Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Inside Out 2!

Inside Out 2‘s ending advances the overall themes of 2015’s Inside Out and highlights the underlying message at the heart of both films. Inside Out introduced the internal emotions controlling people across the world, who opperate within the minds of every person. The two films focus on Riley, a young girl whose Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust work together to ensure Riley’s happiness and safety. As Riley ages into a teenager, new emotions join the cast of Inside Out 2 while introducing new emotions like Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.

The resulting conflict between the older emotions and their new counterparts further complicates Riley’s outing to hockey camp, where she must decide between her old friendships or impressing the high school athletes. By the end of the film, Riley’s emotions have learned to overcome their own flaws and misguided attempts at control, setting up a sweet message that builds off the themes of the first film. Here’s how Inside Out 2‘s ending fits alongside the previous film’s moral and how it could set up a prospective Inside Out 3.

Joy & Anxiety Work Together After Riley’s Anxiety Attack

The Emotional Conflict Is Bad For Riley

One of the biggest emotional beats in Inside Out 2 happens during Riley’s anxiety attack late in the film, forcing Joy, Anxiety, and the rest of the emotions to come together to save her. After gaining control of Headquarters, Anxiety takes charge as the prime emotion for Riley, and this results in Riley eventually going through a panic attack. This is visualized internally by Anxiety losing control of the console, quietly crying even as Joy confronts her and realizes she’s not in control.

It’s a big moment for Joy and Anxiety alike, giving the pair a moment of empathy before revealing the resulting anxiety attack is still ranging uncontrolled. It comes down to all the emotions, including Anxiety, to come together and embrace around her new Sense of Self. It also reinforces a major element of the first film, where Joy learns the importance of embracing the other emotions and accepting them. Whereas the first film focused on Joy learning to accept Sadness as a peer, Inside Out 2 ends with Anxiety finding her place alongside Joy and the rest of the cast.

Riley’s New Sense Of Self & Belief System Explained

How Inside Out 2 Introduces Beliefs Into The Mix

One of the big developments of Inside Out 2 is the introduction of a Sense of Self. When certain memories become fundamental to Riley’s personality, they become Inside Out‘s beliefs. Visualized as music-like chords that come together within Riley’s mind in one of the film’s more stunning visuals, this creates the Sense of Self within the Headquarters. Initially, Joy ensures that only fulfilling memories make it into Riley’s beliefs, leaving her convinced that she’s a good person while her bad memories are tucked away and forgotten.

Anxiety removes this when she takes over, with most of the emotions spending the subsequent movie trying to recover Riley’s old Sense of Self. However, Joy eventually discovers it isn’t enough to combat an Anxiety Attack. Instead, Joy and the other emotions come together and support a new Sense of Self that grows from all of Riley’s memories influencing her beliefs. Notably, this Sense of Self is ever-changing and adaptable, reflecting all the contradictory but consistent emotions within Riley. It’s a sweet message, and plays into the film’s themes about the importance of all emotion coming together to form unity.

What Happens To Riley After Her Anxiety Attack

Riley Gets A Happy Ending

Riley’s anxiety attack is the emotional peak for the character in Inside Out 2, and ultimately sets up her reconciliation with her best friends Bree and Grace. While Riley spends much of hockey camp distancing herself from the pair after discovering they won’t be going to the same high school together, the pair reaffirm their friendship with Riley after she establishes a new Sense of Self and apologizes for her actions. The final stretch of the film confirms their continued bond, with Riley frequently texting the pair while at school. This suggests they also continue to hang out.

She’s not alone at her high school either, as Riley is accepted into Val’s social circle of hockey players. The ending of the film even implies that Riley will follow in Val’s footsteps by becoming a member of the Varsity hockey team despite her youth, giving her a major personal win to close the movie out on. While the possibility of Riley having another anxiety attack means her Headquarters is vulernable to events like that, the film stresses that Riley can overcome them.

Why Inside Out 2 Makes Anxiety The Villain

Joy Couldn’t Be In Control Again

Anxiety is the primary antagonist for much of Inside Out 2, but proves to not be a malicious presence. Although she banishes the main characters from Headquarters, it’s all in service of helping Riley grow. As the film progresses, Anxiety becomes more desperate and committed to “helping” prepare Riley for an uncertain future, pushing Riley to turn away from her best friends and cross moral lines. However, it proves to stem from a genuine belief that Riley would be better off growing like this, and she’s left in tears when she realizes her actions have set off an anxiety attack late in the film.

Less of an overt villain, Anxiety is a direct foil to Joy. Both characters take charge of the management of Riley’s emotional state, are convinced of their own convictions, and both learn to let go. Joy goes through a similar emotional arc, learning to let go of Riley’s old Sense of Self to let a new one grow. Ultimately, the message of the film is similar to Inside Out‘s ending, highlighting the need for all emotions to be recognized and embraced for the sake of Riley’s growth. That’s why the film ends with the new emotions, including Anxiety, accepted as a part of the group.

Where Did The New Emotions Come From?

They Just Appear

The important new emotions in Inside Out 2 are Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. They appear after Riley’s puberty alarm sets off, which results in Headquarters being expanded and upgraded by the mental construction crew. The four appear suddenly in Headquarters when they go on break, with their introductions largely played for laughs. However, there is also a fifth minor emotion introduced in the film. Nostalgia is portrayed as a beige sweet old lady, who recalls happier times.

The new emotions reveal that Nostalgia isn’t actually supposed to come out yet, citing how Riley has a lot of growing up to do before that emotion becomes a more important part of the Headquarters. Nostalgia then goes back through a door in Headquarters, seemingly to wait for her time to become more pronounced. This suggests all the emotions stem from the same place, and that Riley’s other future emotions might come from the same place.

How Inside Out 2 Sets Up Inside Out 3

Inside Out 3 Has Not Been Announced

Inside Out 2 largely works as a self-contained story of personal growth for Riley and her emotions. However, the film also teases potential places to take the franchise in case Inside Out 3 comes to pass. Inside Out could follow in the footsteps of Toy Story 3 and showcase Riley growing up through high school and eventually reaching adulthood, highlighting how someone changes and evolves as they grow up. More emotions could come into play, setting up conflict between the established ones and whatever new feelings emerge. Nostalgia implies there are plenty of future emotions who could be waiting.

Romance has been a very minor element in the films so far, but a prospective Inside Out 3 could build off the mentions of Riley’s minor crushes and infatuations to showcase how all the differing emotions could impact Riley in a relationship. The possible sequel could explore Riley’s emotional state during a crisis, such as the loss of a family member or friend. The film could even take a much larger time-jump and revisit Riley after she’s grown up, fully exploring the kind of adult emotional state that the brief asides into her parent’s minds have included.

By its very nature, Inside Out could expand into all sorts of different directions, highlighting how emotions change and grow over time. Inside Out 2 does not overtly set up Inside Out 3 as a result of the various possibilities. While Pixar has not officially announced that another movie is in the cards, Amy Poehler has shared her hopes for Inside Out 3, 4, and 5. There is certainly room for that to happen after Inside Out 2‘s ending.

The Real Meaning Of Inside Out 2

Inside Out 2 Continues The Original Film’s Theme

At its core, Inside Out 2 build on the same core message of the original film. Both movies are about the wide range of emotions that go into a person, and highlight how they have to come together for someone to be fully well-rounded. Joy and Anxiety go through the same general arc, learning to let go of their controlling attitudes and embrace the other emotions for the impact and influence they have on Riley.

All the emotions are accepted and embraced, with Joy learning to give Anxiety her own space so she remains calm but productive within Riley’s mind. This is an important aspect of the film, ensuring that no one emotion is the true villain even when they are at odds. By embracing all the emotions as one, Riley is able to recognize her own mistakes and apologize for them instead of doubling down on her previous perspective.

This allows Riley to finally relax and find peace, reuniting with her old friends while ensuring she keeps her new ones. Finding internal unity isn’t easy, but it’s necessary — and it can help establish a true Sense of Self. It’s a lovely theme to see celebrated in such a big way, and gives Inside Out 2 a consistent throughline with the movie that proceeded it.