"Make room for new emotions."
Director: Kelsey Mann
Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale
Inside Out 2 — Characters & Cast
Character Analysis
Joy
Amy Poehler
Motivation
To keep Riley happy, protected, and feeling like a fundamentally good person.
Character Arc
Learns that she cannot micromanage Riley’s identity or enforce unceasing positivity, ultimately embracing emotional humility.
Anxiety
Maya Hawke
Motivation
To prepare Riley for every conceivable future threat and guarantee high school success.
Character Arc
Progresses from an overzealous strategist to an overwhelmed, panicked entity, ultimately learning to yield control and trust.
Riley Andersen
Kensington Tallman
Motivation
To be accepted by the older varsity players and secure a spot on the FireHawks ice hockey team.
Character Arc
Navigates the turbulent transition into adolescence, suffering an identity crisis and panic attack before finding authentic self-acceptance.
Sadness
Phyllis Smith
Motivation
To support Joy and preserve Riley’s emotional integrity.
Character Arc
Demonstrates newfound bravery by sneaking into Headquarters on an undercover mission to assist Joy.
Envy, Ennui & Embarrassment
Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser
Motivation
To navigate peer comparisons, project teenage apathy, and conceal social awkwardness.
Character Arc
Shift from enabling Anxiety’s takeover to actively assisting the original emotions when Riley's mental health begins collapsing.
Cast
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