“‘Inside Out 2’, Created by 150 Animators, Not AI” [Interview]

Hollywood Disney·Pixar Korean Staff Interview
"Shy, which was hard to express... Favorites are Kkachil and Gippeum"

Movie 'Inside Out 2' stills
[Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

"When I arrive at work, there are Korean famous bakery's red bean buns and cream cheese buns on my desk. I respond by leaving a note that says 'Gamsahamnida' (Thank you) in Hangul on my colleague's desk."

This is the scene at the San Francisco office shared by Kim Hyesook, a senior animator working at the famous Hollywood studio 'Disney Pixar' in the United States. In a video interview conducted on the 21st, Animator Kim said, "Korean movies, dramas, and even food are popular," adding, "K-culture is becoming increasingly mainstream." Animator Shim Hyunsook, who joined the conversation, agreed, saying, "Local colleagues increasingly use characters from Korean dramas as examples when explaining characters."

The two joined Pixar Animation Studios in 2021 and worked on the films Buzz Lightyear (2022), Elemental (2023), and Inside Out 2. Inside Out 2 was released domestically on the 12th and attracted 2 million viewers over its first weekend. It drew over 100,000 viewers even on weekdays and had a total attendance of 2,633,680 by the day before. With a real-time reservation rate of 58%, it is expected to surpass 4 million cumulative viewers by the second weekend.

Animator Kim said, "I was surprised by the number of viewers in Korea during the first weekend," and added, "I felt good reading the company email that mentioned this." He expressed a desire to visit Korean theaters to see firsthand which scenes make audiences laugh or feel moved. He also conveyed, "There is a proud atmosphere at Pixar because the response from Korea has been so positive."

Animator Hye-sook Kim (left) and animator Hyun-sook Shim
[Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

Inside Out 2 tells the story of Riley, a 13-year-old entering adolescence. Inside her mind's emotion control center reside the five core emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. New unfamiliar emotions such as Anxiety, Embarrassment, Boredom, and Envy appear, disrupting the peaceful daily life and leading to crises and adventures.

Animator Kim worked on Riley's core emotions?Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear?while Animator Shim was responsible for Riley, her friend Val, and the existing four emotions. Animators play a role similar to actors in animation. Animator Shim explained, "Animators are the ones who bring the completed characters to life."

Animators are the most valued part at Pixar, a renowned animation studio. While typically 50 to 60 animators work on one animated film, Inside Out 2 involved about 150 animators, showing the great effort invested. This was a strategic move to break Pixar's recent slump after workforce reductions. Animator Kim said, "I referred to how the five emotions appeared in the first film," adding, "I wanted to express them uniquely, not in a clich? way." He also said, "Working on non-human emotion characters was very appealing."

Both animators named 'Disgust' and 'Joy' as their favorite characters. Animator Kim said, "When I feel down or timid, smiling strangely makes me feel better and the problems seem lighter. The same goes when I think of Joy. I reflected this in my work." Animator Shim said, "I actually acted out Disgust's movements while creating them, and it was fun because the expressions came out naturally."

Animator Shim named 'Fear' as the most challenging character to work on, saying, "The eyebrows moved separately, and the hands stretched, making it difficult to model. Sadness moves in small, round motions, but Fear's movements were large, making it hard to control." Animator Kim agreed, saying, "Most animators who worked on the film would probably say Fear was the hardest." He added, "'Joy' was a challenge for me," explaining, "I worked on it very sensitively." He continued, "It was not easy to create pretty poses or express emotions with big eyes."

Pixar producer Nielsen emphasized that Inside Out 2 was made without using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which major Hollywood studios are adopting. Animator Kim said, "AI technology is widely used across the industry," but added, "We made this film without AI, thinking through it like traditional animation."

The previous film, Inside Out (2015), attracted 4.97 million viewers domestically and was a box office success worldwide, earning $857.6 million (1.1822 trillion KRW). With a production budget of $175 million (241.2375 billion KRW), it earned four to five times its cost. The sequel is also expected to be a major hit. It is predicted to surpass last year's top-grossing films Super Mario Bros. and Barbie, which earned $1.4 billion (1.9426 trillion KRW).

Movie 'Inside Out 2' stills
[Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

Animator Kim analyzed, "Children were attracted by the humor, teenagers saw their own thoughts reflected, and adults recalled their childhood and had 'Eolbulkick' (cringing moments). We tried to evoke empathy through the story, and it seems people related to it." He added, "Pixar is well aware internally that their films are loved a lot in Korea. That's why Inside Out 2 was released earlier here than in Japan or some European countries."

Will there be a third installment? Animator Shim said, "There hasn't been any internal discussion yet," but expressed confidence, saying, "The existing story is solid, so if a sequel comes out, it will continue to succeed."