After many parody movie trailer clips and nine long years of waiting, Pixar is hitting viewers worldwide with a massive wave of nostalgia with the release of their newest addition to the Inside Out franchise, Inside Out 2. Directed by Kelsey Mann, distributed by Pixar (Disney), and coming to theaters on June 14, Inside Out 2 features a star studded cast with Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Tony Hale, and Phyllis Smith playing Joy, Anxiety, Envy, Fear, and Sadness, respectively.
The film was written by both Dave Holstein and Meg LeFauve and produced by Mark Nielsen, a Disney vet. Sure to be an instant box office hit, the new movie will be featuring the same Riley that we all know and love, now 13 years old, and the same five emotions as well as four new ones. Navigating life in San Francisco and dealing with drama, puberty, and new friends, Riley will now also be dealing with her “bottled up emotions” as well as Anxiety, Ennui, Envy, Embarrassment, and even a little Nostalgia here and there.
As the sequel to the first movie, Inside Out 2 is said to follow the documentation of a teenage girl navigating through turbulent emotions and times growing up. This is parallel to the goal of the director of the first movie, Pete Docter, whose hope was to create a character with changing emotions, just like how he saw through his own daughter. He was able to accurately portray this and made a box office hit in 2015, grossing just under a billion dollars. The new film hopes to portray the shift in emotions through adolescence now, rather than just through a cross country move, like in the first one. Though most of the people anticipating the film’s release tend to be children, many adults are also excited to see where the movies go, as Inside Out was a huge family watch when it first came out back in 2015.
“I watched the first Inside Out movie with my children and thought that it was very clever, so I’m excited to see what they do with the second movie. My expectations are definitely high,” said English teacher Mr. Joseph Corbo.
The movie proved to be great for kids with its childlike story and animation style, but also good for parents to bond with their kids and potentially even better understand them. Many people are expecting and hope to see a wide range of new emotions that really separate themselves from the first movie.
“I can’t wait for Inside Out 2. I loved the original growing up, and I think the new one will resonate with people differently now that both Riley and the audience have matured,” said sophomore Aurora Mata.
Though many find themselves unable to contain their excitement for the new movie, a few watchers are a little skeptical with how good the new movie will really be after a series of recent failures on Pixar and Disney’s ends. Accused of making quick cash grabs and cheap remakes instead of original and well thought out stories, the film conglomerate recently put out movies Wish and Elemental that were not well received by viewers. Many, not wanting their views of the first Inside Out movie to change, hope that much more time and effort was put into the second movie.
“I’m very excited to see it. I feel like it’s gonna be a great sequel to the first movie and I hope this is a turn around for both Disney and Pixar since their last couple of movies have been really bad,” said junior Mia Powers.
As for the production of the movie, after the release of the first film in 2015, critics were quick to assume that there would be a second addition in the coming years. Inside Out 2 was first announced in Sept.2022 during a D23 Expo announcement with Mann, Nielsen, and LeFauve as director, producer, and writer, respectively. In Nov2023 and this March, more cast stars and crew were released to the public. Mann used Docter’s “5 to 27 emotions” idea from the first film, wanting to use nine emotions to make Joy, and therefore Riley, overwhelmed with all of the new emotions showing up at once, but it was decided that the story wouldn’t be able to keep track with the addition of so many new characters. After the first few screenings, Mann and other producers of the movie decided to simplify the number. Speaking with Animation Magazine, it was revealed that some of Inside Out 2’s visual takes and point of view shots were inspired by Adam Sandler’s 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems, with the film’s use of shaky filming and cinematography to convey the emotion of Anxiety as shes takes over the control panel in Riley’s head.
“The first Inside Out movie literally made me cry, it was so good, so I have high expectations for the second one,” said junior Cassidy Metzner.
Whether you grew up with Inside Out or recently viewed it in health class to learn more about our own growth and emotions, it’s safe to say that many are greatly anticipating the release of the movie to not only see how Riley and the saga both grow, but also to see what the new director does with the already beloved storyline and characters.