Inside Out 2 sees the popular Pixar franchise tackle the thorny topic of puberty, and in doing so has created an unlikely connection to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Netflix series of all time. Continuing the first movie’s trend of exploring increasingly complex ideas and emotions, Inside Out 2 is as much a deep psychological study as it is a lighthearted animated comedy. However, while it’s a clear example of animation proving the perfect medium for exploring complicated ideas, it is far from the first project to take such an approach.

A key feature of Inside Out 2‘s story, as was the case with the previous movie, is the concept of autonomous, conscious emotions contributing to aspects of protagonist Riley’s personality. Characters like Joy, Sadness, and new addition Anxiety are all shown acting independently, communicating with one another and exhibiting their own individuality. This humanization of emotions has helped the Inside Out franchise stand out. However, there is another animation that employs a very similar approach – albeit with radically different results.

Big Mouth Is The Perfect Companion Piece To Inside Out 2

It Takes A Similar Approach To Its Non-Human Characters

Although its content is vastly different, Netflix’s Big Mouth has many similarities to Inside Out 2. Whereas the Pixar movie focuses on emotions specific to individual people, Big Mouth introduces incorporeal “Hormone Monsters” – invisible to everyone except the human they’re attached to. Nevertheless, despite not occupying a “control room“-like space inside characters’ brains, the role of Big Mouth‘s Hormone Monsters and Inside Out 2‘s emotions is almost identical – to help shape and guide their human wards through one of the most challenging times of their lives.

It’s important to note that, despite their similar gimmicks, Inside Out 2 and Big Mouth are radically different. Like all Pixar movies, Inside Out 2 expertly blends child-friendly storytelling with elements that also appeal to an adult audience, making for a family-friendly and intergenerational viewing experience. By contrast, Big Mouth is deliberately crass, explicit, and geared towards many of the more visceral elements of adolescence.

However, it is because they address different aspects of the same topic that Inside Out 2 and Big Mouth are actually perfect partners. Anyone who goes through teenagehood knows that Inside Out 2‘s depiction of growing up is heavily censored – avoiding many of the language, antics, and other sordid details that have made shows like South Park so popular. Likewise, Big Mouth emphasizes the ruder and more sexual elements of puberty to such an extent that it almost passes into the realm of parody. Together, however, the two present an authentically well-rounded view of growing up that almost covers all bases.

Inside Out 2’s New Characters Connect It To Big Mouth

There Are Equivalents In Each Project

The connection between Big Mouth and the Inside Out franchise has been evident since the Netflix series debuted in 2017. In many ways, the show is a dark mirror that mocks the innocence of Inside Out‘s take on the concept. However, with the new context provided by Inside Out 2‘s story, the comparison is even more pertinent. Not only is Riley now of the same age as the characters in Big Mouth, but the new emotions that populate her brain create a direct link to many of the show’s most memorable arcs.

Both Inside Out 2 and Big Mouth, for instance, have a character that represents anxiety. In the movie, the character is literally called Anxiety and is portrayed as an internal source of conflict. By contrast, Big Mouth introduces Tito the Anxiety Mosquito, who plays the same role of self-sabotage in season 4 – albeit as an external force. There are also parallels between Inside Out 2‘s Embarrassment and Big Mouth‘s Shame Wizard. The fact that multiple characters have their equivalents in each project is a telling sign that the Inside Out and Big Mouth franchises have grown closer together with the release of the 2024 movie.

Inside Out 2 Is Much Darker Than Big Mouth (Despite Being A Pixar Movie)

The Movie’s Story Is Way Scarier

It might seem surprising to suggest that Inside Out 2 is more sinister than Big Mouth. After all, the Netflix series is an explicitly adult animation and can therefore include much more traditionally upsetting material as part of its story. However, whereas Big Mouth uses puerile humor to break any developing danger or tension, Inside Out 2 actually offer a much more unremitting depiction of what it’s like to struggle with Anxiety.

Although the Pixar movie does feature some funny moments, the unnerving way that Anxiety seizes control of Riley is deeply distressing, making it a much darker story than the original. The fact that something inside her head is responsible, as opposed to an external force that can be confronted, makes Riley (and, by proxy, the audience) feel powerless. It might be designed to have mass-market family appeal, but there’s no denying that Inside Out 2 presents some challenging and potentially traumatizing ideas as part of its narrative.