MINNEAPOLIS — The long-awaited Pixar movie "Inside Out 2" premiered last weekend and had one of the most successful opening weekends in recent memory.
The film brought in more than $155 million domestically, according to studio estimates.
Box office records show the film had the most successful opening weekend of 2024, and the second-best of all time for an animated feature film.
Besides the buzz at the box office, the film has also drawn praise from mental health professionals who work with children.
"Kids have big emotions and we're in a cool spot societally that we can say that's OK,” Buffalo Middle School counselor Kaitlin Kolbinger says.
The first “Inside Out” film came out nine years ago in 2015.
Kolbinger says she and her colleagues often use the original film as a learning tool to teach kids about emotions.
“It’s great for kids to know it’s not weird; it’s not strange for them to have these emotions,” Kolbinger explains.
“When you see it portrayed in the media, it normalizes it, which is really positive for kids.”
Kolbinger hasn't seen the second film personally, but she is excited to see the new characters — anxiety, envy and embarrassment — and how those emotions are portrayed in the film.
“What we have seen in recent years is anxiety and depression rates have definitely increased in children. I’m not entirely sure the reason, but the reason doesn’t matter as much as: Where do we meet those kids and help them through it?”
A recent study from the National Library of Medicine suggests depression rates in children have gone from around 8.1% in 2009 to 15.8% in 2019.
Dr. Krishnan Subrahmanian, a pediatrician at Hennepin Healthcare, recently took his children to see “Inside Out 2.”
He says the film also offers life lessons for adults.
“I think it’s a great reminder for parents and families about how complex childhood is. For us adults, recalling how stressful that can be, and empathizing with that and being with our young people as they go through those emotions,” Dr. Subrahmanian says.
He says the anxiety character in this new film offers a great learning opportunity because anxiety as an emotion is often difficult for children to understand.
“If we talk more about our emotions, naming them, and coming up with strategies on how to deal with our emotions, I think that would be beneficial for all of us,” Dr. Subrahmanian says.
The film also has some Minnesota connections.
The main character, “Riley,” is from Minnesota and moves to California in the first film.
“Inside Out 2” and the original film also both have a strong focus around the sport of hockey, as “Riley” is an avid hockey player in both films.
Minnesota PWHL star Kendall Coyne Schofield voices a hockey announcer in the second film.
The film’s co-director and co-writer Pete Docter is also a Bloomington, Minnesota native.
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