The release of Inside Out 2 at Korean cinemas on June 12 teared up many of its audience. Unlike its predecessor, which featured 11-year-old Riley’s move to San Francisco and its effects on her family relationship, the sequel mostly targets her drama-filled trip to a hockey camp two years later with her friends. It did not disappoint. Just within 19 days of its initial release, the film made headlines for being the first-ever animated motion picture to reach $1 billion dollars in the worldwide box office. 

The recognition, however, is well-deserved: the new film paid close attention to Riley’s psychological development and maturation through the introduction of new emotions – Ennui, Embarrassment, Envy, and last but not least, Anxiety – the main antagonist. 

Once again, the production team received guidance from a professional for their movie’s success. This time, psychologist and author Lisa Damour helped bring a balanced mix of both science and storytelling to the screen.  For instance, the scene in which Riley recovers from her panic attack by redirecting her attention to her environment – such as the sound of the hockey puck on ice – emerged from the idea of grounding, a method that has proven to be helpful with reducing anxiety, stress, and inflammation.

In the blockbuster, the chronological timing at which the story of Inside Out 2 takes place plays into the core of the plot. Psychologist Paul Ekman labeled the five universal emotions – Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear -, the characters introduced to us in the previous motion picture. Throughout the stages of development, more sophisticated methods of self-expression make their debut, which highlights how one’s mind and thought processes tend to grow increasingly complex as they reach milestones in life. This aligns with the appearance of the 4 new members at Riley’s turning point in her life: puberty. 

In a behind-the-scenes video published by Pixar, the team also described the process they went through to come up with the characters and outline of the story. Initially, they had planned for 25 more additions to the emotion headquarters, such as Shame, the antagonist of the prequel, and Schadenfreude, the twisted joy people receive from people’s misfortunes.

Rather than scratching them out of the picture, producer and director Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielson decided to blend in certain aspects of scrapped characters with ones that made the cut. For instance, the “thought of not being good enough”, a central feature of Shame, was incorporated into Anxiety instead. This decision added complexity and depth to Anxiety, which allowed the audience to connect with the multi-faceted aspect of emotions and thought processes.

A central motif that drove the latest hit’s story forward was Riley’s acquisition of her “sense of self.” It touches upon the notion that emotions build upon a foundation of both your past experiences and memories. If the earlier movie taught the people how each and every emotion plays a significant role to help make Riley who she is, the sequel’s emphasis was on how all experiences define her identity. 

Given the amount of attention paid to detail, one cannot help but agree that the latest box office sensation managed an excellent job as it captures every ounce of emotion and struggle that teenagers tend to go through as they grow up. 

However, contrary to most expectations, statistics shared by Korean theater company CGV shocked many with the fact that adults in their 40s took up 28.6 percent of the total viewers, while children and teens, the age group which the film was marketed towards, consisted of only 8.3 percent.  

In Daegu especially, for adults raised in a conservative environment that value perfection and stigmatize problems associated with mental health, it is likely that many didn’t have the opportunity to express themselves as much as teens nowadays. Perhaps, Riley’s growth as she confronts her fears and learns to love every bit of herself resonated with adults that had once been in her shoes as well.

From joy to anxiety, Inside Out 2 brought forth all colors of emotions for all of its audience. Yet again, the movie has reminded everyone of the importance of self love and appreciation.