Inside Out 2 Score: New Emotions, New Sounds?

Alright soundtrack nerds, who else has seen Inside Out 2? I'm still processing it, but I wanted to get some early thoughts down, especially re: the score. Michael Giacchino's back, which is always a good sign. I felt the original Inside Out had some really unique cues – that whimsical, almost music-box feeling for Imagination Land was just chef's kiss. This time around, I think he really leaned into the teenage angst and awkwardness with the music. Did anyone else notice how much more… discordant some of the cues were when Anxiety was on screen? It defintely made me uneasy, which I think was the point. I'm curious how it sounds seperately from the movie. I honestly wasn't sure how they could top the emotional range of the first film, but adding Emotions like Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui (who's my spirit animal, btw) really opened up new sonic possibilities. There's a scene where Joy is desperately trying to 'contain' the new emotions, and Giacchino uses this frantic, almost chaotic string arrangement that I found really effective. It reminded me a bit of some of his Incredibles work, but with a more vulnerable edge. Maybe a new soundtrack for my collection? Let me see your thoughts! I'm a bit torn on how the film as a whole used Giacchino's work. Sometimes it felt like the music was doing a lot of heavy lifting, especially in moments when the animation struggled to convey the complexity of Riley's emotional state. That might be the fault of the animation team, or maybe it means the score was just that good? I need a second watch for sure and then to listen to the darn score alone. One thing I know for sure: I'm already anticipating a deeper dive into the soundtrack. It's not perfect, but it's got layers, just like the movie itself. And Ennui needs her own theme song, stat! I am a fan, for sure.