With a general election on the horizon, it’s probably safe to say most of us are experiencing a little more anxiety than usual. No matter how old I get, the physical manifestation of anxiety doesn’t seem to have changed much from that pit-in-my-stomach, will-I-be-picked-last-for-the-rounders-team feeling of my teenage years.
These first waves of anxiety are the focus of the hotly anticipated sequel to Disney Pixar’s 2015 masterpiece, Inside Out. It told the story of 11-year-old Riley as she navigated moving to a new city, while her emotions – personified as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust – struggled to maintain balance within her mind. In Inside Out 2, which is released in cinemas today, we return to Riley’s life in San Francisco, where her core emotions have become a well-functioning team. All seems to be going well – until the puberty alarm goes off.
Our reviewer Alana James, an expert in teenage psychology, is impressed by the film’s depiction of anxiety, personified as a bright orange, frizzy haired avatar with perpetually upturned eyebrows. She thinks it’s a fresh follow-up to the first film, and likes the way it portrays anxiety as a normal feeling that can have a positive purpose – so long as it doesn’t take over.
