgust: I'm Tired Of Pixar Making Sequels, And I'd Rather They Continue To Just Make Fresh New Stories Like Soul, And Yes, The Original Inside Out
Bleh! I’m just tired of Pixar making sequels in general. Monsters U? More like Monsters P-U. And don’t get me even started on Cars 2, which is probably neck-and-neck with The Good Dinosaur as being the worst Pixar movie.
Look, I understand that most people enjoy The Incredibles 2, and Finding Dory, but outside of Toy Story 3, which might even be the best Toy Story, I would have preferred it if the originals just stayed single efforts. That’s the Pixar I love. The Pixar that can bounce from Soul, to Luca, to Turning Red. I mean, that’s why I said I thought Pixar is in its golden age. Because I thought it was. What a string of creativity!
Then we got Lightyear, and now we’re getting Inside Out 2. Disgusting. Utterly disgusting. Am I looking forward to the upcoming Pixar movie, Elemental? Yes. I mean, it doesn’t really sound all that interesting to me, but I always love being surprised by Pixar. Like, I had no idea that I would fall so deeply in love with Turning Red. But, another sequel? And one to Inside Out? What’s next? A sequel to Ratatouille? Oh, God. Don’t you dare, Pixar. Don’t you dare!
Curious: I Wonder What Emotions A Teenage Riley Might Feel, But Not To The Extent Of Wanting A Sequel
You know, with all that said, I actually would kind of like to see what emotions Riley might feel as a teenager. We got to see more of what the parents feel in the short, “Riley’s First Date?” but it might be interesting to see what “love” or a more nuanced emotion, like “ennui” might look like, and…
No! What am I saying? Yes, that would be nice, but couldn’t that be more of a Disney+ short kind of thing? Or, why not a whole Disney+ series? That might be interesting, and I’m curious what a series of just the emotions might be like.
A series would be less likely to intrud on the greatness of that first movie, and it could be a fun little thing where we see a more grown-up Riley rather than something that slots into the Pixar movie list. Yes, that I would like to see. Maybe Riley’s new emotions as she gets older, but not necessarily a film sequel. No thanks.
Sadness: The Entire Cast Might Not Be Returning, And I'm Depressed About That
Also, did you know that the entire cast might not even be returning this time? We already know that Amy Poehler will return as Joy, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet if the other actors from the original will come back as Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Fear.
And, what kind of sequel is that? Might the other emotions be replaced by different emotions? I don’t know, as it’s all speculation so far, but why wouldn’t all of the previous actors be mentioned as coming back if they were definitely returning? That makes me really sad if we might not get Phyllis Smith back as Sadness, or Mindy Kaling back as Disgust. That would really suck.
Bittersweet: That Said, I Really Do Love The Original Inside Out, So I Guess More Of It Can't Be Too Bad Of A Thing
Sigh. In the end though, I can’t hate on the idea of more Inside Out, since I love the first movie, and we’ve really gotten next to nothing out of it since it released back in 2015. This has both pluses and minuses. A plus is that like Wall-E, Soul, and Up, Inside Out has been a true testament to the genius of Pixar. But, a minus is that you don’t really hear people talking about Inside Out as much anymore since it came out so long ago, and there haven’t been any follow-ups.
It’s not ubiquitous like Toy Story or Cars, even though the characters in Inside Out are worthy of being consistently discussed. It’s also not something that people get excited about these days, like many did when a sequel to The Incredibles was announced.
So, while most of the emotions inside of me tell me to be angry at this news, it also gets me to think about how much I enjoyed the original again. If anything, a sequel makes me feel a little bittersweet thinking about the prospects of something new being added to something I already love.
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