Inside Out 2 Is the Emotional Guide Kids Need Right Now

Yesterday, Deadline reported that 华特迪士尼公司 & Pixar Animation Studios ' Inside Out 2 has become one of the global top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, even beating The Avengers. So, why has this movie hit such a sweet spot with so many?

Even though most are tired of talking about it, I believe the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic play a big role here. It's been 4 years, but the aftershocks are still very much with us. The experience changed our lives in ways we’re still unpacking, especially for kids and teens.

I came across a click-baity Newsweek headline on Wednesday that said the "Impact of COVID was Positive" for 13-year-olds. But when I dug into the article, it was clear the reality is much more nuanced. The majority of kids in this study reported that the pandemic had both negative and positive impacts on their lives. For example, some kids may have got closer to their families during lockdown but then drifted away from friends.

And let's face it, friendships are a big deal when you're growing up. Berna Güro?lu, a professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology, points out that having good friends is crucial for positive development and mental health during adolescence.

Becoming a teenager has always been a turbulent time, but this, coupled with the aftereffects of COVID-19 on kids’ social development, means it’s particularly challenging for kids growing up today. Parents in our KidsKnowBest community shared the impact it had on their children:

"Socially, she used to be so bubbly, and now she struggles and finds it awkward to talk to anyone.”

"They missed so much time in school. Their mental health was so badly affected by the pandemic that their confidence, their resilience, you know, their willingness to even leave the house, go to places, or interact with new people was hugely affected by the events that happened over the last couple of years.”

"Emotional intelligence, being able to understand his own emotions and then being able to put them into a social context. He finds it hard to say he's embarrassed or disappointed or feeling left out. And I would like to try and work on that with him.”

And while people may think we’ve moved on, the ripple effect still seems pertinent when you consider that the top concern for 13-year-olds in our UK community today is their mental health at 55%, surpassing issues such as bullying (48%), homelessness (30%), climate change (25%), and animal cruelty (25%), which all made the top 5.

It's no wonder Inside Out 2 has struck a chord, as the movie has arrived at a time when we're all still trying to figure out what "normal" even means anymore.?

Psychologist Lisa Damour, who consulted on the film, talks about how the movie aims to show kids that all emotions - yes, even the uncomfortable ones like anxiety and embarrassment - are useful. The trick is to not let any single emotion take over.

And one of the standout moments in the film for me is the anxiety attack scene which depicts just that, beautifully portrayed by cinematographers Jonathan Pytko and Adam Habib . It's powerful, relatable, and hit me right in the feels. It's a struggle that so many face but often can't put into words.

In a nutshell, Inside Out 2 isn't just a box-office hit; it's a timely guide for kids navigating their emotions in a post-COVID world. The movie captures the ups and downs of being a teenager in a way that's both authentic and comforting, and that's probably why it's resonating so deeply with audiences.