‘The Art of Inside Out 2’ is a colorful and educational book about the latest Disney/Pixar movie

Category: Books and Music

Inside Out 2 is another emotional story, pun intended, as Riley enters puberty and confronts new emotions. Gone are the carefree days of childhood, only to be replaced by feelings that are new and somewhat troubling: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and Anxiety. These new emotions join Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger. The Art of Inside Out 2 is the latest in the “Art of” series of books delving into the stories, backgrounds, and artwork of the films. 

In the introduction by the film’s director Kelsey Mann, he writes about the ending of the first film. “After all, Riley’s twelve now, what could happen?” That’s exactly what Inside Out 2 is all about. Once she hits thirteen, everything changes. The book is a deep dive into this new film. “What is included in these pages is just a snapshot of the creativity and dedication that went into the making of the film.” 

Readers will see the evolution of the artwork with sketches, digital artwork, and more. There are colorful images of all the emotions and artwork showing how they came to be the characters we eventually see in the film.

Character artists describe how they created their designs. For instance, “Anxiety is related to Fear, and I designed her accordingly,” says character artist Deanna Marsigliese. They share the same body type, yet Anxiety gets twisted up with worry. 

As for little Envy, character art director Keiko Murayama admits they went through many versions to come up with just the right look for this little gal who is envious of just about everything, yet is still a likable character. 

Throughout the pages readers get a sense of just what the artists did to imagine and create the various characters. The sketches add a lot to the understanding of the emotions.

The creative team that worked on the film lend their insights into how they worked and how they came up with the designs that made it into the movie. There is plenty of information about the making of Inside Out 2.

To say this is colorful is an understatement. It’s a fun book just to flip through or to read the comments from the creators. And, after seeing the film, this is a great book to look at with your kids because it will bring back the feeling (no pun intended here) and memories of watching the movie. 

And speaking about feelings, after all this is what the whole movie is about, a separate companion book, Feeling Feelings, makes a great gift for kids, and especially teenager who are experiencing life just like Riley. 

This book is basically a journal with pages on which to write. In the morning the user is expected to circle the feeling corresponding to their current mood. Then they can explain why they feel that way. The next step is to write down three goals for the day. Then in the evening the user once again circles the image of the emotion best representing how he/she feels at that time and explain why they are feeling that way. And finally, there is a section for different additions like “Tomorrow I will….” “Today I learned…,” “Today I let go of…,””Today I am grateful for…” and more. 

This book is helpful for kids to sort out their feelings, and quite frankly, it’s also a good guide for adults. It provides a tool to help get in touch with yourself, and I am personally going to use it. It’s one way of helping sort out your life and set goals for yourself. There are also journaling pages and pictures throughout the book.

The Art of Inside Out 2 is another book dedicated to the making of a Disney film with information and plenty of art. It’s a good tool for animators and designers, as well as those interested in filmmaking. It is also just a fun book for kids and adults, and as mentioned earlier, it makes a good project for parents to look through with their kids.

Feeling Feelings is a guided emotions journal for everyone to use to get in touch with their inner selves. If you know someone going through a difficult time, this might just be exactly what they need to help them through the days.   

The Art of Disney/Pixar Inside Out 2

• Chronicle Books
• For Preschool and up
• ISBN-10  :  1797225057
• ISBN-13  :  978-1797225050

Feeling Feelings

• Chronicle Books
• ISBN-10  :  1797229206
• ISBN-13  :  978-1797229201

And there are plenty of other items to go along with this movie. Check out the plush emotions.

About the Reviewer

Francine Brokaw writes about books, products, travel, and all aspects of entertainment for over 30 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.