The recently released sequel to the 2014 hit film Inside Out has garnered praise from critics and audiences alike since its theatrical debut. Inside Out 2 follows a teenage Riley in high school as she encounters new and conflicting emotions, such as Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment, that take over her head.
In a recent interview with Collider, director Kelsey Mann discussed his approach to these new emotions, especially Anxiety, as he revealed that they almost put the emotion significantly in a negative light until consultation with experts prompted a nuanced shift in their narrative, embracing the complexity of such conflicting feelings.
Inside Out 2 Creators Almost Portrayed Anxiety as an Antagonistic Character
Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann recently discussed working with new emotions in the movie in a conversation with Collider. One of the emotions that turned out to be really complicated to work with was Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke in the movie.
Talking about the character’s depiction in the movie, the filmmaker revealed that initially, they planned to pursue the character to be a negative force and even considered making it an antagonist due to its potential to affect individuals negatively.
The earlier versions of her, she was always intended to be the antagonist at the beginning. She was really antagonistic, she was really kind of a villain.
However, he also admitted that it did not feel right, leading them to reflect on their approach. “We’re like, she’s not fun to watch,” he admitted. The realization prompted them to rethink their approach towards the character.
Mann further explained that the extensive research and expert consultations proved pivotal in shaping Anxiety’s character, as they gained a deep understanding of the complexities of the emotion. The new approach also helped them evade a potential backlash for depicting an emotion in a negative light.
Experts Helped in Transitioning Anxiety’s Depiction in Inside Out 2
Further into his conversation with Collider Kelsey Mann reflected on Anxiety’s evolution from an antagonistic to a more nuanced character. He shared that they were able to understand the complexities of Anxiety by working with experts and their research.
“It wasn’t until we really leaned into the research of like why do we have anxiety,” he said. Mann shared that working with experts like psychologist Lisa Damour changed their perspective towards these emotions, as they realized that Anxiety is not there to harm but to protect.
We brought on a lot of the experts… We spoke to her about why do we have it. And they’re like well it’s really there to help try and protect us and keep us safe. So I’m like.. we should really switch this. She’s really coming from the place of Love of Riley… It’s almost like she loves Riley just as much as Joy does.
Mann also shared that working with experts changed his own perspective on emotions. “All of them are there to love and take care of us, which is why we have the emotions,” he said while underscoring the importance of effectively managing them.
Released nearly a decade after its predecessor, Inside Out 2 has made a massive $155 million domestic opening, overtaking the prominent releases of the year so far including Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The movie has grossed $295 million worldwide.
Inside Out 2 is playing in theatres.
