Vice Versa 2 will explore a new area of Riley's brain
In addition to introducing new emotions, the film will explore the belief system of its heroine, now a teenager.
In 2015, Riley was just a child in the hit animated film Vice versa. She was governed by five simple emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), and Anger (Lewis Black). But now, like any child, she grows up, and Riley is thirteen years old and entering this strange period of life that is adolescence.
In Vice Versa 2, new emotions will therefore disrupt the young girl's daily routine and sow discord. Faced with Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Boredom (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Embarrassment (Paul Water Hauser), Joy and the others try to stabilize Riley. And during their adventures, the team will explore a new area of the brain: the belief system.
An emotion was deleted from Vice-Versa 2: “It was too heavy”
The belief system (belief system in original version) is a part of our brain that defines our perception of ourselves, that of others, and our relationships with the outside world. It is she who can make us believe that we are bad in a certain area when everything proves the opposite. And it is also she who can make us believe that everyone will notice this pimple on the face when not at all. Asked by Entertainment Weeklyscreenwriter Dave Holstein and the director Kelsey Mann gave new indications regarding this exploration. For Holstein, this choice is simple:
“There is this promise that is made to the public to expand this world and go further. You cannot do otherwise. (…) Our beliefs are consolidated as we grow. Perhaps we do not we haven't seen until now (editor's note: the belief system), not because it didn't exist, but because now is the moment when our beliefs reach another level of importance in our eyes .”
It won't just be about morality, as Mann confirms. These beliefs will also affect less serious ideas but which can be serious at Riley's age.
“There were a lot of things that I believed to be true at the time that definitely weren't, and yet they guided my emotional daily life.”
Visually, these beliefs take the form of luminous, transparent strings that vibrate like sound waves. Inspired by the movement of the strummed strings of a guitar, these waves concretely transcribe the little voice that we hear in our head.
“The world of Vice versa is so cool because you can take these abstract things that we all know about the brain and you can make it into something physical, concrete.”
For Holstein, this system is almost sacred because it allows emotions to communicate directly with the main character: “There are rarely moments where Joie can talk to Riley, and this has created this opportunity where Joie and Riley can talk in a very beautiful and unexplored way.”
With Vice Versa 2, the two men hope to give the keys to younger people to better understand the changes that accompany adolescence and to talk about it more calmly. The director confirms:
“I was like, 'If I can do this for teenagers' – which was probably the hardest time of my life – 'and if I can make this time of life a little better to experience, then I'll be delighted.'”
The continuation of the adventures of Riley and his emotions is planned in France on June 19.
