Inside Out 2 spoilers follow.
Inside Out 2 has dazzled critics and audiences alike so far, but you may not have spotted some of the Easter eggs burrowed away in Riley’s brain!
The sequel to the 2015 animation once again follows Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger as they guide Riley through her teenage years, though a spanner is thrown into the works by the arrival of some new emotions – Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment.
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While many will be wowed by the vibrant animation, the team at Pixar managed to conceal some references to the first film and other projects from the studio, including a nod to everybody’s favourite imaginary friend, Bing Bong.
The colourful elephant – and Riley's imaginary friend – tragically evaporated towards the end of the first film. In the early stages of the sequel, a nod to Bing Bong was included, with a figure of the character spotted on Riley’s shelf in her room.
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“Everyone wanted to bring back Bing Bong,” said production designer Jason Deamer in an interview with Variety. “Joy hasn’t forgotten Bing Bong, so Bing Bong is in Joy’s cube, done in origami.”
Other references include a knowing wink to Pixar’s upcoming film Elio, with the titular character being seen in the memory spheres during the "Sar-chasm" sequence. There is also an homage to A113, the classroom where many Pixar animators studied, in the prison section.
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“We have to entertain ourselves when we work,” said Deamer of the creative decisions. “We wanted to have a digital backlot from all the movies we’ve ever built, just like you would on a live-action set or backlot.”
“And that’s where it came from. It just snowballed into what it is today. We just find anywhere we can to hide stuff because it’s a super fun thing to do,” he added.
Inside Out 2 is in cinemas now.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
