Pixar’s Inside Out reminded us that it was okay to feel and it can be unhealthy to suppress our emotions by masking it with another. With Inside Out 2 set for a summer release, the sequel returns to the mind of a now 13-year-old Riley, who must navigate the perils of growing up and learning the value of the relationships she has with her friends and family.

At the same time, Joy, Sadness, Envy, Anger, and Disgust must make room for new emotions. All five will have to learn how to co-exist with Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Though these emotions can seem paralyzing or toxic, director Kelsey Mann and producer Mark Nielsen remind us that the emotions that everyone feels are there for a reason and they wants us to rethink how they can actually be protectors and motivators.

As if navigating puberty wasn’t already tough, Riley and Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear have to make room for four new emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment. And we got a chance to talk to Mann about the role research played in diving deeper into the original emotions, adding four new ones, and expanding upon the world-building.

During the last week of March, I had a chance to visit the Pixar campus in Emeryville, CA. There, I joined my fellow journalists to preview the first 30 minutes of Inside Out 2. We got to talk to a handful of artisans from animators and production designers to editors, cinematographers, and story artists.

In our interview with Mann and producer Mark Nielsen, we discuss revisiting Riley’s mind and the role research played in shaping toxic emotions as healthy.

The Nerds of Color: Not only are sequels an opportunity to revisit characters and settings we all know and love, but they are also a chance to expand upon the world-building while also diving deeper into the characters we all know and love. How exciting was it for you to jump back into the mind of Riley?

Nielsen: It’s incredible to be back in the world of inside out, I was lucky enough to be the associate producer on the first film, it’s one of my career highlights, I loved being a part of it. And I’m thrilled about this film, that we’ve been crafting together for the last three or four years, expanding the world of inside out, introducing new emotions, and exploring this next stage of Riley’s life, when things get more emotionally complex, is just a rich place to explore in mind in this movie. I’m thrilled about this kind of fun and fun, adventurous film that takes place inside the mind of Riley in this next chapter of her life.

The first film redefined what we know about our emotions. It allowed us to see that emotions like Sadness are actually healthy, and that Joy can be toxic if not processed correctly. What was the key to making sure that emotions like Anxiety and Envy are portrayed as emotions that can be beneficial while also recognizing how toxic they can be?

Mann: A lot of it comes down to looking at ourselves, and how our own emotions behave within us. And it was true with this film with, you know, introducing the new motions coming in, led by anxiety, you know, our, our first versions of the character was like, kind of like, she was always meant to be the antagonist of the movie. You know, the first film really didn’t have an antagonist. Joy was probably the antagonist. She didn’t know she was the antagonist. And but this one, I’m like, ‘Oh, this would be great. If we actually had, like, an antagonist.’

I remember reading very early on something about at this age, you start to have an internal struggle. No one knows you’re really having one. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s good. Internal battle. Conflict. There should be emotions fighting and some emotions kicking others out.’ And so I always had this idea that Anxiety was coming in and taking over headquarters.

For our first versions of the of the story, she was a much more kind of villain type of character. It wasn’t very fun to watch and it also didn’t feel that real. Our Anxiety, when it really comes down to it, all of our emotions are in us to try to help us in some sort of way, and really protect us. Especially Anxiety. She’s definitely there for protection purposes. It wasn’t until we switched it. So that Joy was suddenly until we switched it where Anxiety loves Riley just as much as Joy us. And so you know that what she’s doing is coming from a good place for her own heart, but it’s ultimately becoming harmful to Riley.

Nielsen: All of our emotions are really there to help us. They’re there for a reason, even if the reason, like Anxiety is to make you feel bad, because it’s a motivator to get you to do the right thing. It’s still there to help you ultimately, and that’s true of Envy.

When we studied envy, we learned that it’s a that’s a great emotion for helping you set goals for yourself on what you want. Like, “I want to be like that.” Envy can help you. It can be a motivator and then all of a sudden you can start building plans on how to get there. So it’s there for a reason. Ennui I’m sure is there for a very good reason. If not to just make you cooler. So yeah, the research though we wanted to be as true as we could, to what these emotions are and how they operate. We didn’t want to be false about that.

Inside Out 2 opens in theaters on June 14, 2024.