KSL Movie Show review: ‘Inside Out 2’ is almost as good as the original

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SALT LAKE CITY — As a father of twin daughters, I’ve been living “Inside Out in Stereo” for as long as I can remember.  I loved the first film, but can’t believe it was nine years ago.  However, in story time, it’s only been two.

So now Riley (now voiced by Kensington Tallman) is thirteen.  She’s going into a high school in the fall, but realizes her best friends and hockey teammates, Grace and Bree, will be going to a different school.  She learns this as they’re leaving for a summer hockey camp where the best players from their area will be training and trying out for a revered coach and a elite team led by the legendary Valentina (Lilimar).

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The team in Riley’s mind is also up for the challenge, as Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (now voiced by Tony Hale) and Disgust (now voiced by Liza Lapira) are once again ready to tackle any obstacles that could arise. 

Only one problem, Riley has reached puberty, meaning a whole new set of emotions are about to step forward, virtually bottling up the previous five.  They are Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) which is basically weariness or boredom.  

These are not exactly the most positive of emotions, changing the kindly, considerate Riley into a more thoughtless, overly ambitious, eager-to-please brat who ignores her longtime friends to kiss up to Valentina and her all-star teammates.  

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Back in the mind, Joy and the others must fight their way back to hopefully get Riley to who she REALLY is, rather than who she’s pretending to be, but discover that Anxiety is now in full control, you know that fear of an unknown future that makes bad decisions and hurts feelings?

Along the way back, the original five will run into a number of mind games, my favorite of which is the “Sar-Chasm” – a deep divide where HOW you say things is just as important as WHAT you say (genuinely brilliant! – and I’m not saying that sarcastically!).

So is this long-awaited sequel to the outstanding “Inside Out” as good as the original? No, but it’s pretty darn close and on top of that, we learn a new swear phrase, “Jiminy mother lovin’ toaster strudel!” (That made me laugh out loud).

INSIDE OUT 2 (A-) PG for some thematic elements. Featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri and Lilimar Hernandez Ruiz. Co-written and directed by Kelsey Mann (writer of “The Good Dinosaur”) – filmed at Pixar Studios in Emeryville, CA. Running time: 96 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.