Newsletter Entry #7 - Audience Analysis

Although Inside Out 2 has taken many steps through its style and way of discussing mental health, the response from audiences shows that the film's narrative on mental health is universally understood across multiple age groups. Since the release of Inside Out 2, the film has created widespread discussions on how the film made them emotional, particularly through its discussion of mental health and anxiety. Viewers from a wide range of ages have resonated with the movie for its relatable debate of mental health along with how accurate the film portrays it. One of the biggest ways Inside Out 2’s cultural footprint has been shaped is through its audience engagement on Reddit and TikTok. On these platforms, viewers have discussed how the film closely relates to their mental health struggles.

One important aspect of Inside Out 2’s audience response is how adults are able to resonate with Riley’s experiences. In a Reddit discussion post, a user started a discussion about how Inside Out 2 made him emotional as a 28-year-old male. He said that on the way to the movie, he made a joke to his fiancee hoping he would not find the new character, Anxiety, too relatable, and sure enough, he found himself in tears during the movie. This led to responses from people in their 20s, 30s and 40s to join him in reflecting on how the film made them feel. For example, one comment said, “If you didn’t cry during that movie, something is wrong with you.” This ultimately shows that Inside Out 2 is a film that is not just a children's movie, but a film that all adults can resonate with.

Not only did the film relate to the current feelings people experience, but audiences resonated with the film's discussion on adolescent mental health as well. In another Reddit discussion, viewers discussed essentially how well the film portrays how much puberty sucks as a teen and the mental health battles that come with it. Not only did this film resonate with adults, but it allowed teens and people in their early 20s to reflect on the meaningful mental health discussion felt considering they were much younger when the first Inside Out was released in 2015. In a TikTok post of a young girl crying because Pixar released this film as she was going through puberty herself started a conversation in the comments. Similar to the first Reddit post mentioned previously, people in the comments shared how old they are but instead, included how much the film meant to them and how they anticipated that the movie would make them just as emotional as the first one. In addition, a second TikTok that relatively discussed the same thing except after seeing the film started a conversation of people once again mentioning how the emotions closely resonate with them.

The response from viewers on Inside Out 2 shows how its discussion of mental health particularly through the struggles of anxiety and growing up deeply resonates with audiences. Viewers have ultimately viewed the film as not just a story of a teenage girl experiencing puberty but also as a way of reflecting on their mental health.