Inside Out 2: My Mind is Officially Blown (and Overthinking)

Okay, fellow film fanatics, I just walked out of "Inside Out 2" and I'm...whelmed? In a good way, mostly! As someone who grew up on Pixar and has a HUGE soft spot for anything tackling complex emotions, this one hit different. It's not just for kids, that's for sure. Seeing Riley go through puberty and the arrival of Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui (who, let's be honest, is my spirit animal) felt incredibly real. Seriously, who HASN'T felt that soul-crushing boredom Ennui brought to the table? I think one of the things I appreciated most was how they visualized Anxiety. It wasn't just some villainous force, but a tangled, chaotic mess of good intentions gone wrong. The scene where Anxiety completely takes over, pushing Joy and the original emotions to the back of Riley's mind, was genuinely unsettling. I mean, it was cartoon-y, but the idea of losing control like that? Brrr. And the design of each new emotion? Perfection. The animators really cooked (that's a new phrase, right?). There were a few moments where it felt a little preachy (like, yes, we GET that emotions are important!), but overall, it's a really clever and insightful look at the rollercoaster that is adolescence. I also appreciated that they didn't try to make everything sunshine and rainbows at the end. Riley's still figuring things out, and that's OKAY. It's a messy process! Def worth checking out if you're looking for something that's both entertaining and thought-provoking. Just maybe bring some tissues...and maybe a therapist's number, just in case. I give it a solid 8/10. What did everyone else think?