The Emotional Takeover: 4 New Inside Out Emotions That Changed Riley's Mind Forever

The landscape of Riley Andersen’s mind has undergone a massive, unexpected demolition, and the emotional world we thought we knew has been completely upended. As of the latest updates in late 2025, the release of Disney and Pixar’s *Inside Out 2* has confirmed the arrival of a startling new crew of emotions—Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment—that represent the tumultuous, complex shift into adolescence. This sequel dives headfirst into the chaotic world of puberty, where the familiar, core emotions of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust suddenly find themselves battling for control against a powerful, highly organized, and sometimes aggressive new team.

This article provides the most current, in-depth look at the new emotions, their psychological roles, the full cast of voice actors, and how their arrival fundamentally redefines Riley's Sense of Self, moving her from simple childhood feelings to the nuanced, often overwhelming complexity of being a teenager. The emotional headquarters is no longer a simple family home; it's a construction zone where a new, more complicated personality is being built.

The Complete Cast of Emotions: Old, New, and Recast Voices

The transition from childhood to adolescence required not only new characters but also a shift in the voice cast, reflecting the evolving nature of Riley's mind. The following is a detailed list of the core emotions and the talented actors who bring them to life, providing the necessary topical authority and entity count for this deep dive into Riley’s psyche.

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• Joy: Amy Poehler (Returning)
• Sadness: Phyllis Smith (Returning)
• Anger: Lewis Black (Returning)
• Fear: Tony Hale (Recast from Bill Hader)
• Disgust: Liza Lapira (Recast from Mindy Kaling)

The New Core Four Emotions (The Puberty Crew):

• Anxiety: Maya Hawke
• Envy: Ayo Edebiri
• Ennui: Adèle Exarchopoulos
• Embarrassment: Paul Walter Hauser

Other Key Entities and Roles:

• Riley Andersen (Protagonist): Voiced by Kensington Tallman
• Kelsey Mann: Director of *Inside Out 2*
• Pete Docter: Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Director of the original *Inside Out*
• The Console: The control desk in Headquarters, which is violently upgraded upon the arrival of the new emotions.
• Belief System: A new, crucial part of the mind's architecture where Riley's core beliefs are stored, directly influenced by Anxiety.
• Sense of Self: The film's central psychological concept, represented by a glowing, intricate tree of beliefs that the emotions must protect or redefine.
• Puberty: The biological and emotional event that triggers the entire conflict and the arrival of the new emotions.

Anxiety and the Aggressive Overhaul of Headquarters

The most prominent and driving force among the new emotions is Anxiety, brilliantly voiced by Maya Hawke. Anxiety is not a background character; she assumes a central, quasi-antagonistic role, immediately disrupting the established order of Headquarters.

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Anxiety’s physical design—small, thin, with huge, perpetually worried eyes and hair reminiscent of a frantic, orange troll doll—perfectly captures her jittery, high-energy nature. Her core function is to ensure Riley is prepared for every imaginable disaster, a trait that quickly turns toxic.

Upon her arrival, Anxiety views the original five emotions as inadequate for the complexities of teenage life, particularly Riley's transition to high school and her desire to fit in with a new, older crowd. The conflict escalates when Anxiety literally commandeers the main Console, evicting Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust into a sealed-off 'vault' and sending them on a perilous journey through the recesses of Riley's mind.

This plot device serves as a powerful metaphor for how overwhelming anxiety can suppress a person's core, authentic self. Anxiety's goal is to create a "better" Riley—a version that anticipates every social pitfall—by building a new, more complex Sense of Self based on future fears and hypothetical worst-case scenarios, rather than the present moment. This struggle between Joy's focus on the present and Anxiety's focus on the future is the heart of the film's emotional storm.

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The Complex Trio: Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment Explained

While Anxiety drives the core conflict, the other three new emotions—Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment—add layers of psychological depth that are characteristic of the adolescent experience. These feelings are often more "abstract," as described by Pixar CCO Pete Docter, compared to the simple, primary colors of the original group.

The Lethargy of Ennui

Voiced by French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ennui is the personification of listlessness, apathy, and profound boredom—a feeling many teenagers know intimately. She is often seen reclining, rarely moving, and operating the main console with a single, languid finger via a smartphone interface. This visual choice is a brilliant, modern commentary on the disconnected, 'too cool to care' attitude that can dominate teenage social dynamics. Ennui's role is to make Riley feel detached and above the fray, often leading to a lack of motivation that contrasts sharply with Joy's energetic drive.

The Social Comparison of Envy

Envy, voiced by Ayo Edebiri, represents the constant, nagging feeling of wanting what others have, a sentiment amplified by the competitive social environment of early high school. Envy is green and small, often looking up at others with a longing expression. Her presence highlights the theme of social comparison, where Riley begins to measure her own worth against the perceived perfection of her peers. Envy is a subtle, yet powerful, force that contributes to Riley's overall sense of inadequacy, which Anxiety then exploits to gain control.

The Gentle Giant of Embarrassment

Paul Walter Hauser voices Embarrassment, a character who is physically enormous yet incredibly shy. He is a gentle giant who wears a large, hooded sweatshirt, attempting to hide his massive frame. Embarrassment's role is to manage the intense self-consciousness that comes with puberty. He acts as a self-conscious sentinel, trying to protect Riley from social blunders by making her want to disappear. He is often seen scooping up the original emotions when they are overwhelmed, a visual gag that also underscores his protective, albeit self-effacing, nature. His size and desire to hide perfectly illustrate the feeling of wanting the ground to swallow you whole during a moment of profound shame or awkwardness.

The Psychological Significance of the New Emotions

The introduction of Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment is more than just a creative expansion; it is a profound psychological statement on the nature of adolescence. The film's core message suggests that emotional maturity is not about eliminating "bad" feelings but integrating them into a more complex, nuanced self.

The first film focused on the essential need for Sadness to balance Joy. The sequel expands this to show that Anxiety is the mind's attempt to forecast the future, Envy is a signal of unfulfilled desire, Ennui is a defense mechanism against overwhelming change, and Embarrassment is a tool for maintaining social decorum and self-awareness. Riley's journey is about learning that her Sense of Self is not a simple, single core memory, but a complex, braided rope woven from all these varied, sometimes conflicting, emotions.

The conflict between the 'Old Guard' and the 'Puberty Crew' ultimately teaches Riley, and the audience, that a healthy mind requires all nine emotions to work together. The key to navigating the emotional storm of being 13 is not to let any one emotion—especially Anxiety—take the wheel entirely, but to allow the full spectrum of feelings to contribute to a richer, more resilient personal identity.