'Inside Out' creator Pete Docter teases how sequel will expand the franchise's 'emotional universe'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Director and Pixar CCO Pete Docter of 'Inside Out 2' has hinted at how the emotional universe of the main lead has expanded since you last saw her. In the original film, a young girl's personified emotions are at odds with one another as she tries to adjust to a significant cross-country move with her family, leaving her old friends and familar neighborhood behind. 'Inside Out' established a new hit franchise for Pixar, earning over $850M worldwide and receiving many positive reviews. Then in September 2022, the long-awaited sequel was approved.
The original film was co-directed and co-written by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. The animated movie had voices of amazing actors including Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling along with many more.
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'It's all connected'
Pete Docter sat down with The Wrap to talk about his past and future with Pixar before receiving the Winsor McKay Award at this year's Annies. The three-time Oscar winner expressed his enthusiasm for 'Inside Out 2' when asked about it, hinting that it will significantly broaden the emotional spectrum after research for the first film revealed "five to 27 emotions," the majority of which weren't in the sequel but are now being introduced to be "a little bit more truthful and broadening [the scope]."
He said, "[Kelsey Mann's pitch] was really poignant and very heartfelt, very personal to him, but also universal in that same way we were talking about before, having to do with… well, again, I don’t want to pitch his movie, but it’s got a real great heart to it, a really great core that is central to some of these new emotions showing up. It’s all connected."
What was 'Inside Out' about?
The 2015 film 'Inside Out' envisioned a society in which humans are guided by five primary personified emotions throughout daily life: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. The movie focused on Riley's emotions as she struggles to adjust to her family's transfer from Minnesota to San Francisco. Riley's primary emotion, Joy, is kicked out of the control center and forced to join forces with her polar opposite, Sadness, on a journey through Riley's head. In the movie's climax, Riley and Joy come to an agreement after Joy realizes that Riley has to live an emotionally complex existence and starts working more closely with the other emotions to help Riley navigate adolescence.
Although Docter sounds confident in the addition of new emotions and a new heartfelt tale, it will be interesting to watch if Pixar looks to apply the lessons learned from the failure of 'Lightyear' to the upcoming movie. However, 'Inside Out 2' already faces a difficult obstacle to overcome in order to end Pixar's recent franchise downturn with Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader not appearing in it.