Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?

Is Inside Out 2 OK for kids? Is Inside Out 2 safe for kids? Read the Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, an honest parents guide and mom review of the all-new Disney•Pixar animated film Inside Out 2 2024, starring Amy Poehler as Joy and Maya Hawke as Anxiety. No spoilers! #InsideOut2 May contain commissioned links.

Parents Guide Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?

An Academy award winning, emotionally clever, visually stunning, instant classic – how do you top one of the greatest and most iconic Pixar films of it’s time?

I don’t know if you can.

All of the feels I can still remember watching Inside Out for the first time – and absolutely bawling my eyes out. It wasn’t just the emotional gut-wrenching heartstring pulling feelings – but the creativity, imagination, and the hilarious storytelling. Apparently 5 emotions weren’t enough. Riley is hitting the puberty button which brings in a whole lot of emotional baggage with her – with 4 brand new emotions are crowding up headquarters.

But is there enough room in headquarters for 2 iconic Pixar emotion movies? Is this a Riley into Turning Red repeat? Or is this another desperate Disney Pixar sequel money grab?

In this Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, I’m breaking down the visuals, the story, a full PG age rating explanation for violence, adult themes and language, and what kids’ age recommendation is suggested to watch in this new 2024 Inside Out 2 parents guide to the new Disney Pixar animated film. A no-spoiler parent review of Inside Out 2 2024, is this film sequel hitting all of the right emotions? Or is this Pixar sequel just an embarrassment to the 2015 nostalgia (yes, insert Inside Out puns all day long)?

The Visuals

Visually, Inside Out 2 is equal if not more brilliantly visual than the original. The bright colors and crisp details down to singular ice fragments – truly astounding Pixar level CGI animation skills are highlighted as pure art. It definitely gave me the feels of watching Inside Out 2015 for the first time. However, along with better technology and CGI animation comes a lot of possible red flag camera movements and effects for audience’s sensitive to bright flashes and motion sickness.

Photosensitivity Warning. For viewers prone to epilepsy and photosensitivity, please note that Inside Out 2 has multiple scenes with dizzying swirling and fast spinning camera movements that could be nausea inducing for some. Scenes of bright flashing and/or strobing lights are also of concern – some of these scenes occurring alongside the dizzying camera effects.

Parents, please take note that Inside Out 2 is one of the most photosensitive and motion sickness prone Pixar films I have seen since Incredibles 2 in 2018 and is easily comparable to the same effects in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The Story

Perhaps sadder is that not all of the cast and filmmakers returned for this 9-year Inside Out emotional reunion. Directed by Kelsey Mann (“The Good Dinosaur“) and produced by Mark Nielsen (“Toy Story 4“), Inside Out 2 is the long awaited Disney Pixar film sequel to the original Inside Out 2015 animated film. Inside Out 2 stars Maya Hawke (“Stranger Things“) as Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation“) as Joy, Phyllis Smith (“The Office“) as Sadness, Lewis Black (“Accepted“) as Anger, and introducing Tony Hale (“Arrested Development“) as Fear, Liza Lapira (“21“) as Disgust, Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear“) as Envy, Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell“) as Embarrassment, Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue is the Warmest Colour“) as Ennui, and Kensington Tallman (Nickeloden’s “Drama Club”) as Riley.

Riley is back in Inside Out 2 as the puberty button goes off and a truckload of new emotions crowds up headquarters. Enter in a new era of Riley as Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui (aka boredom – why didn’t we just call him that?) arrive to shake up Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Fear’s console world. But can all of the emotions play nice? Or are they just toying with Riley’s emotions as she discovers the new teen years?

Be warned, with new directors and cast on board, Inside Out 2 has a whole different vibe – and I’m not talking just new emotions. There’s less imaginative bubbly creative world building. Mental health plays a key role in Riley’s newest adventure as growing up and maturity equals a lot more awkward moments in this film sequel. This new story feels as spastic and chaotic as the new emotions – without the gentle and creative flow that the storytelling once had in 2015. It’s messy and directionless at times darkness and sarcasm ebbing with the emotional turmoil we once knew.

But the harder part for me was the missing guttural, heartstring-pulling, ugly cry. A heavy reminder that this really isn’t the Inside Out from 2015 – but a 9-year old fading childhood reflection of a film franchise we want to stay exactly the same and perfect as it is. But as heartbreaking as the lack of Pixar tears was for me – if you, your mental health, and your awkward teen years are feeling seen while watching – then Inside Out 2 has done it’s emotional job. The bigger question is – is Inside Out 2 for kids?

Inside Out 2 PG Rating Explained

Is Inside Out 2 safe for kids? Has Riley gone off the rails again? A Disney Pixar original animated film sequel rated PG? Should parents be concerned that we’ve got another Incredibles 2 surprise on our hands? It’s no secret that I am highly skeptical of all MPAA ratings (um hello, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker not disclosing any language??). And as we know, not all movie and TV age ratings are the same. As a parent, it’s been rather heartbreaking to witness how ratings have shifted over the years with a G-rating no longer an option to help guide parents.

PG ratings now oscillating between Turning Red intense to Christopher Robin calm, and even PG-13/TV-14 age ratings teetering on the edge of R or MA ratings (Moon Knight and Werewolf by Night, I see you!), there’s a wide range between the age of 0-14 years old for parents to consider. Having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or show is kid friendly – and safe for the whole family to watch together.

Why is Inside Out 2 rated PG? In this Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, this 2024 Disney Pixar film sequel is rated PG for “some thematic elements.” With film and TV ratings also unpredictable these days, having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or television show like Inside Out 2 is kid friendly. Is Inside Out 2 too adult for kids? Too emotional? Is Inside Out 2 for kids? Let’s breakdown that PG age rating in this Inside Out 2 parents guide.

Violence/Suspense. Inside Out 2 is actually mildly violent. This film sequel has multiple hockey scenes – which show some aggressive pushing, shoving, and tripping of other players (pretty normal for the sport). Emotion characters are seen throwing punches and slaps, and talking “smack” of how they want to “punch/kick” other characters – for comedic effect. No character gets injured. Light bullying and “mean girls” tendencies are also projected in this film through verbal and visual inferences.

There is a scene of a character as a “skeleton” that may throw little kids off – even though in cartoon form. There are also scenes in the dark and possible “scary characters” depicted as well (think Jangles the Clown scene from the original Inside Out).

Adult Themes. There is a no alcohol, drug use, or smoking in Inside Out 2. However there is a scene of a character chugging what appears to be multiple “energy” drinks at one time.

Riley’s rebel streak also has not gone away. While she is not going to the lengths of stealing credit cards and running away from home this time (thank goodness!), there are some questionable teenager moves that are lower Turning Red level that parents may be concerned about. There is also a verbal reference to “join a gang.”

The bigger emotional theme running through the entire Inside Out 2 film sequel is teen mental health. And what this film does perfectly is execute the feelings Riley feels to such a degree that the audience painfully is feeling and experiencing every facet of Riley’s mental health journey along the way. Some of these big feelings and big mental health themes can be scary, heavy, and anger driven – with irrational thoughts, dark feelings, and negative self-talk. But overall, Inside Out 2 paints Anxiety in a creative and honest picture of what living with mental health issues actually feels like.

There is only one toilet humor verbal reference of “peed in the pool” in Inside Out 2.

Does Inside Out 2 have sexual innuendo? Sadly (get the pun?) there are a few possible red flags in this Pixar Inside Out sequel. One character does show a “butt crack” in two scenes (for laughs), one character has a nickname of “Wee-Wee,” and one character also sleeps in and walks around in only his “boxer shorts” in multiple scenes as well. There’s a mild inferred romance between two characters including a scene of a character caressing another character’s face. There are also multiple references to Riley’s “crushes.” There are scenes of girls in “sports bra” like tops with exposed midriffs and multiple piercings (including eyebrow and nose).

Language. Does Inside Out 2 have language? While not disclosed, there are some choice words parents should be aware of. No foul language phrases and swear words thankfully. Milder bad language phrases and insults in Inside Out 2 include: “freak,” “freaked,” “heck,” “screw,” “kill,” “dead,” “jerks,” “morons,” “stupid,” and “oh my gosh.”

Inside Out 2 Age Rating for Kids

The Overall

I applaud Inside Out 2 on multiple levels – normalizing and destigmatizing mental health issues in kids the addition of an anxiety film for big kids (there’s literally very few out there) and giving tools for parents and kids dealing with anxiety. It’s a lot of movie to digest and unpack. And Inside Out 2 truly hit me and my anxiety console to the core…but not in a cathartic Bing Bong soul crushing core memory kind of way.

The biggest letdown for me was that this is one of the few Pixar movies where I didn’t shed a tear – despite the emotional journey that is Inside Out 2. Don’t get it twisted. I liked Inside Out 2. But it’s not the sob Bing Bong story. Your emotions grow up right alongside Riley in an honest, messy and meaningful teenage way. And that’s ok.

I was ready for a cathartic Bing Bong cry. I wanted it badly. But no, I honestly wasn’t emotionally ready for Inside Out 2. And I think that is the biggest takeaway that I give to audiences – whether you’re a big Disney fan, parent or child. You have to let go of the expectation that Inside Out 2 has to be like the original. You can’t mess with the perfect, emotional journey that is Inside Out. Nothing can touch it.

Inside Out 2 is its own emotional journey. It has a different style, tone, and quality. It’s messy and ugly at times, but it’s also still rooted. Inside Out 2 is just as powerful, just as meaningful as the first film. But it’s a completely different spectrum of Pixar film, a matured version that’s less into the imaginative play and more into darker emotional connections. You’re going to have to accept this first in order to enjoy this sequel.

Mental health warriors, you will feel seen. Anxiety is introduced in such a way that really hits you in the gut – and the earnest portrayal on the big screen will have you joining her roller coaster of complex emotions as we try to make sense of this messed up world. And if you didn’t end up “feeling” for this sequel – may I be so bold as to question your own relationship with your mental health.

Take the (older) kids. Take your teens. Take your healing teenage self. Try really hard not to compare the two films. Inside Out 2 is not The Empire Strikes Back of Pixar sequels. Inside Out will always be my 10/10. But the new complex, multifaceted emotions will still have you feeling something – just not deeply.

Also, Sadness is still my spirit animal.

Follow Inside Out 2 on social media:

• Website: https://movies.disney.com/inside-out-2
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pixar
• Twitter: https://x.com/Pixar
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixar
• #InsideOut2

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Inside Out 2, the all-new 2024 Disney•Pixar animated film sequel to the award-winning 2015 Pixar classic emotionally arrives in theaters starting Friday June 14, 2024. Will your family be watching?

I was invited to screen the all-new 2024 Disney•Pixar animated film sequel Inside Out 2 in exchange for this Inside Out 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Parents Guide. All photos courtesy of Disney•Pixar. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more movie updates, celebrity interviews, entertainment and behind-the-scenes info!