Inside Out 2 Will Fix A Major Flaw From The Original

Pixar's "Inside Out" is one of the most beloved animated movies in recent years. It takes place inside 11-year-old Riley's (Kaitlyn Dias) mind, where her emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader), and Anger (Lewis Black) — live. For most of Riley's life, Joy has been at the forefront. That is until Riley's parents move the family to a new city, so Riley must adjust to her new life. It was a hit with critics and audiences alike, so it's no surprise that a sequel is on the way. 

"Inside Out" is undeniably a fantastic concept; however, it's not a perfect film. In fact, there is one glaring flaw in the film. Five emotions is not enough to showcase the complexities of one individual's mind. As any human knows, there are many more emotions than that, like awkwardness, confusion, and jealousy. Consider the fact that Riley is in a new environment, and all her emotions should be running wild, and they should be more complex. Luckily, the sequel intends to fix that problem.

If fans thought that it was a bit too simplistic for "Inside Out" to depict Riley with just five emotions, then they're not the only ones. Pixar Chief Creative Officer and "Inside Out" director Pete Docter also thinks that there is room to explore more emotions, which is what he and Kelsey Mann — the sequel's director — plan to do with "Inside Out 2."

In an interview with The Wrap, Docter explained that when they were researching "Inside Out," they found out that humans have five to 27 emotions. While they decided to feature only five in the first film, they want to do things a bit differently the second time around, this time broadening the scope in regard to the emotions they explore. In doing so, this will be more truthful to Riley's experience. Aside from this, the CCO didn't reveal any of the plot details for the sequel, but he did note that it was Mann who came to him with a pitch for a follow-up film. 

"It was really poignant and very heartfelt, very personal to him," Docter said in reference to the pitch, "but also universal in that same way we were talking about before ... 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."

In September of 2022, "Inside Out" star Amy Poehler opened up about "Inside Out 2" during an interview with People and discussed what viewers can expect with the new film. Specifically, she teased the fact that fans will see more of Riley's emotions, especially as the character becomes a teenager.

"At the very end of the original, Joy has that great moment where she's like, 'Finally, everything [is] the way it's supposed to be,'" Poehler said. "Then we see that big puberty button, 'Should we press this?' We do press it in the second movie. In some ways, 'Inside Out' set itself up for a sequel, and we're going there."

Poehler then revealed the fact that Riley will be a teenager for the sequel, meaning that she is going through puberty. Thus, Riley will be experiencing many complex emotions and hormones in the her stage of life. Surely, five emotions wouldn't be enough to fully encompass what it's like to be a teen. 

"There's a lot of very complicated feelings about who am I, where do I fit [in]?" Poehler said. "Sometimes your brain is not your friend, but then also, it's a time of real exploration, letting things go that don't work for you anymore, taking big swings and big chances. You're supposed to make a lot of mistakes. It's an adventurous time, and it can be really treacherous."