Cinepals - INSIDE OUT 2 (2024) Movie Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

Jaby and Achara watch Disney Pixar's latest and the highly successful follow up to the 2015 movie, "Inside Out 2". The film follows Riley as a teenager, where her emotions, including some fun new ones, navigate the complexities of growing up, relationships, and finding her identity in an ever-changing world. Inside Out 2 features the voice talents of Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Mean Girls, Baby Mama) as Joy, Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as Anxiety, Phyllis Smith (The Office, Bad Teacher, The OA) as Sadness and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Bottoms) as Envy. You can watch the cut down reaction to this movie (and many others) on our YouTube channel https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals and the full length reaction is available on our Patreon page https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay SOCIAL MEDIA:  ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals   ~ACHARA~ Twitter & Instagram: @Acharakirk YouTube: @Achara

Senna. You know, in prepping the setup for this recording, I heard the music from the beginning of the movie a little bit. And I already started getting a little bit emotional. Oh no. Inside Out 2, I am prepared. We are ready for this baby. Do you want to take bets?

Who's going to cry more? I say you are. I wouldn't make a bet. It's not a good gamble. Are we ready for the emotional damage? Are you? I don't know. if you don't make it this year

there's always next year I know I love art girl how could you not she's super smart she can be bored but never boring she can do the wrong thing and sometimes she can be too hard

on herself but every bit of Riley makes her who she is and we love all of our girl she makes the team we don't know no yes it doesn't matter that is interesting you know because they introduce these new characters that are different facets of your person you're like makes up your personality your more complex your mind but those characters weren't present for the grownups in the previous movies yeah and so they're like oh

yeah yeah they're just in the back room yeah i did wonder that too because i'm like wait if this happens during puberty, then wouldn't her parents have them too? But that's fine. Yeah. Because I think the first one, the adventure was a lot more streamlined because while you had all of those characters, it was really about joy and sadness. Yes. And so it was easier to focus. Whereas this, they were like, let's just throw a whole bunch of characters in there. Well, that's kind of what it feels like when you're going through those growth periods, right? A lot of stuff is just kind of coming at you and you don't know how to handle it necessarily. You're being kind of thrown into the new stage of your life just abruptly.

Right. And it's like sink or swim. And, you know, you just got to swim. Yeah. I mean, I read that they like ran this by a bunch of teenage girls, like actual real teenage girls and, you know, got a lot of feedback and stuff. And so I think it does feel very real and relatable. I mean, it's been a while since I've been in. teenage girl but oh really yeah but you know it i i remember those feelings of like

desperately wanting to fit in and just feeling awkward and all of that and i i think they did that really well and i love the overall message because it's something that you know even to this day i struggle with which is like we are complicated people and we have all of these things about us that can all be true at different times you know i'm a good person but also something sometimes I'm a shitty friend or, you know, like all of these things can be true and they can be a part of you, but, you know, you just have to focus on the core you, which sometimes, like, I struggle with when I'm like feeling really down on myself and I'm like, oh, you know, I'm not good enough. I'm not this, I'm not that. And then I have to kind of take a breath and be like,

you're a good person still. It's okay. You can make mistakes and you can still be a good person, which I love that message, you know? I had no idea that they went through the research process of asking a bunch of teenage girls about their reaction to the story and what this character goes through. That's fascinating to me only because, not to make this about me,

but I feel like this is something that all genders could go through. Oh, absolutely, yeah. Like, I feel like it's highly relatable just across the board, irrespective of your gender or your race, for that matter. It's like you're going to experience these kinds of things because fitting in is always awkward. We're tribal creatures, right? And we're trying to be part of the tribe and make sure we have our function in the tribe.

And so just with that, as our, you know, primal baseline, I think that this is something we all kind of deal with on some level, even into adulthood. It's like you find new friends or a new clique, whatever, especially in big cities like Los Angeles and New York. It's like I feel like you're always going to be sort of dealing with that on some level. Hopefully, not to that degree where you're having those kinds of responses, unless your name is jabby. Well, you're freaking out because you don't know what the other person's thinking. I feel like the anxiety character I relate to highly. You know, I'll have an encounter of some kind, and I'm like, wait a second. Did I say the wrong thing?

Did I put my foot in my mouth? You know what I mean? It's like, I go through that. I feel like oftentimes I have to be the joy for you. I have to be like jabby. Yeah. Calm down. Take a seat.

Take a breath. Have a cup of tea. I oscillate between anxiety and anger. Hang out. Yeah, that's you. That's your two main ones that I recognize watching this. I'm like, yeah, I know what's going on in. Jabby's control center. But I'm also joy, you know, it just depends on the circumstance.

You know? Yeah, but like, I feel like the dad character, your head honcho, the one who's the boss controlling is probably, I'm not sure. It's, maybe it's anxiety, maybe it's anger. It's a toss up between the two. That's everything. But anyway, yeah, I thought that this is an interesting exploration. And we sort of knew what the trajectory was already because of the first film. Right. But as you pointed out, the first one felt a lot more. streamlined, right? And it's a tall order because you have a couple of things. You're trying to say something meaningful and worthwhile. You're also trying to do a follow-up to one of the most successful animations of all time. And so those are two very, very big things to try to tackle in the

same movie. And you want to leave a long-lasting impression. It was a damn good movie. But immediately at the end, I'm like, yeah, but it didn't hit me like the first one did. That was my feeling. Like, this is a great movie. Not that it needs to be better than the first one, but it's like, I can't help the comparison. You're dealing with the same characters, at least half of them. And so the first one just, like, hit me on a very visceral way. I honestly, I'm not sure if it's just like Pixar Disney doing its Pixar Disney thing and, like, trying to hit you in the gut, because this one didn't go for that gut punch like the others normally do. And I simultaneously respect that and appreciate it because I'm like, you didn't do it like you normally do. And I kind of like,

you just went for a solid story this time, you know? Well, I wonder as well, if maybe it just hits different people differently, you know, much. Much like I was saying how... We were effed up on that first movie. Right, but it had Bing Bong. It's not just the Bing Bong. There's a lack of Bing Bong. Bing Bong is definitely an element, but I don't think it's just Bing Bong.

I think it's the whole thing. And Bing Bong was just like the straw that breaks the camels back when you're watching that movie. Right, but I feel like that movie on some level for me was like an ode to childhood. Yeah. And all of that. And when you're watching it like that, it hits the nostalgia. We have the... little old lady nostalgia coming in hard.

So, you know, I feel like it would hit you differently. With this one, I feel like if you are perhaps struggling with some of the feelings that they brought up here, you know, like a sense of not feeling good enough, of being afraid of failure, of having a lot of anxiety. And then seeing that moment where all of the feelings come up and like give Riley a hug and all of that. and having the movie kind of validate you and say, it's okay, it's okay that you're feeling all of these things.

It's going to be fine. I think it's a really great message. And if you're someone who really needs to hear that, I feel like that would hit you in a really big way. Sure, that's fair. Yeah. I kind of wanted one thing to be different, because this is a damn near perfect movie.

But what I wanted different was in that scene where Joy hugs the new forming beam of personality. I really wanted her friends to hug her. They did the same thing that I wanted, but just through joy. And I'm like, okay, I, oh, what's going on here? Dark secret, it's time. Oh.

I was wondering about this. Come on. What is the dark secret? Let it go, buddy. What's the secret? We burn home and rock. Really? Oh.

I thought you were going to say the time we peed in the pool. That's it? Yeah, I was expecting something bigger than that. I was hoping for the video game character to come back. Yeah. Well, I'm glad they did that because I thought they were sequel baiting earlier. But they were not. You're right.

They brought it back by the end of the movie. Yes. Yes, I had forgotten about that, in fact. This whole thing with, I feel like it's especially American where it's like you have to be self-sufficient and that's that. Like, everything has to be sorted. out internally. And I feel like what I said earlier, you know, we're tribal creatures. I think that we really need each other. And sometimes we just need a fucking hug from someone. Like, we might be going through something really tough. And if someone just can just hold us for that moment, then it might

make things feel manageable. You know what I mean? That was my only thing in that scene. But like, it was still cool to see her find her way internally through her own internal mechanisms. Well, I feel like that can be incredibly healing as an adult, right? Sure. To be the parent, to be the grown-up that you needed as a child. And so I feel like having her emotions be there to hug her and soothe her in that way also can remind us that, you know, we can do that for ourselves. Yeah. I think that's important.

Absolutely. I've gone through therapy too. I know. I understand. I understand the goal of therapy and all of that and what you should achieve as a grown whole person. It's just that like I feel like we've gotten to a place where we forget that like sometimes we it's okay to like need one another. Sure. And it's okay to help one another that's in need. Like that's totally and you should, you know, because I think that today we feel so and it could have been part of the messaging.

We feel so alone right now. Everyone is so like isolated and they're like because of the internet and because of the powers that be we have all these echo chambers that sort of push us apart and so we feel more isolated than we've ever had than we've ever felt before in history in my opinion and so with that in mind i'm like you know just sitting that message out there like sometimes it's okay to just offer a hug i think that's a great message that's all i'm saying yeah sure although my god damn it her friends did recognize it was too late going through a tough time it was too late and they came to see her because they were her besties and besties know when other bestie is struggling

It was too late, Tammy, or whatever your name was, the two girls, Grace and Lulu or something. No. But like, whatever they're in. Like, they offered a fist bump. I'm like, I needed a goddamn hug. Earlier in the movie, I was finding myself onside with anxiety. I'm like, it's not saying terrible things. I understand that she's the villain.

This is almost like a Thanos situation before I realized that what Thanos was saying was insane. But you know what I mean? Like, I know that the film wants me to understand that she's sort of the temporary villain the temporary antagonist right yeah because it's as as it you know reaches the other end it's like no no one's an antagonist these are all feelings that you have or whatever right yeah and that's what i appreciate about it is like when she cops to it that she messed up yeah you know joy is like no it's okay and i i appreciate that because the other way could have been joy going yeah you you you really effed up you know blah blah blah she would never do that yeah but but all i'm driving at is that the idea that anxiety was proposing initially actually see like valid ideas. Like the notion of getting up earlier so that you can beat the rest of the world there and get your practice. And I think it's actually a solid move. Honestly, this is where you and I are different because, okay, I agree that yes, waking up early can sometimes be very beneficial. But you need to get your sleep in, especially if you're a growing girl. And you're

trying to be on top of your game. Like, why sleep for three hours and then go work out? You're just going to mess yourself up. I understand. I think it was. instilled in me, funny enough, because of learning about Martin Luther King Jr. This is going to sound like a departure. But just when I was learning about him and like, or reading about him, whatever, they talked about how he was like really, really smart. And one of the things he did was he went ahead and studied ahead in his chapters in school. And so he understood way before the rest of the class did.

I'm like, that's really cool. And like, I just love that idea of just taking, go in that extra mile to understand more and be better. And so when I see her making that move, I'm like, I can't see this. as a negative yet. It eventually builds into a negative because, like, left unchecked, that can be very bad. You have to have balance. And that's ultimately the moral of both stories, I think. So one of my big complaints with movies today, and that gives us sort of the cinematic look, is shallow depth of field. It's where it's like really shallow depth of field,

where what you can't see behind the character's face is completely out of focus. It really bugs me when that's used too much. And I was paying attention to the way they used depth of field here because they, ever since Wally, have really made considerable efforts to make animation look more like film. And I really actually dug the very, very shallow depth of field they used to emphasize her anxiety and her isolation, particularly when she was in the box at the end. And she's just, like, breathing hard and feeling her chest. She was like very, like, a small part of her was in focus because she was, like, losing it. Right, yeah.

I think that's a great way to convey that feeling of just, like, discomfort because it looks discomforting, you know? Yeah. And so I just wanted to remark, you know, about how cool it was that they used it in a thoughtful way as opposed to this looks cinematic and that's that, you know. Yeah. I mean, visually, it's stunning, which is what we come to expect of Pixar. But, like, you know, with every year as these new animations and stuff come out and, like, new technology is, you know, emerging, moving ahead. Like, it just looks really, really good. Like, I love seeing all of the detail of their kind of.

like fuzzy little faces and their hair was kind of shimmering and all of that and it was fun too like the attention to detail that they had when they were in the room with the secrets and like the kind of the two-d look of her favorite character from her childhood show and like the video game character and even the detail of like he can't really walk in just like a straight line and all of that like I love how they they think about all of that and like all of the little in jokes and stuff with the animators and whatnot. It was just like really, really tongue in cheek and genius and such a good laugh. Yeah.

I had a lot of feelings about her friends moving to another school. I took it personally. Were you triggered? Well, I just remember when my best friend had to move to Denver and I'm just like, oh, God, it feels like I'm missing a part of my body. You know, it feels like a part of me, like it feels like a relative is dying or that's someone I'm really close to. Even though I know they're alive and I can visit them, it's just like I feel like I don't

have that person anymore. And so when her friends were like, yeah, we're going to move to this other school, but we're still friends, right? And this new opportunity pops up with the coolest person on earth. I'm like, yeah, I agree with anxiety. Fuck those people. Go there. You know, it's like, it's their survival. Never.

And so I understand that like the moral thing is like, no, you don't forget your friends, blah, blah, blah. But it's like, I'm a grown up. I know what happens. They're going to stop talking to each other eventually. That's what always happens when you shift school. Like, okay, how many times have you shifted school? schools? Just twice. Okay. From the first school that you went to, besides Patricia, like... That was my second school. Okay. Well, there. Okay. So how many people do you talk to from your first? Don't

answer. Forget it. I'm not even going to bother with you. I'm saying most people... No, I'm not, I'm not like in touch with them super hardcore, but, you know, we're friends on Facebook, and this is elementary school. I'm friends with my elementary school friends on Facebook. I know you were a bad example. And if we like... All I'm saying is, okay, so the only people... people I've properly kept in touch with were the people who I went to school with last in high school. And it's just a couple of them, right? But like before that, I've lost touch with all those people. Any school I transferred away from, I lost touch with them. And so I'm like, look at it. I'm like, they're not going to stay friends. That's going to fall apart. You have the opportunity

to be with the coolest person in class. I don't know. This seems like a really good idea. I understand that that's shallow and not thoughtful and not morally conscious or It's very self-aware of you, jabber. But, like, I wasn't hanging out with the coolest people in school. I was not the coolest person in school. Surprise, surprise. I know. Shocker.

I wasn't the coolest person in any of the schools I went to ever. Okay. And so, like, I'm kind of living vicariously through this character. I'm like, shit. Like, you could be, like, if they revealed something, like, actually, she's not that cool, she's kind of a big jerk. You know what I mean? Like, that's usually the, the, the, the, the, the, these movies go.

Yeah, yeah. Where it's like, you know, the characters trying to hang out with the cool kid and it turns out that kid's not that cool. That kid's kind of an asshole or something. Yeah, usually that's how it goes. You really want to be with these like rejects over here because they're actually nice and genuine people. But everyone was quite nice.

Well, especially Val and her best friends, like not Val's best friends, but Riley's best friends. They're all really lovely and it all worked out really well. Her friends, her friends were still messaging her and stuff like that. And so we got to make a positive message for the kids, even if as adults we know that we're probably not going to continue talking to a lot of these people. And even after high school, you probably, like you said, keep in touch with a handful of people. And then you make new friends in college or at work or whatever. I really tried to reconnect with people from the first middle school I went to. They got their lives. Like I've just, I'm so far removed from the, what do you

call it? The order of importance. Yeah. That's a better way to phrase that. The hierarchy of need, where I'm so low on the totem pole like I you know what I mean they don't need me in their life and I don't necessarily need them in my life but like I just thought it would be cool to like reconnect you know because then we could say we were friends for like all of our lives but we're not

friends anymore she should have gone with the cool kid I agree with anxiety 100% no she did end up going with the cool kid that's the thing but I think the important lesson is that when you're with your best friends who you can be authentic with They didn't read the room.

That's very important. They didn't read the room. She's like, I don't like, you know, glow up dolls. That's not the name. And then they're like, no, but you just watched glow up dolls in concert. You got front row seats. You paid $1,000 for it. It's like, shut the fuck up.

Can't you? You know who else can't read the room? Someone who's sitting right next to me. How many times has that happened? You're a grown-ass man. You're talking about yourself right now, okay? Because you are the worst offender about not reading the first offender about not reading the room what are we talking about here talking about the shopping thing that was one time in

thailand and that there are other times too i'm not going to mention okay well anyway anyone can misread a room okay there are instances where i'm like trying to exit a conversation and a char will just keep on going and i'm like a char like and i try to signal in a way that's discreet because i'm i'm behind the person that should not be seeing me make these gestures, right? And O'Hara goes, oh, Jabby wants me to stop the conversation now. Okay, bye. And I'm like, what the fuck?

Why would you do it like that? Okay, maybe that's not reading the room. That's a totally different thing. That's just like not reading the jabby. The jabby thinks he is the room. That's the problem. No, you're just not getting my signal. You're making it embarrassing.

Throwing me under the bus instead of just saying goodbye. I was fully ready. Yeah, I think it's because we were too ready. Do you know what I mean? No, I... No. Because I was very ready for part one, and I got messed up. That's true.

You knew what was going to come? Yeah, like, even if I'm mentally aware that something could happen, that doesn't matter. That might almost make it worse. That's true, actually. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think that, to what you said, it's like, it'll strike a chord with the people it's meant to strike a chord with. Exactly. Yeah.

I think if you... If you need this message, if you're going through a rough time and you just need a reminder that you are an incredible person and that you are worthy of love, that's going to hit you in a different way. I can imagine had I watched this movie at different times in my life when I really, really needed to hear that message, I would have been a puddle right here. I'm at a different stage in my life now. I'm feeling pretty good, you know? And so I'm like, yeah, I'm feeling I have my joy inside me, giving me a cuddle, you know? They had a lot going on. I think that maybe they had too many characters.

I understand why they did it. And I still stand by what I said earlier because, like, structurally and the way it conveys the story is damn near perfect. However, like, looking at it objectively, okay, I could still, like, critique. I feel like maybe there's too many characters to keep up with. Not that I couldn't remember who they were.

It was very easy to remember who, like, Wii was versus, you know. I think Oni was one of my favorites. Like, I, you know what I mean? Like, it was easy to remember who's who, but it's just like there was so much happening between all these different characters. And I think if they just brought an anxiety and maybe embarrassment, that would have been enough. Because what did envy really add to anything?

She made me laugh, but like, I don't know if the three chuckles I got from her was worth having her in the movie. Maybe it is. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's definitely a choice. And I think I might have also preferred it to be a little bit more streamlined. However, they did do a really great job of personifying all of the different characters and making them very individual and unique. So you knew.

Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. You knew who they were. And so, yeah, they did a really good job with that. Who played in anxiety? Oh, gosh. Is that Maya Hawke?

Oh, yeah. You're right. Okay. For like a minute, for some reason, I was convinced to it was Aquafina because she's just popping up everywhere. And I'm like, wow. Like halfway through the film, I was thinking, Aquafina really doesn't have. have the aqua finiteness going on in this movie. Turns out,

it's completely different actress. Yeah, that makes more sense. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It didn't hit me in the gut like I was expecting it to, but it definitely touched my heart. Yeah. It made me think it was, um, it was cathartic. And it was definitely a fun ride.

Um, yeah, it was definitely strong. You guys, thanks so much for hanging out. I'm Jabby Koi. This is a chara cook. Peace out.