Search your mind for the things you missed. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at easter eggs, references, callbacks, and other small details from “Inside Out 2” that you only noticed on a subconscious level.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Oh my gosh, I am just such a huge fan of yours, and now here I am meeting you face to face.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at Easter eggs, references, callbacks,
00:11and other small details from Inside Out 2 that you only noticed on a subconscious level.
00:17A few spoilers may follow.
00:19Behold, my super high-tech Riley protection system.
00:23Don't look, it's fine.
00:28Riley's rainbow shirt resurfaces early in the film,
00:32although she's noticeably outgrown the colorful outfit.
00:35This reflects not only how Riley is growing physically, but emotionally as well,
00:40having to make room for new emotions.
00:42Hello everybody.
00:44Oh my gosh, I am just such a huge fan of yours, and now here I am meeting you face to face.
00:50In addition to yellow, blue, red, purple, and green, orange is among the shirt's colors,
00:55as if the filmmakers behind the original film were already foreshadowing that anxiety
01:00would be the next emotion to leave a significant mark.
01:02Riley's jersey also tells the story, her number being 28.
01:06It's no coincidence that Inside Out 2 is the 28th Pixar feature film,
01:11although the upcoming Elia was initially planned to come out first.
01:14After these two films swapped releases, Riley's jersey number changed from 29 to 28.
01:19Make some noise!
01:22Sadness is in the house!
01:26My Hat
01:27As the suppressed emotions stage an escape from Riley's memory vault,
01:30video game heartthrob Lance Slashblade starts a chain reaction that takes down each guard.
01:36One guard loses their hat in the process.
01:38Inside is a label reading, My Hat.
01:40For those who don't remember, this references a dispute between
01:43subconscious guards Frank and Dave in the first film.
01:46Is that your hat?
01:47Yeah, it's my hat.
01:48You sure?
01:48I don't know, look in the label.
01:50Frank attempted to distinguish his headwear from Dave's by writing My Hat.
01:54This doesn't do much to help matters, as Dave had the same idea.
01:57Popping up again in this scene, Frank and Dave haven't gotten much better at their jobs.
02:02The bumbling guards have also yet to realize
02:04that writing their names on their hats would be more efficient.
02:08Wait, it says My Hat?
02:09My Hat it says.
02:10That's what I wrote in My Hat.
02:11What are you talking about?
02:11You've got My Hat on.
02:12Okay, but it's my hat.
02:14Number 23.
02:15Pixar Goes Preschool
02:17Along with Lance Slashblade, the emotions meet a purple dog named Bloofy in Riley's vault.
02:22The star of Riley's favorite preschool show has a habit of breaking the fourth wall,
02:26leaving long, awkward pauses for young viewers to answer questions.
02:30The 2D beagle takes a few pages from Bloof's clues and Dora the Explorer.
02:34What was that?
02:35A ball.
02:36Oh, you see another toy?
02:39Where?
02:40His pal Pouchy also calls to mind Dora's backpack.
02:43Although these characters don't just take shots at Nickelodeon,
02:46Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse had a similar interactive element.
02:49The way the characters summon Pouchy here is reminiscent of how Mickey and the gang
02:53called upon Toodles, who always had a solution to the problem at hand.
02:57Also, he may be purple, but Bloofy's name and design are giving us Deja Bluey.
03:07Wow, that was a weird dream.
03:09Number 22.
03:10Moving Onward
03:11Is Riley of French descent or does everyone's sense of boredom sound like Adele Exopulos?
03:17In any case, there's a bit of a language barrier to overcome
03:19when Headquarters is introduced to Ennui, who is not the warmest emotion.
03:24Joy struggles to pronounce Ennui's name, saying Onward on her first attempt.
03:28Am I saying it right?
03:29Enn-wha?
03:30No.
03:31Oh, nicknames!
03:32I'm gonna call you Oui-Oui.
03:33Non.
03:34Joy's butchering of the French language alludes to another Pixar film, 2020's Onward.
03:39It's a nice nod to the fantasy adventure, although it's kind of a missed opportunity
03:43that a giant cheese puff didn't float down Riley's stream of consciousness.
03:47Careful how much boat you're eating there, man.
03:48We still gotta make it to the end of the tunnel.
03:51Good point.
03:52Speaking of which...
03:53Number 21.
03:55Broccoli and Pizza
03:56It might not be a cheese puff, although another cheesy treat aids the emotions
04:00as they sail across the stream of consciousness.
04:02Hey, I saw a pizza place down the street.
04:05Maybe we could try that?
04:06Pizza's on Riley's mind, providing the emotions with a delectable vessel.
04:11Unfortunately, the emotions must soon trade one boat for another,
04:14climbing aboard a floating piece of broccoli.
04:17This isn't the first time that broccoli and pizza have intersected.
04:20Upon moving to San Francisco in the first film,
04:22the emotions are annoyed to discover how the locals desecrate
04:26Italian cuisine with a particular topping.
04:28That's it.
04:28I'm done.
04:29Congratulations, San Francisco!
04:31You've ruined pizza!
04:32First the Hawaiians, and now you!
04:35It may not be our first choice off the menu, but when up a creek without a pizza,
04:39broccoli is a suitable alternative.
04:42Number 20.
04:43Mrs. Nesbitt
04:44Sadness manages to break back into headquarters,
04:47but it isn't long until anxiety becomes aware of her presence.
04:50Just don't look down and keep moving.
04:52Uh-oh!
04:54She'll be okay, right?
04:55Uh, 50-50.
04:56As anxiety confronts sadness in her room,
04:59a teapot with a familiar design can be spotted.
05:01You might need to dig deep into your memory bank,
05:04but eventually you'll notice a likeness to Buzz Lightyear's apron
05:07when he donned the persona of Mrs. Nesbitt.
05:09Now, if only it came with a teacup that looked like Mrs. Nesbitt's hat,
05:13this ensemble would be complete.
05:15Don't you get it?
05:16You see the hat?
05:18I am Mrs. Nesbitt!
05:20Number 19.
05:22Elio Incoming
05:23Previewing upcoming films is a long-standing Pixar tradition.
05:27Elio was previously referenced in Elemental
05:29back when it was supposed to be Pixar's next feature.
05:32I think there's been a mistake.
05:33You're not the leader of our Earth.
05:35Sorry for the mix-up.
05:37Commence memory wipe.
05:38Since the release schedule got switched around,
05:40Inside Out 2 also made room for an Elio shout-out.
05:43When sadness comes crashing back into headquarters,
05:46she brings a bushel of memories with her.
05:48In one of the memory orbs is a boy who resembles Elio.
05:51We guess that means Riley personally knows Elio,
05:54or she just saw a trailer for his movie.
05:56Either way, the Pixar theory is preserved.
05:59Until then, as you say on Earth,
06:02okay, bye, I love you.
06:04Number 18.
06:06Envy's Fingers
06:07Voiced by Iowa Debrie,
06:09Envy possesses one of the film's cleverest designs.
06:11She picked me.
06:12Sometimes it's really high.
06:13Very good.
06:14Sometimes it's very low.
06:16Oh, we are so cool right now.
06:18She's the shortest emotion,
06:19looking up to everyone else with large, longing eyes.
06:22In an especially ingenious little touch,
06:25Envy only has eight fingers.
06:26This isn't uncommon for animated characters.
06:29Just look at Mickey Mouse.
06:31In the Inside Out universe, however,
06:33the other emotions all have 10 fingers.
06:35Envy doesn't call attention to the fact
06:37that she has one less finger on each hand.
06:39On the inside, though,
06:40we're sure she's even greener with Envy.
06:42Oh, look at your hair.
06:44Oh, yeah, not happening.
06:46Number 17.
06:47Fear's Coffee Cup
06:49The first Inside Out saw joy and sadness
06:51wander into Dream Productions,
06:52a movie studio within Riley's mind.
06:54The locale doesn't resurface in Inside Out 2,
06:57but it does in Inside Out 3.
06:59The movie doesn't air in Dream Productions,
07:01but it does in Inside Out 2,
07:03meaning we'll have to wait even longer
07:05for a sequel to I Can Fly.
07:07The filmmakers didn't completely forget
07:08about Dream Productions, however.
07:10Shut up in the classroom, Seth.
07:12Today's memories are in.
07:13We've got a lot to work with here.
07:15Fear can be seen with a coffee cup
07:16featuring the Dream Productions label.
07:18Since Fear got saddled with dream duty in the last film,
07:21it makes sense that he would have such a cup.
07:23Let's just hope he hasn't had to sit through
07:25any jangles the clown dreams lately.
07:27Follow us.
07:29Wake you up, right?
07:30Number 16.
07:31John Ratzenberger's Return
07:33John Ratzenberger had a small yet crucial role
07:35in the original film as Fritz,
07:37a mind worker who helps install
07:39Riley's upgraded console.
07:40Ratzenberger can be heard again in the sequel
07:43as the emotions call out for help.
07:44Alas, they're separated by a sarcasm.
07:47Boy, are we so lucky we ran into you guys.
07:51Boy, are we so lucky we ran into you guys.
07:56Wow, those guys are jerks.
07:58Ratzenberger's presence in a Pixar film
08:00shouldn't come as a shock,
08:01seeing how he was deemed the studio's good luck charm
08:04after voicing Ham in Toy Story.
08:06Surprisingly though, Ratzenberger's last credited role
08:09in a Pixar feature was Fenwick the Cyclops in Onward.
08:12He can also allegedly be heard
08:14as Guy on the subway in Soul,
08:16excluding his roles in the TV series Monsters at Work.
08:19Ratzenberger was absent from at least four Pixar movies
08:22until Inside Out 2.
08:24Were you unbanished?
08:26Not officially.
08:27It's a habeas corpus issue, really.
08:29Excuse me.
08:30Number 15.
08:31Luxo Ball
08:32Any true Pixar fan knows to be on the lookout
08:34for the Luxo Ball in every new release.
08:37That doesn't mean the iconic ball is simple to spot.
08:40To infinity and beyond!
08:46Pixar has only gotten craftier with the ball's placement,
08:49practically requiring a pause button.
08:52It's easy to miss the Luxo Ball
08:53during Riley's parade of future careers.
08:56The audience is so distracted by the pastry chef
08:58and Supreme Court justice balloons
09:00that they're inclined to overlook
09:01the striped star ball in the background.
09:03Not too far away from the ball,
09:05you also might have neglected a nod to figment
09:07from the Disney attraction Journey into Imagination.
09:10It's magic.
09:11Magic of the mind.
09:13The kind that lets you go anywhere, anytime.
09:16Number 14.
09:17Triple Dent Gum
09:18Even years later,
09:19the Triple Dent Gum jingle is still stuck in Riley's head.
09:22And ours.
09:23Riley never knows when the catchy commercial
09:25is going to make an encore.
09:27Sometimes we send that one up to headquarters for no reason.
09:29It plays in Riley's head over and over again,
09:31like a million times.
09:33It inevitably re-emerges as anxiety searches through
09:36everything Riley knows about music.
09:38Her knowledge is primarily limited to bands
09:40aimed at middle schoolers
09:42and a certain jingle that will never leave.
09:44The reference flies by quickly,
09:46but we can remember every lyric upon hearing the first note.
09:49Who says that an oldie can't be refreshing?
09:52Think should we do it?
09:52Yeah.
10:01Number 13.
10:02DMR
10:03Riley and her fellow hockey players wear Under Armour
10:06with the label DMR.
10:07This isn't product placement,
10:08as no such brand exists in reality.
10:11It is an homage to one of the film's production members,
10:13however.
10:14Sounds like a dream job.
10:15It is.
10:17Can you explain a little bit what is your job
10:19and what do you do?
10:20Jason Deamer has been with Pixar as far back as Monsters, Inc.,
10:24where he worked as a production artist.
10:26He served as the production designer on Inside Out 2.
10:29In animation,
10:30this not only entails creating the environments
10:32the characters inhabit,
10:33but also helping to flesh out the characters' designs.
10:36Deamer left his signature in more ways than one.
10:39The drawings are just a means to an end.
10:40We're making a film here,
10:41so the more you think about,
10:44you know,
10:44you're not just doing a drawing to make a pretty drawing,
10:46you're drawing something that's going to be built.
10:49Number 12.
10:50Nostalgia Goggles.
10:51Brought to life by veteran character actress June Squibb,
10:54Nostalgia makes two premature trips to headquarters.
10:57In both cases,
10:58Nostalgia reminisces about the good old days,
11:00which were really just a few seconds ago.
11:02When we all finally came up to headquarters.
11:05Nostalgia.
11:06That was like 30 seconds ago, Nostalgia.
11:09Yeah, those were the days.
11:11When viewing memories through the lens of Nostalgia,
11:14everything seems rosier than it likely was.
11:16It's only appropriate that Nostalgia would be prescribed
11:19with literal rose-tinted glasses,
11:21emphasizing her elderly appearance
11:23and tendency to romanticize the past.
11:25When I saw the picture with the rose-colored glasses,
11:30oh, that told me everything too.
11:32It tells you so much,
11:34the drawings, the animation.
11:37Here's hoping her role is expanded upon in Inside Out 3,
11:40which we imagine will come out
11:41after we grow nostalgic for Inside Out 2.
11:44Number 11.
11:45Muppets Alumni.
11:47Frank and Dave are once again voiced by David Goels
11:49and Frank Oz, respectively.
11:51Yes, they switched first names,
11:53adding another layer to the My Hat joke.
11:56Goels is best known for performing as Gonzo the Great,
11:58while Oz's Muppet resume ranges from Miss Piggy to Fozzie Bear.
12:02Hey, why don't you join us?
12:04Where are you going?
12:06We're following our dream.
12:08Really? I have a dream too.
12:10They aren't the only puppeteers who left an impression on the film.
12:13Carol Spinney was the man behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
12:16Seamlessly transitioning between a joyful character and an angry one,
12:20Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann
12:21had the honor of meeting Spinney before his passing in 2019.
12:25While Mann couldn't give Spinney a voiceover cameo,
12:28he paid tribute to the late legend
12:29through an eatery called Spinney's Pizza.
12:34All right, pizza.
12:36The duck wants pizza.
12:37Number 10.
12:38Bad Memory.
12:39Some might say that Inside Out 2 is about living and coping with anxiety.
12:43While that is a key theme,
12:45the film is more about addressing bad memories.
12:48It's weighing on her, so let's lighten the load.
12:50A one-way expressway to-
12:52We're not gonna think about that right now!
12:55Woo!
12:55To reach headquarters, the emotions must bring
12:57a hurricane of bad memories along for the ride.
13:00There are too many to count,
13:01but one memory highlights Riley at her most regretful.
13:04Oh, here's when she forgot that girl's name.
13:07Oh yeah, that was super awkward.
13:08What was her name?
13:09I don't know, Janet or something.
13:11Whatever, let's just get rid of it.
13:12It calls back to the first film
13:13when Riley swiped her mom's credit card
13:15to purchase a ticket out of San Francisco.
13:17Throughout Inside Out 2,
13:18Joy tries to instill the belief that Riley is a good person.
13:22While Riley is generally good,
13:24we all have lapses in judgment.
13:26Rather than ignore our missteps,
13:27it's healthier to learn and grow from them.
13:30Number 9.
13:31Orange Invasion.
13:33Orange?
13:33Who made the console orange?
13:35Do I look orange?
13:36I didn't touch it.
13:37Orange is not my color.
13:38Not me.
13:40Hello!
13:41After anxiety stages a mutiny,
13:43the color orange begins to dominate the movie,
13:45Inside and Out.
13:46In addition to areas throughout Riley's mind,
13:49orange takes over her physical surroundings at hockey camp,
13:52from the locker room to the chairs surrounding the ice rink.
13:54Even the hockey uniforms are draped in orange.
13:57No matter where Riley turns,
13:59anxiety is staring her in the face.
14:01Despite being prominently featured,
14:03it's a subtle touch that makes the audience more stressed
14:06without even realizing it.
14:07It's not forever.
14:08It's just until Riley makes varsity,
14:10or until she turns 18,
14:11or maybe forever.
14:12I don't know, we'll have to see.
14:13Number 8.
14:14Brang.
14:15Riley's family moved from Minnesota to San Francisco
14:17due to her father's job.
14:19We don't learn much about Riley's dad's livelihood,
14:21aside from that he works for a startup called Brang.
14:24When the family arrives at their new home,
14:26Mr. Anderson is seen wearing a Brang t-shirt.
14:29Hello?
14:29Wait!
14:31You're kidding.
14:33Stall for me.
14:34I'll be right there.
14:35The shirt makes a comeback in the sequel,
14:37but it's now worn by Riley as she goes to bed.
14:40This might seem like a throwaway reference,
14:42but it actually demonstrates Riley's emotional growth.
14:45Riley initially hated San Francisco,
14:47and thus hated her dad's job for making them move there.
14:50The fact that Riley now sleeps in a Brang shirt
14:52shows that she's come to embrace her new life.
14:54But seriously,
14:55what does Brang do exactly?
15:01Uh-oh.
15:02She's looking at us.
15:04What did she say?
15:05What?
15:05Oh, sorry, sir.
15:06No one was listening.
15:07Is it garbage night?
15:08We left the toilet seat up.
15:09What?
15:10What is it, woman?
15:11What?
15:11Number seven.
15:13Mount Crushmore.
15:14Making their way through imagination land,
15:16the emotions encounter Mount Crushmore,
15:18which trades four US presidents for Riley's four crushes.
15:22Discuss notes that one of them is Lance Slashblade.
15:24And we get it.
15:25Who didn't fantasize about an RPG character growing up?
15:28I never saw the appeal.
15:30I long to be a hero.
15:32But darkness haunts my past.
15:35Oh, I'm in 100%.
15:37We're not sure who the two guys in the middle are supposed to be,
15:40but there's no mistaking the mouth-breathing teen on the far left for Jordan,
15:43who Riley met at the end of the first film.
15:46Jordan plays a larger role in the short Riley's First Date.
15:49I play in a band.
15:50That's fun.
15:52Wait.
15:53We were in a band.
15:54It's unclear if Riley and Jordan's relationship went anywhere beyond that.
15:58Whatever the future holds,
15:59Jordan will always be Riley's first crush,
16:02who wasn't an oddly sexy video game character.
16:05Number six.
16:06Where's Lenny?
16:07During Riley's teen years,
16:09Friendship Island naturally towers over Family Island.
16:12You can still see the latter,
16:13although you might need binoculars.
16:15Sadness has handed a pair that demands a closer look.
16:18With a mix of blue, red, and orange,
16:20this prop triggers a memory of a Toy Story character.
16:23I can't, I can't tell.
16:25Hey, where's Lenny?
16:26Right here, Woody.
16:27It's Lenny, who was voiced by the late Joe Ranft.
16:29Andy's toy binoculars went on to have non-speaking roles
16:32in the next two Toy Story films.
16:34Inside Out 2 marks the first time we've seen Lenny in over a decade.
16:38Even if he's just inside Riley's mind here.
16:40Still, this may mean Riley recognizes Lenny from somewhere.
16:44Hmm, when Andy started giving away his toys,
16:46do you think Riley's parents bought Lenny for their daughter?
16:49Should we donate him to Sunnyside?
16:51No.
16:51Maybe sell him online?
16:53Mom, no one's gonna want those old toys.
16:55They're junk.
16:57Fine, you have till Friday.
16:59Number five.
17:00Artist 87.
17:01With anxiety taking control,
17:03every mind worker in Fort Pillowtown is ordered to envision worst-case scenarios.
17:08Hunched over a drawing sheet,
17:09it's safe to say that the Pixar staffers are cheekily referencing themselves here.
17:13One specific animator is even given a direct shout-out of sorts.
17:17Memories can be recalled and replayed and changed within headquarters.
17:23So what the majority of the mind consists of are those memories.
17:28At Joy's encouragement, the first one to defy anxiety
17:31and draw something more positive is Artist 87.
17:35Distinguished by scruffy facial hair and a baseball cap,
17:38Artist 87 looks like a caricature of Ralph Eggleston.
17:41Winning an Oscar for the short For the Birds,
17:43Eggleston was also the production designer on numerous Pixar films,
17:47including Inside Out.
17:48Passing away from cancer in 2022,
17:51Eggleston didn't live to see the sequel,
17:53but his presence is still felt in Artist 87.
17:55You really don't ever get rid of memories.
17:58They can always be restored or recalled.
18:01Number four.
18:02A113.
18:03The A113 Easter egg isn't exclusive to Pixar,
18:06but the animation studio has perhaps made the most references to the CalArts classroom.
18:11Sorry, I heard someone say roar, so I just kind of went for it.
18:15Inside Out 2 continues the A113 tradition with a twist.
18:19When the five emotions are bottled up, they're locked away in the vault.
18:22Above the vault is a label reading ACXIII, the Roman numerals for A113.
18:28As clever as this is,
18:30Inside Out 2 is only the second Pixar film to present A113 in Roman numeral form.
18:35As the witch pushes Merida out of her house in Brave,
18:37the classroom number is seen etched over the door.
18:50This made sense given Brave's medieval Scotland setting.
18:52As for Riley, we guess she's been learning about Roman numerals in school.
18:56Number three.
18:571984.
18:59Pixar shares an interesting connection to George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984.
19:03Perhaps even more well known than the book
19:05is the Apple Macintosh Super Bowl commercial that it inspired.
19:14Apple co-founder Steve Jobs would of course go on to become a principal player in Pixar's success.
19:19Inside Out 2 brings things full circle as anxiety is presented on a large TV screen,
19:24giving commands to the subservient workers below.
19:27Joy brings the power back to the people,
19:29and while a sledgehammer doesn't shatter the screen, anxiety is silenced.
19:34This reference comes just in time for the commercial's 40th anniversary.
19:44While we're on the subject of timeless imagery,
19:46did you notice the distracted boyfriend meme on one of the smaller screens?
19:50Number two.
19:51Fortown Forever.
19:58Riley's embarrassed to tell her new friends that her favorite band is Get Up and Glow.
20:02Earlier in the film, a Get Up and Glow poster could be seen hanging over Riley's bed.
20:07This isn't the only music group that adorns Riley's room.
20:10She also has a poster for the boy band Fortown from Turning Red.
20:24Where that film took place in 2002,
20:26the Inside Out movies occur in a more modern setting.
20:29That means Robert, Jesse, Aaron T, Aaron Z, and Tae Young are no longer boys,
20:34but their music has endured throughout the years.
20:37We can officially count Riley as a Fortownie, even if she won't admit it to Val.
20:42Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
20:59about our latest videos.
21:01You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
21:05If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
21:10Number one.
21:11Bing Bong Remembered.
21:13When this sequel was announced, we feared that Pixar might put a band-aid
21:16on arguably the saddest moment from the first film.
21:19Inside Out 2 thankfully doesn't retcon Bing Bong's tear-jerking sacrifice.
21:23Go! Go save Riley!
21:28Take her to the moon for me.
21:30Since Joy remembers Bing Bong, and Joy is a part of Riley though,
21:34the imaginary friend can never be entirely forgotten.
21:38While there's seemingly no coming back from the memory dump,
21:40Joy tries to preserve a piece of Bing Bong.
21:43She does so with an origami figure in his likeness that rests by her bed.
21:47This isn't the only sneaky trinket in the emotions room.
21:50Sitting on a table is a familiar truck with a rocket on top.
21:53Riley hasn't gone to the moon yet, but Pizza Planet is a start.
21:57I'd give anything for a piece of pizza right now.
21:59Deep dish.
22:00Oh, and it's still warm!
22:02Extra cheese, baby!
22:03Are there any other deep, dark secrets we missed?
22:06Let us know in the comments.
22:07We're doing a fit.
22:08No, oh, nope, going high.
22:10Oh, you got a real sweaty palm there, buddy.
22:13Do you agree with our picks?
22:14Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
22:17And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.