That the newest emotion inside Riley’s brain is already making waves months before the movie premiere speaks volumes about the mental state of people today.
Three days ago, Pixar released the trailer of Inside Out 2, eight years after the debut of its critically acclaimed predecessor. The sequel will showcase an older Riley as she navigates newfound emotions stemming from the wild changes and shakeups of teenage life.
By the end of the short trailer, a fidgety orange creature steals the show—Anxiety. The trailer became such a hit among viewers that it skyrocketed to over 157 million views in 24 hours, with 78 million coming from TikTok, and 8.9 million views on Pixar’s official YouTube channel. This officially beats the previous record held by Frozen 2, which garnered over 116 million views combined in 24 hours back in 2019.
Another Inside Out 2 trailer gets more specific with what to expect: challenges from school, a boy in Riley’s life (possibly a date, which makes Riley’s parents worried), and that teenage angst and apathy that we’ve all gone through in our lives. And from the looks of it, with all the baggage that Anxiety brought with them, our new orange friend isn’t alone in Riley’s wild ride toward adolescence.
In 2015, critics raved over Inside Out’s compelling storytelling and accurate portrayal of how emotions affect, regulate, and influence each other in our various mental states and within diverse environments. With Riley growing up and changing day-by-day, it’s going to be interesting how Pixar handles and portrays this motley crew of new emotions.
However, looking at Anxiety’s splashing debut, it seems that we have nothing to worry about — ironic as that might sound.
Inside Out 2 will be released in theaters in June 2024.
