Why is INSIDE OUT 2 irresistible to viewers?
If you were at the movies in mid-June 2024, around the 15th or 16th, you probably noticed the long lines to get into the theaters. Most likely, Inside Out 2 was playing, and if this happened in Europe, the crowds were probably due to Inside Out 2, which is the same film but with a more Iberian-sounding title. With this film, Pixar, the studio that produced it, returned to the top of its fans' favorites and heralded a new creative path that would leave behind commendable themes that weren't quite in tune with audiences. The film grossed the exorbitant sum of $300 million in less than a week. It tells the story of a girl who goes from childhood to adolescence, while in her mind, her emotions, transformed into humanized characters, take over her behavior. It's a complex drama that brings psychological analysis to everyday people. His success lies in his ability to explain why individuals do what they do, and what's more, he entertains the audience while doing so. Whether he's right about his psychological theories is secondary, because in trying to make sense of the chaos of puberty, he finds a coherent way to organize the irrationality of life. That's why the public likes him: because he explains why they are the way they are.

If sequels are often considered inferior, why did INSIDE OUT 2 replicate the success of its predecessor? One reason is that it employs a proven formula already successfully used in other Pixar films. INSIDE OUT 2 tells the story of those left behind when someone grows up, much like in TOY STORY 3 (2010), where Andy must leave for college, abandoning his childhood toys to embark on adult life. In INSIDE OUT 2 (2024), the toys represent childhood emotions, which are replaced by those of adolescence. For the viewer, the film becomes an automatic appeal to nostalgia. Thus, the movie falls into the "coming-of-age" genre, a story of maturation and the transition from one age to another. This genre is as old as literature itself and has been explored in film with works like STAND BY ME (1986) and PERSEPOLIS (2007). In INSIDE OUT 2, Pixar brings back the characters from the first film and develops them further. The emotions begin a struggle for control of the protagonist's personality. This battle between the emotions becomes a story within the main story. The transitions between these narratives add dynamism to the storytelling, and INSIDE OUT 2 never loses its momentum. This is why it's as successful as the first film and suggests that more films within the same universe are likely.

How does Pixar manage to avoid the controversial themes that seem to have alienated audiences from its most recent films? For example, in 2022, Lightyear flopped at the box office, supposedly because of a kiss between two women in a scene considered by some audiences to be inappropriate for young children. But in the 2024 film, Inside Out 2, which tells the story of a girl transitioning from childhood to puberty, the sensory awakening that accompanies the onset of sexuality and romantic love is absent. Since cinema is both art and industry, this time Pixar isn't risking a drop in theater attendance.

In this second installment, the narrators manage to explain the protagonist's emotional behavior in an entertaining way, while omitting potentially controversial topics for the audience. So, if you're looking to understand the human psyche while also having fun, INSIDE OUT (or INTENSELY, INSIDE OUT) is the film you need to see.