Inside Out 2

One day the sarcasm-meter is on full blast, the parents become extra annoying, the social skills seem to have completely flown out of the window and the hormones roar... Puberty is anything but a smooth transition to adulthood and for Riley's primary emotions Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness it's more than just a change; in the sequel Inside Out 2 Joy gets a taste of her own medicine when she and the rest of the emotions are replaced by new teenage invaders Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. It's now up to Joy and co. to regain control of Riley before she turns into a real teenage monster.

It's not an easy task to match the emotional highs of Inside Out, which I consider one of Pixar's finest films. It was a brilliant therapy session for all ages about not shutting out your emotions and dealing with difficult changes in your life, which felt hard to top given what a searing tearjerker that film turned out to be. Inside Out 2, however, proved to be a fond return to Pixar's bygone magic, confidently telling a story about the most uncertain time in our lives. Riley's emotional world is delightfully confusing, without the film ever being confusing itself.

Where the first film was about growing up, the new film is about not only finding your identity, but also shaping it. In other words, Riley's emotional palette becomes more complex with the many twists and turns of adolescence, but no less accessible or relatable for it. The script is again so polished and smart that it manages to navigate the viewer through the intricacies of human psychology without ever losing sight of the emotional thread.

In terms of structure, the second film is very similar to its predecessor, where we are once again taken out of Riley's newly renovated brain office to wander through the tangled emotional business of teenage girls. This time, however, it's more about Riley's fractured sense of self and the difficulty of holding on to her innermost beliefs, which forms a thematically strong backbone among all the quick-fire jokes. On the surface, you might not think much of Riley's adolescent problems at hockey camp, but once again the filmmakers manage to make her turbulent teenage psyche dynamic and highly recognisable. Once again, it's hard not to be moved by Riley's little (and big) life journey, especially towards the tear-jerking end.

The predecessor is admittedly a cut above thanks to its strong character focus, as it can quickly feel a little too crowded with new faces in Riley's emotional panel. Here, it is mostly Anxiety who makes the biggest impression as the film's major antagonist, while characters like Envy and Ennui end up a bit in the shadows. I also miss Michael Giacchino's memorable music composition that helped make the world of Inside Out such an emotional rollercoaster. Some adults in the cinema audience might sigh at some of the annoying childhood characters our heroes encounter in Riley's so-called "State of Secrets".

On the whole, however, it remains a skilful, accurate, insightful, moving and funny film about the fear of losing control and accepting all your feelings for what they really are. It's a well-balanced family film with an energetic sense of humour and a tight, reflective script. Pixar, forget Toy Story now - the real storytelling joy is in Riley's head.