Sequel to phenomenal 2015 Pixar movie a colorful delight, if not quite as good as the original

“Maybe that’s what happens when you grow up: Maybe you feel less joy.” That bittersweet lament may anchor “Inside Out 2,” but the Pixar sequel is so utterly heartfelt in how it conveys that message that you can’t help but smile through the tears.

The phenomenal 2015 animated original introduced us to the personified emotions of 11-year-old Riley as she dealt with the fallout of moving with her family from Minnesota to San Francisco. Now 13 in the sequel, Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman) is about to face a double threat: high school and puberty. Her primary Emotions — the quintet of Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira) and Fear (Tony Hale) — have had the situation under control: Riley is thriving in her personal life, in school and in the ice hockey arena. And then a bright-red alarm — stamped with an all-caps “PUBERTY” — begins screeching, and everything changes.

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Read more: ‘Inside Out’ review: The power of memories (2015)

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“Inside Out 2,” directed by Kelsey Mann (his feature debut) from a screenplay by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, leans into that turbulent change. New Emotions — Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) — manifest, adding new colors to the kaleidoscope that is Riley’s sense of self. Decisions and reactions aren’t so clear-cut anymore; there are new shades of color here now.

And with the same gorgeous animation that made the first movie such a visual treat, all that color just pops in the sequel. From the glowing auras of the Emotions to the detailed attention given to the backgrounds to the crystal blue of Riley’s eyes, the visuals in “Inside Out 2” are simply top-notch and they add their own layer of depth to the ongoing turmoil.

As Emotions new and old clash, the theme of memory — of what makes us who we are — becomes more prominent. The message is simple enough: Memories — good and bad — inform who we are, but they’re not everything we will be. New memories will be formed as we grow and, hopefully, learn. (Riley’s vault of secrets reminds us there are things better left forgotten, including what may be the creepiest fanny pack ever created.) 

But while the thematic elements are simple yet effective, long a Pixar staple, the teenage troupe elements are more scattershot. The cringe is deliciously palpable as Riley tries to impress high school hockey players, but the “Minions”-like slapstick that pops up sometimes detracts from the more grown-up material. (She may be just 13, but her Emotions act much more juvenile on more than one occasion.)

In the end, “Inside Out 2” is a colorful, earnest journey into a tumultuous time for us all. It’s a little more over the top than its predecessor and it wraps up a bit too neatly; despite that, it’s heartfelt and joyous, a blast of fun for those who haven’t hit puberty yet and a bittersweet dose of nostalgia for those of us who have. Emotions, like life, are complicated; the simple pleasure of “Inside Out 2” is not. And we could all use a little more of that.

Four “Giving new meaning to ‘paralyzed by anxiety’” stars out of five, and a critic’s pick.