The Inside Out 2 team explains how the emotions were chosen for the sequel film. Following up the hit 2015 Pixar film Inside Out, Inside Out 2 follows protagonist Riley as she goes through puberty, experiencing a new slate of emotions that go along with that. Inside Out 2 is directed by Kelsey Mann and features a leading cast including Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Paul Walter Hauser, and Adele Exarchopoulos. It is set for release on June 14.
As per an Inside Out 2 press conference that Screen Rant attended, director Mann and producer Mark Nielsen explain how the emotions were chosen for the sequel. The team explained the process of selecting the new emotions, which did not come easily, as they were originally toying with nine different new emotions to introduce to Inside Out 2. The quantity of emotions was meant to make Joy feel “overwhelmed.” When told to simplify, Mann explained that she spoke with an expert, who directed her to focus on self-conscious emotions that typify teenagers. Check out the full explanation below:
Mann’s explanation of how the Inside Out 2 characters were chosen makes it clear that the story was plotted out methodically and intentionally. Mann and her team carefully crafted a story that will, if its intentions are well executed, catapult viewers into the mind of a teenage girl like Riley. The director’s point that the worry about judgment “kinda turns on and it kinda never goes away” is also an astute point towards Inside Out 2’s theme. The Pixar film is not just about Riley, nor about the teenage experience, but a universal tale of human emotion.
In order to capture these themes, the Inside Out 2 team chose just four new emotions: Anxiety, Ennui, Envy, and Embarrassment. While settling on four emotions avoids the audience being inundated with too many emotions in the film, the Inside Out 2 trailers make it clear that the quartet is still dominant in this teenage brain. Embarrassment and Anxiety take the stage away from Joy and the other emotions, and even cause the original set of emotions to become, literally, bottled up.
By introducing this highly intentionally-laid-out set of new emotions, Inside Out 2 will be able to strengthen the dynamics of the existing characters while introducing new variables. Unlike the first film, which tracked Riley in a period of transition as her family experienced moving, Inside Out 2 will focus more strictly on her budding adolescence. Hopefully, Mann and the team have achieved this with a good sense of balance, as new emotions are introduced in Inside Out 2.