From anxiety to joy: director of Inside Out 2 tells how Pixar’s new hit came about

SAN FRANCISCO, 18 (CultureLeisure-Raquel Laguna).- Kelsey Mann directs Inside Out 2, the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed animated film that in 2015 conquered the hearts of millions of viewers of all ages.

This new emotional adventure from Disney and Pixar achieved the best premiere of the year with 295 million dollars (155 million in the United States and 140 in the rest of the countries).

Nine years have passed since the release of the first film, and this second installment once again enters the fascinating world of emotions in the mind of its protagonist, Riley, who now faces the challenges of adolescence. Without a doubt, a stage full of changes, new experiences… and a lot of anxiety.

“All of these movies start with a good story. And we had a good reason for making it, a good idea. In the final scene of Inside Out, Joy says, ‘After all, Riley is 12 years old. What could happen?’ Her being a teenager just felt like the right thing to do. Riley enters her teenage phase, a phase that we can all relate to because we’ve been through it. We were teenagers, because it’s quite memorable. We’ve all felt anxiety as a teenager,” said Kelsey Mann during a meeting with the media at the Pixar studios in San Francisco, including Europa Press.

Like its predecessor, Inside Out 2 addresses universal themes that all viewers can relate to.

Mann and his team strived to create a film that could be enjoyed by the little ones, but also by adults. The goal was to offer an inclusive movie experience that would allow all family members to connect with the story and characters.

“What’s really cool about this world of Inside Out is that people can talk about really complex things. Thanks to the first movie, kids could talk about their emotions. In this new film, it was really exciting for us to expand that vocabulary to be able to talk to our kids about more complicated emotions,” says the director.

RIGOROUS RESEARCH

One of the distinctive characteristics of Pixar is its commitment to research and authenticity when representing its stories.

In Inside Out 2, the production team immersed itself in a rigorous research process to identify the most relevant emotions during adolescence. They consulted psychology experts, such as Professor Dacher Keltner of the University of California at Berkeley, who contributed his knowledge of human emotions.

“Research is a big part of what we do and I would say that on this film, a lot of our research was to determine what the new emotions should or could be. We knew we wanted new emotions in Riley’s life. But what could they be? There are so many to choose from… We wanted to lean into the ones that are really more present in teenagers and that become stronger at that age,” says producer Mark Nielsen.

NEW EMOTIONS ON THE SKIN

Inside Out 2 dives back into the mind of newly minted teenager Riley, just as Headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make way for something totally unexpected: new Thrills! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been coping very well so far, but suddenly they’re not sure what they’re going to feel when Anxiety shows up. And she doesn’t come alone.

Anxiety is a lot of energy that is on its last legs. But she enthusiastically ensures that Riley is prepared for any negative outcome. To protect the new teenager from dangers that she is not able to see, Ansiedad wants at all costs for Riley to fit in with her high school classmates. Armed with meticulously organized lists and plans to make sure Riley never makes a mistake, Anxiety is 10 steps ahead and isn’t shy about sharing worst-case scenarios.

Ansiedad knows she has a lot to deal with, but she knows that pushing Riley toward perfection means getting that much closer to achieving her goals.

Ennui (Boredom) is one of Riley’s new Emotions, but she doesn’t mind it in the slightest. Bored, lazy and with a very studied look, Ennui adds the perfect dose of adolescent apathy to Riley’s personality, when she feels like it, of course. The best? She doesn’t even have to get off the couch: Ennui can control the console remotely using her mobile app.

Envy is small, but she knows what she wants. She is always jealous of everything others have and she is not afraid to pine for it. Envy’s illusions and fascination with the newest and coolest things make her notice everything and she longs for what Riley doesn’t have. Ultimately, she will be a part of Riley’s goal-setting efforts.

Shame prefers to remain unnoticed, which is not easy considering he is a large man with a glowing pink complexion. Shy and reserved, Shame is willing to drop down on the console at Headquarters at the first social situation that makes him uncomfortable.