Riley's Hockey Game Is Interrupted By A New Emotion In Pixar's Latest Inside Out 2 Teaser

Is anyone else hearing things or are those just the voices in my head? For once, this isn't a sign of serious psychological problems, but simply another tease for one of Pixar Studios' most highly-anticipated sequels yet. I can still remember that rainy Saturday during the summer of 2015 while I was babysitting my little cousins and figured I'd surprise them with an impromptu trip to the theaters to see "Inside Out." Unfortunately, it turned out that everybody had the same idea, and all the showings were already sold out ... so we ended up settling for "Minions" instead. But don't worry, this story has a happy ending since we eventually got around to seeing the brilliant emotional rollercoaster and all agreed that it was better than "Minions" inadvertently confirming some discomfiting connections to Adolf Hitler. (Okay, not really, but that meme was funny.)

In any case, we're finally getting a follow-up to one of Pixar's best original movies nearly 10 years later and everybody's crossing their fingers that the celebrated animation studio can pull off the same trick twice. Our usual gang of Emotions are back and as frazzled as ever, but this time around they're about to meet an Emotion that could be even more of a wild card than they already are: Anxiety. I'm still not sure the implication fully checks out that a pre-teen Riley in the midst of family upheaval wouldn't have already been suffering from severe anxiety in the first film and is only experiencing it for the first time as a teenager in this sequel, but that's why we probably shouldn't think too hard about it.

In any case, Pixar just dropped a new spot for "Inside Out 2" and you can check it out above!

Anxiety meets the team

Hockey is easily the most underrated of the four major sports, but there's no denying just how well it suits itself to the "Inside Out" Emotions — though mostly Disgust. In a fittingly sports-themed new TV spot, the new "Inside Out 2" footage definitely highlights the highs and lows of getting into that competitive spirit, complete with an unfortunately nasty mouthguard-related incident. Watching it all play out is the whole gang living inside a now-teenage Riley's head, back and better than ever. Led by the all-star voice cast of Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear (voiced by Bill Hader in the first film), and Liza Lapira as Disgust (replacing Mindy Kaling), they're joined by the unexpected appearance of new Emotion Anxiety this time around, voiced by Maya Hawke. Things, as you can imagine, spiral from there.

"Inside Out 2" is directed by longtime Pixar veteran Kelsey Mann, stepping in for "Inside Out" directors Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen, and penned by returning writer Meg LeFauve ("The Good Dinosaur," "Captain Marvel"). The animated sequel comes to theaters on June 14, 2024.

Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2" returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, who've long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren't sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she's not alone.