Joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust are the five universal human emotions. While these emotions make up the baseline, Disney highlighted several more complex emotions in the movie Inside Out 2.

As Riley enters puberty, she begins to experience new emotions like Nostalgia, Ennui, Envy, Embarrassment, and Anxiety. These emotions add depth and complexity to an already stellar concept. I genuinely cried when I watched Inside Out 2 because I knew I wasn’t the only one struggling with more complex emotions than just the basics.

Although Nostalgia isn’t around much in the movie because it’s “too early” for her to be in Riley’s life, I still feel like she’s such an important emotion. Characterizing Nostalgia as a cute old woman is fitting because I think the older you are, the more you tend to reminisce. Even as a teenager, I miss many moments from past years, and I enjoy being nostalgic. I think Nostalgia is an important emotion because it serves as a sense of peace and a safe space to reflect on memories. 

Ennui is “what you would call The Boredom.” Ennui is the most relatable character in this whole movie, especially as a procrastinating, phone-addicted teenager. There’s a scene in the movie where Ennui loses her phone and quite literally flips the couch. I’m not proud of it, but I found that scene so relatable. I think Ennui is vital to any teenager’s set of emotions because everyone deserves to be lazy once in a while.

Envy reminds me a lot of myself when I was little, which is perfect because it is represented as a little girl. Growing up, I constantly compared myself to others or wished I had something someone else had, which was unrealistic because everyone is different. But Envy always says, “Oh, I want to look like that,” or her iconic line, “OHHHH look at her hairrrr,” makes you know this girl is just a pure-hearted little one.

Embarrassment is just a big guy you want to give a long hug to. The movie characterizes him as more of a shy guy than someone who is always embarrassed.. 

I’m waiting for Inside Out 3 because I know in my heart that he and Sadness will become best friends. This friendship would be absolutely amazing, and I think they would be the power team of the third movie…if there ever is one.

Anxiety was very cringe in the Inside Out 2. She reminded me of Sebastian Bails, a Musically star who made videos featuring his pick-me-energy and Bella Poarch-inspired faces. Not to mention, he was the definition of an orange self-tanner. 

I’m not saying that anxiety is a cringey emotion, but the characterization of the emotion is not necessarily accurate. I feel like this because I think everyone has different types of anxiety, and their anxiety is expressed in various ways. Some people outwardly show that they are experiencing an anxiety attack by shaking, breathing heavily, and even crying. In comparison, others zone out and bounce their leg. 

I thought the Barbie movie healed my inner child. That was until I saw Inside Out 2. I love how it teaches good lessons for everyone, in every phase of life. It explains so many universal truths that everyone has experienced. 

The new emotions in the movie are definitely more complex than the original five, but as a teenager, the movie made me feel heard and seen. It feels good to relate to something on such a delicate topic.