Inside Out 2 Characters, Explained (2024)

Inside Out 2 hit theaters on June 14, 2024, reuniting viewers with the colorful cast of emotions inside Riley Anderson's head. The movie follows Riley as she enters her teenage years, which prove to be much more emotionally complex than her childhood ever was.

A followup to Pixar's hit 2015 animated movie, Inside Out 2 brings back all the emotions from the previous film while introducing several new characters too. However, in addition to the new cast members, the sequel features several recasts that audiences should be aware of. Who makes up the cast of Inside Out 2, and who might be recast in a potential sequel?

15 Val Ortiz Is the Most Popular Girl in Riley's School

She Gives a New Positive Representation to the "Cool Girl"

• Val Ortiz is voiced by Lilimar

Valentina "Val" Ortiz is the best hockey player and captain of the Varsity Team at the camp that Riley attends when she turns 13 years old. Riley is immediately both intimidated and star-struck by Val, who, despite her great abilities and fame, is truly kind and patient with Riley.

The voice of Val, Lilimar Hernandez (sometimes known only as Lilimar), is an actress known for her protagonist roles in the Nickelodeon TV seriesBella and the Bulldogs and Knight Squad, as well as Peacock's Cleopatra in Space. She's currently the voice of Batwing in Max's Batwheels, the funny show about Batman's automobiles.

14 Grace Is One of Riley's Best Friends

Grace & Bree Are the Great Friends Riley Needed to Thrive

• Grace is voiced by Grace Lu

Grace Hsieh and Bree Young are Riley's best friends. Riley and Grace become friends when everyone in their class laughs at Grace for dropping her jar of money. Riley is the only student who gets up and helps Grace, quickly followed by Bree, which cements the friendship of the three girls.

Grace Lu is mainly known for her voice acting credits. She's appeared in several high-profile video games, such as Demon Slayer: Sweep the Board!, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Persona 3 Reload. She's also appeared as an actress in Disney's Bunk'd as Megan, and voiced Lala in Madagascar: A Little Wild.

13 Bree Is Another of Riley's Close Friends

Inside Out 2 Also Shows Bree and Grace's Emotions

• Bree is voiced by Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green

Bree is the third girl in Riley's friendship group. Bree, Riley, and Grace are hockey aficionados and players and attend a hockey camp together. Even though they have been close friends since kids, Riley puts distance between herself and the girls when she feels left out after she discovers her two best friends will be attending a different high school.

Bree from Inside Out 2 is Sumayya Nuriddin-Green's first voice or acting credit. However, she imbues Bree's character with great hilarity as well as empathy and kindness. Surely, the audience will be seeing more of Nuriddin-Green in the following years after her great role in Inside Out 2.

12 Mrs. Andersen Is Riley's Supportive and Loving Mother

Jill Tries to Keep Riley with a Positive Attitude

• Mrs. Andersen is voiced by Diane Lane

Jill Andersen is Riley's mother and Bill Andersen's wife. The couple has to move to San Francisco in Inside Out 2 because Riley's father has a new job. The transition is stressful for the whole family, but both Mr. and Mrs. Andersen try to support and take care of their daughter. They don't appear as much in Inside Out 2, but they still show up to make Riley feel better.

The voice of Mrs. Andersen, Diane Lane, is an iconic actress who was nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award thanks to her outstanding job in the thriller Unfaithful from 2002. She's also appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Under the Tuscan Sun, A Walk on the Moon, and Cinema Verite. She is widely known as Martha Kent in the DC Extended Universe.

11 Mr. Andersen Is Riley's Kind and Sweet Father

Mr. Andersen Used to be Riley's Hockey Coach

• Mr. Andersen is voiced by Kyle MacLachlan

Mr. Andersen is Riley's funny and kind dad, and Jill's great if at times busy husband. His job is the reason Riley has to move to the city in Inside Out, but he and his wife try to make everything easier for Riley. Mr. Andersen also inspired Riley to pursue hockey as a career, which is Riley's biggest passion.

Kyle MacLachlan imbues Mr. Andersen with the lighthearted and kind personality of Riley's father. MacLachlan is a well-established actor who has appeared in several high-profile movies and TV series, especially his portrayal of Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks. He also played Paul Atreides in Dune's 1984 classic adaptation, Jeffrey Beaumont in the critically acclaimed film Blue Velvet, and the antagonist in The Flintstones live-action movie from 1994.

10 Riley Andersen Is The Human Host Of Inside Out 2's Cast Of Characters

Riley Turns 13 Years Old in Inside Out 2 & Things Get Out of Control

• Riley is voiced by Kensington Tallman

Riley Anderson is a young girl who moved to San Francisco with her parents in the original film. The move caused some emotional distress for Riley, as she adjusted to her new surroundings. The film takes place primarily inside her head as her emotions, including Joy and Sadness, try to make sense of this new change in her surroundings.

Inside Out 2 returns to the landscape of Riley's mind as she turns thirteen. Her teenage years bring with them several new emotions, including Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment. Now, Riley's original emotions must find a way to cope with these new feelings in a way that helps her mature and grow as a person.

9 Joy Is The Embodiment Of Eternal Happiness

Joy Has a Hard Time Balancing Other Emotions

• Joy is voiced by Amy Poehler

Joy is the embodiment of happiness, an eternal optimist who has trouble even imagining anything going wrong. In the first film, Joy is the de facto leader of the other emotions, driving the best parts of Riley's life. However, the film saw her come to realize the importance of other emotions too, including Sadness. Now, as new emotions join headquarters, Joy may have to learn the same lesson.

Joy is voiced by Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler, whom audiences may recognize from her various films and television series in the comedy genre. Most notably, Poehler starred in the hit NBC mockumentary Parks and Recreation as the lovable Leslie Knope. There's no doubt there are a lot of Leslie's attributes in Joy, such as her relentless optimism, stubbornness, and controlling personality.

8 Sadness Is The Personage Of Melancholy Emotions

Sadness Always Tries to Make Things Better for Riley Despite her Harrowing Persona

• Sadness is voiced by Phyllis Smith

Sadness is one of Riley's five original emotions, who embarked on an epic journey through the young girl's mind alongside Joy in the first movie. Sadness came to realize her self-worth at the end of Inside Out, sharing a new core memory with Joy as the two emotions realized that they were not mutually exclusive.

Sadness is played by Phyllis Smith, who excels at bringing the character's droll and melancholy lines to life. Smith is best known for portraying Phyllis Lapin-Vance in The Office for nine seasons. She has also appeared in the sci-fi mystery series The OA, playing Betty Broderick-Allen.

7 Disgust Is Filled With Revulsion And Repugnance

Disgust's Sass Is One of the Funniest Aspects of the Inside Out Movies

• Disgust is voiced by Liza Lapira

Disgust is another of Riley's primary emotions. In her own words, she keeps Riley from getting poisoned — both physically and socially. Disgust is extremely opinionated and very honest with those opinions, but still genuinely cares about Riley and her fellow emotions.

In the first film, Disgust was portrayed by Mindy Kaling, known for her work as Kelly Kapoor in The Office and her comedy show, The Mindy Project. However, Kaling declined to return for the sequel and was subsequently recast by Liza Lapira, who played Melody "Mel" Bayani in The Equalizer.

6 Fear Keeps Riley Safe By Staying Away From All Danger

Fear Isn't the Big Coward His Name Suggests; He Protects Riley

• Fear is voiced by Tony Hale

A slender purple emotion in the headquarters of Riley's mind, Fear is scared of just about anything. He is the embodiment of overthinking, finding the danger in just about anything Riley may encounter. His primary job is to keep Riley safe and, though he often takes things too far, he makes sure that no harm ever comes to her.

In the original film, Fear was voiced by comedy legend Bill Hader, who is known for his work on Saturday Night Live and Barry, among other things. Hader did not return, however, for Inside Out 2. He has instead been recast with Tony Hale, whom audiences may recognize from his quirky roles in series like Arrested Development and Veep. Hale also previously worked with Pixar in Toy Story 4, voicing the animated spork Forky.

5 Anger Has A Seething And Destructive Rage

But Riley Needs Him to Establish Boundaries

• Anger is voiced by Lewis Black

Everyone needs a little rage in their life — and Anger is just the emotion to get them started. A short, stout, red emotion, Anger steps into play when things get heated, but can rarely control the extent of his rage, demonstrated by the burning fire atop his flat head. Anger typically makes rash decisions, but he only wants what's best for Riley.

Anger is voiced by Lewis Black, who returns from the first movie's cast. Black is a noted stand-up comedian, whose gravelly voice is perfect for bringing the embodiment of anger to life. The comedian is no stranger to voiceover work, having lent his talents to shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

4 Anxiety Is The Leader Of Riley's New Set Of Emotions

Maya Hawke's Character Is the Star of Inside Out 2

• Anxiety is voiced by Maya Hawke

The first of Riley's new emotions is Anxiety, who constantly second-guesses and overanalyzes everything in life. She, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment have trouble fitting in with the original emotions at headquarters, leading them to suppress Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.

Anxiety is played by Maya Hawke, whom audiences will know from her role as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things. She also appeared in the 2017 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, in which she portrayed Jo March. More recently, Hawke launched a musical career, which includes her latest album, Chaos Angel.

3 Envy Is A New Emotion For Riley To Struggle With

Envy Joins Disgust to Add More Hilarious Comedy Relief

• Envy is voiced by Ayo Edebiri

Inside Out 2 introduces the new emotion Envy, which joins Anxiety and several other new emotions in Riley's mind. Brought to life by the onset of Riley's teenage years, Envy can't help but covet the lives, possessions, and statuses of other people around her--though she certainly makes enviousness look cute in the process.

Envy is voiced by Ayo Edebiri, whom audiences know best from her role as Syndey Adamu in The Bear. Edebiri won an Emmy for her performance as Sydney, helping catapult her career to new heights with appearances in Black Mirror, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

2 Ennui Is Uncaring And Nonchalant

The New Emotion, Ennui, Has the Coolest Attitude

• Ennui is voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos

Ennui is another of Riley's new emotions that comes to life during her teenage years. "Ennui" is the French term for dissatisfaction or general listlessness that is so often prevalent in teenagehood. Often lounging around and looking at her phone, Ennui cares very little about what is going on with the other emotions, or even what is happening in Riley's life.

Ennui is voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos, a French actress who rose to prominence as a result of her performance in the 2013 film Blue is the Warmest Color. Exarchopoulos has primarily worked in French cinema throughout her career, which included dubbing the character of Ember in Pixar's Elemental.

1 Embarrassment Comes With Riley's New Teenage Emotions

There Are Few Characters on TV as Painfully Adorable as Embarrassment

• Embarrassment is voiced by Paul Walter Hauser

Embarrassment is certainly the most physically present of Riley's new emotions in Inside Out 2. A large pink blob in a gray sweatshirt, Embarrassment often retreats into the comfort of his own hood when things get too awkward. However, he steps up when it matters.

Paul Walter Hauser voices the last of Riley's four new emotions in Inside Out 2. The actor is best known for his performance as the titular character in Richard Jewell but also played supporting roles in such films as I, Tonya, and Cruella. Hauser was also recently cast in the MCU's upcoming film, The Fantastic Four, playing an undisclosed role.

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