Individual emotions take turns guiding Inside Out 2’s main character, Riley, but new research finds that if Riley were to have mixed emotions, the scene might be animated a bit differently. (Image: Courtesy of Disney.)
Are mixed emotions real? New research says yes
With help from a little movie magic, researchers reveal the unique brain activity of mixed emotions, verifying they are more than a figment of the mind.
In Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out 2, complex feelings like envy and embarrassment join the cast of characters. Nostalgia, however, is hurried out the door to cries of “too early!” when she appears.
If animators wish to give nostalgia more consideration in a future film, new data from researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences could guide them in determining how to animate this sort of “mixed emotion.”