It’s been almost a decade since the first Inside Out film was released to theaters. It feels like a few years, at most, have passed since the mega-popular film first dazzled audiences, but its sequel comes about a full nine years after the original.
Demands for Inside Out 2 began while the first movie was still in theaters and continued for years following the film’s release. For a while there, it seemed like rampant demands for a follow-up were falling on deaf ears, but then, in 2022, confirmation finally came down. It only took a half decade and some change, but we knew for sure that more of the delightful story was incoming.
The sequel is officially upon us, and people are already gushing about the deft delivery of a new period in the titular character Riley’s life. We’ve already stood by her through the turmoil of a new city, new school, and new friends, and now we’re set to follow the growing girl through puberty.
What grade might Riley be in during Inside Out 2?
Inside Out 2 takes place a few years after the original, shifting Riley from her pre-pubescent days to the very beginning of her teenage years. Riley is headed into the extremely undesirable holds of puberty in Inside Out 2, a period in every human’s life that not one single person would ever choose to return to.
It’s a period of transformation, and it’s a vital part of growing up, but it comes along with plenty of roadblocks. Inside Out 2 handles those roadblocks with a deft hand and does a wonderful job portraying both the positives and negatives of this vital period in an adolescent’s life.
The first film does a similarly wonderful job of capturing the 11-year-old experience in an emotional and heartfelt way, but things just get harder the older we get. By the time Inside Out 2 rolls around, Riley is officially 13, and as such is headed into 8th grade. I remember the year as one of my hardest, as I lost old friends, made new ones, and underwent the start of my transformation from child to teen.
Riley’s undergoing the same transformation in Inside Out 2, and it’s beautiful to watch. Now we’ve just got to cross our fingers for Inside Out 3, which could see us follow Riley into her high school years. Now that’s a can of worms we’d love to open.