This month’s Disney and Pixar sequel,Inside Out 2, willtake inspiration from a surprisingAdam Sandlermovie. Rather than the more obvious (and family-friendly) choices ofHotel TransylvaniaorBedtime Stories, or perhaps even his best-known comedies such asHappy GilmoreorGrown Ups,Inside Out 2instead looks to Sandler’s 2019 crime thrillerUncut Gemsfor cues on how to portray feelings of anxiety.
In a new feature fromAnimation Magazine, anxiety being a “core influence” onInside Out 2led director of layout photography Adam Habib to take inspiration fromUncut Gems, which follows Sandler as a jeweller and gambling addict who finds himself out of his depth and struggling to pay of debts.
Uncut Gems
At the time,Uncut Gemswaspraised for its depiction of anxiety, with critics calling the directing duo the Safdies “masters of anxiety-inducing cinema.” Thus, the “visual language” ofInside Out 2takes influence from the thriller and how they put certain scenes together. As Animation Magazine reveals…
“The shaky cinematography of the Safdie Brothers movie inspired their technique. The Inside Out 2 animation team built static sets during production and then put the digital characters inside those sets. Then they put a virtual camera that could be used like a camera for a live-action film inside the sets. Once this was done, they would move the virtual camera around the sets they’d made to try out new angles and shot setups to see what would work best for the movie.”
Anxiety Will Play a Big Role in Inside Out 2
Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen,Inside Out 2stars Maya Hawke as Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Mann has previouslyteased the role of Anxietyin the Pixar sequel, saying…
“Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, might be new to the crew, but she’s not really the type to take a back seat. That makes a lot of sense if you think about it in terms of what goes on inside all our minds.
Anxiety is going to try to take control of the console every time, and Maya Hawke knew how to get that sound in her voice when she took on this character. And the other emotions like Joy might try to take control from her, but it’s almost impossible," Mann revealed. “There were lots of opportunities for us to have fun with that. 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.”
Pixar Channels Inside Out Magic into Upcoming TV Series
Pixar is dreaming big as it ventures into television with the Inside Out TV series.
You can check out the official synopsis for the Disney and Pixar sequel below.
“Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.”
Inside Out 2is due to land in theaters on June 03, 2025.
