by Srivalli Adarapu (’26) | March 1, 2024
Nearly a decade after its predecessor’s release, Pixar has finally announced the long-awaited sequel to Inside Out coming out this summer. Ranking as the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2015, Inside Out is renowned for its unique portrayal of emotions through personifying them as unique characters. This animated film navigates the complex interplay of emotions, highlighting the crucial role that feelings hold in our lives. Given the immense success of Inside Out, this sequel was inevitable. Inside Out 2, set to premiere on June 14, will delve into the emotional complexities of adolescence through a now teenage Riley.
In the first installation, the protagonist, eleven-year-old Riley, grapples with a wide array of emotions as she moves from the Midwest to San Francisco: Anger, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Joy. These five emotions struggle to control Riley through her big transition. While Joy attempts to encourage positive thoughts about the change, Disgust, Sadness, Anger, and Fear take over Riley’s mind. Amidst this whirl of emotions, Riley faces various struggles from dissociating with fond childhood memories to eventually disconnecting with her parents. In the final scenes of the film, Sadness steps in and helps Riley confront her feelings of longing for her previous life and her beloved memories in Minnesota by opening up with her parents. The film ultimately highlights the significance of sadness in coping with difficulties and suggests that happiness alone is not enough to guide one through challenges, but rather a balance of emotions is necessary.
Inside Out 2 not only revisits the original characters but also introduces a wide range of new emotions, most notably Anxiety. Anxiety, an orange-colored character, is a powerful emotion that influences one through their teenage years. Other emotions include Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy. Ennui, a purple-hued character, symbolizes the emotions of boredom, apathy, and listlessness. Teal Embarrassment and pink Envy are also significant characters who embody key emotional struggles faced during adolescence.
This sequel has done a remarkable job in accurately choosing emotions that accompany the struggles of adolescence. These new emotions of Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy are ones that will resonate well with those of any age, but particularly a teenage audience. As personal struggles further complicate through adolescence, a more complex interplay of emotions take over and guide various decisions and choices throughout one’s teenage years. If the movie effectively pictures the impacts of these new emotions during the teenage years, Inside Out 2 will connect with a wide audience and convey poignant messages about the emotional journey through adolescence.
By addressing crucial mental health topics and the emotional struggles that come along with adolescence, Inside Out 2 has much potential to become one of Pixar’s top hits. Not only is this film designed for children, but it also resonates with a much broader audience of all ages. Given its creative storytelling and its unique portrayal of emotions that come to life, Inside Out 2 is set to take the box office by storm this summer.
