Inside Out holds a special place in my hardened, grown-up heart. I owe a great debt to this movie, which taught my autistic son a lot about emotional recognition. We even played a board game (downloaded somewhere online) and with each space were invited to talk about the last time we felt a corresponding emotion, e.g. Fear, Disgust, Joy, Anger, Sadness. In 2015, Inside Out was a gateway to many great family conversations, as we shared memories and fleshed out young Carson’s rudimentary grasp of emotions.
So when I learned there was a sequel—much as I loathe sequels—I could not race to the cinema fast enough to see Riley embark on a new adventure: Puberty. Cue the big red buzzer, indeed.