The Full List Of All 9 Emotions In Inside Out 2: The New Teenagers That Took Over Riley’s Mind

As of December 2025, the world is still buzzing about the emotional earthquake that hit Headquarters in Pixar’s record-breaking film, Inside Out 2. This highly-anticipated sequel not only brought back the beloved core five emotions but also introduced a complex, chaotic crew of new feelings that arrive with the onset of puberty and adolescence. The film masterfully explores the intricate emotional landscape of a newly minted teenager, Riley Andersen, by personifying the full spectrum of adolescent experience.

The total count of major emotions operating in Riley’s mind now stands at nine, plus a charming cameo. The arrival of these new characters—Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment—is the central conflict, forcing the original crew into "The Vault" and challenging Riley’s foundational Sense of Self. Understanding each emotion's role is key to appreciating the movie’s profound message about emotional complexity and self-acceptance.

Inside Out 2: Full Cast and Production Biography

The success of Inside Out 2 is rooted in its stellar voice cast and the creative team that expanded the world of Headquarters. The film, directed by Kelsey Mann in his feature directorial debut and produced by Mark Nielsen, features a mix of returning stars and new A-list talent. The screenplay was written by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein.

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• Riley Andersen (The Host): Voiced by Kensington Tallman. Riley is now 13 years old, navigating the social pressures of high school and an intense hockey camp.
• Joy: Voiced by Amy Poehler. The leader of the original crew, who struggles to accept the need for new, more complicated emotions.
• Sadness: Voiced by Phyllis Smith. The gentle, empathetic emotion who returns to help Joy understand the necessity of all feelings.
• Anger: Voiced by Lewis Black. The hot-headed emotion, reprising his role.
• Fear: Voiced by Tony Hale. Recast from Bill Hader, Hale brings a new, jittery energy to the emotion of caution.
• Disgust: Voiced by Liza Lapira. Recast from Mindy Kaling, Lapira seamlessly steps into the role of the sassy, judgmental emotion.
• Anxiety: Voiced by Maya Hawke. The main antagonist of the film, an orange, energetic emotion determined to prepare Riley for every possible future disaster.
• Envy: Voiced by Ayo Edebiri. A small, but powerful, green-eyed emotion who constantly wishes for what others have.
• Ennui: Voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos. The personification of boredom and listlessness, often seen reclining and glued to her phone.
• Embarrassment: Voiced by Paul Walter Hauser. A large, shy, pink emotion who frequently pulls up his hoodie to hide.
• Nostalgia: Voiced by June Squibb. A minor, elderly emotion who appears briefly to help Riley reminisce about her past.

The 5 Core Emotions: Navigating the Teenage Wasteland

The foundation of Riley’s mind remains the five original emotions, often referred to as the Core Five. Their stable, predictable world is shattered when a demolition crew arrives at Headquarters to make room for the emotional complexities of adolescence. Their initial reaction is to suppress and reject the new feelings, a mistake that drives the film's plot.

The film highlights a critical phase in human development: the shift from simple childhood feelings to the layered, often contradictory emotions of the teenage years. When Anxiety takes over, she imprisons the core emotions in a literal prison called The Vault, believing they are too simplistic to handle Riley's future. This dramatic separation forces the Core Five to embark on a quest to reclaim their place and, more importantly, restore Riley’s true Sense of Self.

Joy’s Evolution: In the first film, Joy believed she was the *only* necessary emotion. In the sequel, her arc is about learning that true happiness and a healthy sense of self require the integration of *all* emotions, even the uncomfortable ones like Anxiety and Sadness. This message is a powerful tool for discussing mental health with younger audiences.

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The 4 New Emotions: The Complexities of Adolescence

The four main new emotions—Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment—are not merely secondary characters; they are the architects of Riley's new, more complicated Belief System. They arrive as Riley is dealing with the high-stakes environment of a hockey camp and the pressure to fit in with a new, older crowd. Their presence is a direct metaphor for puberty and the accompanying social and self-image struggles.

Anxiety: The Jittery Architect of Future Failure

Anxiety (Maya Hawke) is the most dominant of the new arrivals. She is a frantic, orange, and highly organized emotion whose primary goal is to prepare Riley for every conceivable negative outcome. Her intentions are good—she wants Riley to be safe and successful—but her methods are destructive. Anxiety’s constant "what if" scenarios lead Riley to make impulsive, self-sabotaging decisions, ultimately threatening to dismantle the foundation of Riley’s identity. The film portrays Anxiety not as a villain, but as a misguided force that needs to be managed, not eliminated.

Ennui: The Spirit of Apathy

Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is the personification of profound, teenage boredom. Her design is listless and purple, and she is often seen lounging with a phone, demonstrating the classic teenage feeling of detachment and apathy. She represents the feeling that nothing is exciting or worth the effort, a common experience during adolescence. Ennui’s power is to hijack the console, making Riley respond with a shrug or a monotone, indifferent tone, a perfect representation of teenage eye-rolling.

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Envy and Embarrassment: The Social Self-Consciousness

The final two major new emotions deal directly with social self-image and comparison:

• Envy (Ayo Edebiri): Small and teal-colored, Envy is the emotion of wanting what others have. She is fascinated by the perceived perfection of the older, cooler hockey players and constantly urges Riley to emulate them. She is a visual metaphor for the social media age, where comparison leads to self-doubt.
• Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser): A large, gentle, and often silent figure, Embarrassment is the feeling of deep self-consciousness. He is physically imposing but attempts to hide himself, often pulling his hoodie over his head. His presence underscores the intense awkwardness and desire to disappear that comes with being a teenager.

The Central Theme: Rebuilding the Sense of Self

The ultimate takeaway from Inside Out 2 is the importance of a holistic Sense of Self. In the film, Riley’s Sense of Self is visualized as a glowing structure built from her most important Core Memories and Beliefs. Anxiety attempts to tear down this structure and replace it with a new, negative belief system ("I am a bad person").

The journey of Joy and the Core Five is not to destroy Anxiety, but to realize that a mature, healthy identity is not a single, pure feeling (like Joy), but a complex tapestry woven from *all* the emotions, both positive and negative. The film teaches that even Anxiety and Sadness have a necessary role in protecting and guiding a person, reinforcing the idea that your feelings are not your whole identity, but a part of a larger, beautiful, and messy whole. This powerful message solidified the film's position as a critical piece of modern animated cinema.