With Pixar's Inside Out 2 now in cinemas, many are wondering whether the film deserves the "woke" complaints it received throughout its marketing period.
The sequel follows Riley, the lead of the original 2015 animated hit, as she enters the turbulent teenage years. Her regular emotions - Joy, Anger, Fear, Sadness and Disgust - are forced to make room for new, more complex, characters such as Anxiety, Envy, and Embarrassment.
Like many of Pixar's recent film releases, Inside Out 2 seems to have fallen victim to concerns that it will be heavy-handed with politically correct ideals and themes, but is it really woke?
[ Inside Out 2 Reviews: What Are Critics' First Reactions? ]
Inside Out 2's Woke Complaints
The lobbying of the word "woke" at Inside Out 2 started long before the film hit theaters.
When the first trailers for Inside Out 2 were released and it was revealed that the film would explore Riley going through puberty, some expressed concerns that the issues in this pre-teen era could be seen as too mature for younger audiences.
Pixar's Turning Red received similar complaints when it touched on teen issues such as periods, first crushes, and female empowerment.
Some of the marketing also led fans to speculate that Inside Out 2 may explore Riley's sexuality, with the framing of her adoration of the popular girl at hockey camp, Val, potentially being seen as a queer crush.
Naturally, some woke criticisms will also take issue with the fact that Inside Out 2 is a largely female-focused story and that many of Riley's friends are racially and culturally diverse.
The determination of whether Inside Out 2 is actually "woke" or not will vary, because the concept itself is difficult to define and often determined by an individual viewer's values.
Inside Out 2 deals with themes of puberty and adolescence in a family-friendly way. Some darker aspects the film deals with are mental health and the impact of anxiety, but both are handled carefully and with nuance.
Concerns that the film may dig into Riley's sexuality are unfounded as Inside Out 2 never confirms whether the admiration Riley has for Val is platonic or attraction. Love and attraction could be something that is explored in future Inside Out films, but in this instance, the themes stick strictly to friendship.
Looking at the film objectively, Inside Out 2 is overall largely conservative with its themes. If anything, it probably could have afforded to go even harder in certain aspects.
[ Here's Why Riley's Emotions Are Different Genders In Inside Out 2 ]
Disney's "Woke" Era Explained
Woke concerns over Disney's films are a recurrent theme of late.
As mentioned, Turning Red saw criticisms against its "mature" themes, there was an outcry at a same-sex kiss in Lightyear and some turned on Elemental for its unpacking of racial prejudices.
Even Disney's live-action films have not been exempt, with the recent Marvel Studios release The Marvels coming under fire for putting three female characters at the lead, two of whom were racially diverse.
Ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed complaints about the studio going "woke" in 2022, saying, "the world is a rich, diverse place and we want our content to reflect that."
While there will always be a subset of viewers who are against change, it's crucial for studios, particularly ones with as wide a reach as Pixar, to push through complaints of "wokeness."
For companies with that big of a reach, it is far more important to include progressive themes and diversity so that more audiences can see themselves represented on screen.
Inside Out 2 is now playing in theaters worldwide.
Read more about Inside Out 2 on The Direct:
Riley’s Deep Dark Secret Revealed By Inside Out 2 Post-Credits Scene
Inside Out 2's Disney Plus Streaming Release Gets Disappointing Update
