“Inside out” premiered in 2015 and became one of Pixar’s five most grossing films ever. The film takes place in 11-year-old Jenny’s head, where the figures Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger and Sadness rule.
In the sequel, Jenny has hit puberty and a new set of more complex emotions enter headquarters.
– It all started with Angslan. I made a list of different emotions and this was January 2020 and anxiety was rising among teenagers. Especially among girls, says Kelsey Mann, the film’s director who has done extensive research on teenage emotions.
Long awaited sequel
The sequel has been long awaited. When the film opened overseas in mid-June, it was both the highest-grossing film of the year and the second-biggest opening weekend for an animated film ever (behind 2018’s “Incredibles 2”), according to Disney.
The strong opening weekend was an important win for Pixar, which needed a hit after a couple of really bad years.
In May 2024, the animation studio laid off 175 people – 14 percent of the workforce.
Took a beating during the pandemic
Since the pandemic, Pixar has been plagued with financial problems because the parent company Disney let Pixar act as a draw for the streaming site Disney+, writes trade magazine Variety. Films such as “Själen”, “Luca” and “Red” never had theatrical premieres, but were only shown on Disney+.
Once the company returned to cinemas with “Lightyear” and “Elementärt”, they did not reach the audience numbers of the glory days by a long way.
Don’t stream the answer
The first “Inside out” was directed by animator Pete Docter. Now he is the company’s creative director and tells SVT that the company has lost faith in streaming. The company is now investing in fewer and larger productions.
– In the end, we are better off by having less going on, he says.
Watch the interview with Pete Docter and Kelsey Mann in the clip.