Quick Links
WhenInside Outarrived in theaters in 2015, it was a phenomenon. Not only did it excite children and set their imaginations alight, but it also made parents nostalgic for their own childhoods. But now Pixar is attempting to do the impossible and create a sequel. However, this new film needs a new hook, a few new characters, and something to make it even more exciting for audiences.
One of thesenew characters is Anxiety. It is, in fact, the newest main character that will appear in the film. Because of this, the writers needed a muse. They found it in a place that most people would never have looked, the 2019 Adam Sandler hitUncut Gems.
The Joy of Inside Out
Inside Out 2
Pixar has always had a way of hitting us all right in the feels. They did it with theToy Storymovies and we’re all still collectively upset about the devastatingly emotional opening sequence ofUp. The studio takes children into amazingly colorful and surreal worlds while it takes their parents into the deepest parts of their childhood (and sometimes adulthood) nostalgia (or trauma, depending on how you look at it).
Inside Outwas just this type of movie. Pete Docter directed the story of the emotions that control us and their struggles to make the right decisions. In the film, the mind of Riley (a young girl) is occupied by the personifications of her most intense emotions. These include Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Anger, and Joy. These emotions are the most basic and the ones with which our childhoods are governed.
The chief among these is Joy. She is the first emotion and the one who leads the troupe through their attempts at getting Riley through a very difficult move and her first bout of true depression that leads her to attempt to run away from home. During the course of the film, we see Riley’s psyche take a huge hit as her core memories begin to fall apart even as Joy and Sadness find themselves at odds. In the end, Joy realizes that she must work with Sadness because we’re all allowed to feel these emotions and shouldn’t be short-changed into thinking that we must be happy at all times.
In the end, the emotions find themselves in a well-organized stasis where they work together in harmony. However, we catch a glimpse of what might come next during Joy’s final voiceover:
“We’ve been through a lot lately, that’s for sure. But we still love our girl. She has great new friends, a great new house. Things couldn’t be better. After all, Riley’s twelve now. What could happen?”
This Inside Out 2 Fan Theory Points Toward a Secret Fifth New Emotion
The trailer for Inside Out 2 featured four new emotions, but fans found clues implying the existence of a secret fifth one.
How Adam Sandler Comes into the Mix
TheAdam Sandler film Uncut Gemswas a work of frenetic artistry. The story follows Sandler’s character, Howard Ratner as he attempts to sell a rare black opal, pay off his gambling debts, run his jewelry store, deal with his soon-to-be-ex-wife and his current girlfriend, win some serious money off of Kevin Garnett’s basketball abilities, and generally keep his head together. That sentence alone is only 1/3 as crazed as the movie itself.
I made a crazy risk, a gamble, and it’s about to pay off. - Howard Ratner
One of the most interesting pieces of the film is that even the music that is placed beneath it is meant to cause the audience irritation.When the film was created it was meant to be non-stop from start to finish with the actors in constant motion and the camera moving with them.It’s this visual style that was used as a point of reference forInside Out 2.The director of photography sharedthat they animated certain scenes in a way that was meant to feel like it was shot with a handheld camera. In this way, the same frenetic sense of tension carries over fromUncut GemstoInside Out 2.
What Uncut Gems Reveals About Anxiety in Late Capitalism
In the Safdie Brothers’ stressful 2019 drama Uncut Gems, the capitalist propensities of Western society are at the film’s very fore…
Teenagers Are Full of Anxiety
Inside Out 2is introducing its new main character, Anxiety, which is the perfect way to show that teenagers are constantly trying to figure things out. Even in the trailers, we see the character arriving with all kinds of actual baggage, a crazy haircut, a huge awkward smile, and giant eyes. The epitome of the emotion itself. It’s weird and strange and unwelcome. Riley’s brain has already gone through its first true bout of trauma and now an entirely new set of emotions, thanks to puberty, are kicking in.
It is for this reason thatUncut Gemsis the perfect reference for the character. When you throw this kind of personality into a room full of personalities that are attempting to help control a teenager, all hell is going to break loose. As calm as everyone else may be,Anxiety is going to be there, like a person suddenly screaming fire in a quiet theater.Everyone will take notice and that person will become the center of attention. Adam Sandler made this point by never stopping and Anxiety will take the same tac.For Riley’s emotions, Anxiety will need to be tamed, although it will most likely take some real teamwork.
Why It Will Definitely Work
Inside Outwas an exploration of childhood emotions.Inside Out 2will take on adolescence and the teenage years. This will appeal to an entirely new group of people and will no doubt ring true formany Gen Z-erswho are grappling with their own sense of post-COVID anxiety.It will allow them to feel like they are not alone in their times of crazinessand will allow them the nostalgia of their youth (yes, there is a character named Nostalgia) while kicking them right in their own emotions.
Just think of this quote that directorKelsey Mann made to Cinemablendabout how Anxiety behaves. It sheds light on the overwhelming nature of the emotion itself.
“Anxiety is always two steps ahead; she’s always thinking of the next move. Joy plays checkers, but Anxiety plays chess. She can outmaneuver all of them.”
Uncut Gems showed us how anxiety takes over and overwhelms us. Ifthe Safdie’s taught usanything it’s that when it comes to anxiety, none of us have much control.
