Inside Out 2's Funniest Emotions — and Which Ones Didn't Make the Cut (2025)

Inside Out 2 is the latest hit sequel from Pixar Animation. A follow-up to the beloved 2015 film, the sequel follows Riley in her early teenage years as she encounters new problems, new friends, and a new school.

Inside Out 2 brings back everyone's favorite emotions, including Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. However, the sequel also introduces several brand new emotions to Riley's headquarters, including Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and Ennui. Whether new or old, all of Riley's emotions have one thing in common: they are relentlessly funny.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on October 14, 2024: With Inside Out 2 now streaming on Disney+, jump back into the emotions of the hit Pixar sequel. This article has been updated to include additional entries and to adhere to CBR's current formatting guidelines.

11 Nostalgia Only Has A Small Role

Nostalgia Makes a Cameo Appearance — But Riley Isn't Quite Ready for Her Yet

Although Inside Out 2's new emotions are major characters in the sequel's plot, one brand-new character only makes a brief appearance. Among Riley's new personified feelings is Nostalgia, an elderly emotion who loves to recall the good old days and better times. Nostalgia's concept is funny, and the character is used for a few good jokes throughout the film.

However, her role is severely limited, with the other emotions insisting that Riley isn't ready for Nostalgia yet. Instead, Riley still has a few more years, a high school graduation, and a best friend's wedding before she can truly experience the emotion. While Nostalgia is good for a laugh, perhaps the franchise simply isn't ready for her contributions just yet.

10 Fear Suffers From A Recast

Fear Protects Riley From Things She Can See

Fear is one of Riley Andersen's primary emotions — a stringy purple man in a bowtie and vest. His job is to protect Riley from things she can see, but he begins to be superseded by Anxiety, who defends against things she can't see. As a result, Fear joins Joy and the other primary emotions on a journey to undo the damage that Anxiety and the other newcomers have done.

Fear gets a few funny jokes throughout Inside Out 2, particularly his enamored reaction to Anxiety. While his role is funny, audiences can't help but notice Fear's recast, with Bill Hader replaced by Tony Hale. Although Hale does a good job in his own right, Hader is a tough act to follow and the character ultimately suffers as a result of the recast.

9 Disgust Is Different But Still Entertaining

Disgust Protects Riley From Being Poisoned — Physically and Socially

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Another one of Riley Andersen's original feelings, Disgust is a short green emotion that specializes in detecting things that her human should avoid, from actual poison to social suicide. Her role is expanded in Inside Out 2 as she helps Joy recover Riley's lost belief tree and return it to headquarters before Anxiety and the other new emotions can ruin her life.

Mindy Kaling doesn't return in Inside Out 2, leaving Liza Lapira to take over the voice role. Like with Fear, Disgust's recast is noticed at various times throughout the movie. However, the character still gets plenty of humorous moments, including a memorable love for Riley's secret crush, Lance Slashblade, a character from a fighting video game.

8 Embarrassment Has One Gimmick That Works Well

Embarrassment Isn't Quite Ready to Take Up Space

Embarrassment is one of Riley's new emotions that crashes headquarters at a formative time in the teenager's life. Alongside Anxiety, Ennui, and Envy, Embarrassment takes over Riley's mind in an attempt to rebuild her personality from the ground up. However, Embarrassment comes to see the error of his ways earlier than the other emotions, helping Sadness combat their scheme.

Designed to be big and cuddly, Embarassment brings a unique flavor of humor to Inside Out 2. As his name would imply, he is constantly embarrassed and hiding his face in his sweatshirt hoodie. This gimmick is the only one that Embarrassment has throughout the film, though it isn't overused enough to become tiresome.

7 Ennui Has A Few Funny Moments

Ennui Just Doesn't Care About Anything Going On

Joining Anxiety in taking over Riley's mind is Ennui, an emotion that acts as the personification of boredom and nonchalance. Unlike some of the other new characters, Ennui prefers to lounge around on a couch, using her phone to influence Riley, rather than getting up and using the control board.

Ennui is used sparingly throughout Inside Out 2, but her humor always lands. The perfect rendition of what it is like to be a teenager, Ennui's noncaring attitude is all too relatable for those who have been through adolescence. She may have less screen time than the other emotions, but Ennui's role in the film is memorable and hilarious.

6 Sadness Continues To Be A Hilariously Depressing Character

Sadness Helps Riley Digest Her Emotions in a Healthy Way

Sadness was one of the main personalities that the first Inside Out focused upon. A personification of all things sad, depressing, and dreary, Sadness is Riley's resident sad sack. However, after the events of the first film, the other emotions, including Joy, come to realize just how important Sadness is in Riley's life, ensuring that she remains a prominent emotion thereafter.

Although Sadness's role in Inside Out 2 isn't quite as prominent as in the first film, what scenes she does have are hilarious. From her clumsy secret mission to get back to headquarters to her surprisingly wholesome relationship with Embarrassment, Sadness remains one of the most entertaining emotions in the Inside Out franchise.

5 Joy Has The Feels In Inside Out 2

Joy Seems to Feel Multiple Emotions Herself in Inside Out 2

Joy is the hero of the original animated movie and the lead emotion in Riley's brain. A relentless optimist who only wants Riley to be happy, Joy must learn to take a backseat to other emotions, even if it is painful for the time being. In Inside Out 2, Joy comes to an even deeper understanding of her role in Riley's head, eventually making peace with Anxiety and the other new emotions.

Played by the endlessly funny Amy Poehler, Joy is always a fun character in the Inside Out movies. Her happy-go-lucky attitude is a perfect foil for virtually every other emotion in Riley's head, making her interactions with the others entertaining every time.

4 Anxiety Is Lively And Endlessly Relatable

Anxiety Has Inside Out 2's Big Emotional Moment

Maya Hawke voices the new emotion of Anxiety in Inside Out 2. Anxiety is the leader of a new group of emotions that takes over headquarters when Riley enters puberty. Terrified by the idea of Riley starting high school next year without any friends, Anxiety attempts to rebuild her personality from the ground up, even if it means destroying everything that she had built earlier in her life.

Even though she is ostensibly the antagonist of the film, Anxiety is one of the funniest characters. Everyone can relate to the character's manic panic as she works tirelessly to her fruitless ends. Moreover, Hawke proves to be a perfect casting choice, perfectly embodying the emotion of Anxiety.

3 Envy Is Adorable And Entertaining

Envy Immediately Steals the Show in Inside Out 2

Envy is one of several new emotions at headquarters in Riley's mind. Alongside Ennui, embarrassment, and Anxiety, Envy strives to help Riley fit in at hockey camp. She specifically sets her sights on Valentina, a cool girl whom she has Riley model herself after.

Short but fiery, Envy is always a joy to watch onscreen. Almost every single one of her lines is entertaining and delivered perfectly by The Bear's Ayo Edebiri. Her high-pitched squeaky voice for the role fits with the character like a hand in a glove.

2 Anger Gets His Moment To Shine In Inside Out 2

Anger Is Filled With Righteous Indignation

Anger returns in Inside Out 2, with comedian Lewis Black once again voicing the fiery red emotion. One of Riley's original cast of emotions, Anger is not too happy when Anxiety and the other newcomers take over headquarters. As a result, he and the other original emotions go on an epic journey to restore the status quo.

A perfect match between actor and character, Lewis Black's voice is exactly what one would expect from a character named Anger. The emotion's righteous (and unrighteous) indignation is dialed to another level in the sequel, beyond any of the jokes from the original. Moreover, Anger becomes one of the most compelling characters in Inside Out 2, as he momentarily puts aside his rage to encourage Joy when she begins to doubt herself. While every emotion in Inside Out 2 is funny, Anger is the standout character therein.

1 What Emotions Were Almost in Inside Out 2

Like the Original Movie, Inside Out 2 Cut Several Emotions

The original Inside Out cut several emotions and the second was no different. In addition to the multiple new emotions introduced in the sequel, several others almost made their debut only to be cut. In an interview with ComicBook .com after Inside Out 2's release, writer Meg LeFauve revealed that Shame and Guilt were almost a part of the new troop of emotions to join headquarters in the film.

According to LeFauve, these characters were cut during the film's pre-production for various reasons. Shame, the filmmakers decided, was too negative an emotion that focuses more on attacking oneself than anything else. Guilt, on the other hand, was decided to be more of a behavior than an emotion and was cut as well. However, with a third Inside Out inevitable, audiences could see these emotions show up in future films, along with other new emotions that help expand Riley's character.

Inside Out 2

Adventure

Comedy

Animation

Drama

Family

Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

Director

Kelsey Mann

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Cast

Amy Poehler , Maya Hawke , Kensington Tallman , Liza Lapira , Tony Hale , Lewis Black , Phyllis Smith , Ayo Edebiri , Lilimar , Grace Lu , Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green , Adèle Exarchopoulos , Diane Lane , Kyle MacLachlan , Paul Walter Hauser , Yvette Nicole Brown , Ron Funches , James Austin Johnson , Yong Yea , Steve Purcell , Dave Goelz , Kirk R. Thatcher , Frank Oz , Paula Pell , June Squibb , Pete Docter , Paula Poundstone , John Ratzenberger , Sarayu Blue , Flea , Bobby Moynihan , Kendall Coyne Schofield

Writers

Meg LeFauve , Dave Holstein , Kelsey Mann

Main Genre

Animation

Production Company