‘Inside Out 2’: All the Easter eggs and hidden references you might have missed, including a nod to Pixar’s upcoming feature film, ‘Elio’

SPOILER WARNING: This story mentions major things spoilers for “Inside Out 2,” in theaters now.

Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” continues to delight audiences around the world, dominating the global box office. The sequel to 2015’s “Inside Out” picks up with Riley, now a teenager about to go to hockey camp when puberty hits. Enter a range of emotions that include boredom, embarrassment and anxiety.

Talk with Variety, production designer Jason Deamer reveals that there’s no shortage of Easter eggs in the sequel. Eagle-eyed viewers should be on the lookout for nods to past characters such as Bing Bong, and a hard-to-spot teaser for the upcoming “Elio” is also inserted into the film.

The long-standing tradition of hiding Easter eggs began years ago. “We need to have fun when we work. We wanted to have a digital backlot of every film we’ve ever built, just like you would on a live action set or backlot. And that’s where it comes from. It snowballed into what it is today,” Deamer added, “We just find any place we can hide things because it’s a super fun thing to do.” »

Below you’ll find all the hidden winks you may have missed.

Elio

Pixar’s “Elio,” about a boy chosen to become Earth’s ambassador to other galaxies, is scheduled for release in 2025. As with previous films, the company likes to hint at its next film, and “Inside Out 2 ” don’t do it. disappoint.

It’s hard to spot, but Deamer recognizes there’s a well-hidden Easter egg. Look carefully at the memory spheres during the sarcasm sequence. “There’s one from Elio,” Deamer said.

Luxo ball

Deamer recognizes that the yellow Luxo ball, hidden in many Pixar films, is hidden in the background. When the emotions are in Riley’s mind, they uncover a parade of careers – all the possible jobs she could have in the future, and yes, she’s tinkering with the idea of ​​becoming a Supreme Court justice.

4*City

Riley loves his boy bands, and one of his favorites is 4*Town, once the biggest boy band on the planet. They first appeared in “Turning Red” in 2022.

Riley has a poster above her bed. “This is actually the poster for the 4*Town reunion tour,” Deamer explains. “It’s the return of the aging boy band. I was the director of the characters in this film. But someone made a joke and said she really liked the band, so we put that one in there.

Bing bong

Bing Bong’s return seemed inevitable after Riley’s imaginary friend disappeared during “Inside Out.”

The last time the audience saw the elephant, he disappeared while telling Joy to “take him to the moon.” But Riley wasn’t the only one who had feelings for the beloved character – so did all the animators. “Everyone wanted to bring Bing Bong back,” Deamer says. So they found a way.

Bing Bong’s return occurs at the beginning of the film. After Riley wins an ice hockey game, she falls asleep. Joy’s bunk has a Bing Bong figurine on the shelf. Deamer says, “Joy hasn’t forgotten Bing Bong, so Bing Bong is in Joy’s origami cube. »

Sharp Blade Spear

“Inside Out 2” embraces mixed animation styles.

In Riley’s mind, cartoon characters from Riley’s childhood, Bloofy and Pouchy, appear, hidden deep within Riley’s vault of secrets.

For this, the team adopted different styles, including 2D. At the film’s premiere, director Kelsey Mann said, “We love animation, all styles, and we’re so excited to be able to do multiple things in this movie.”

Neilsen explained that Lance SlashBlade, from a game Riley played that is reminiscent of “Final Fantasy,” is depicted in the style of an early 2000s video game, “Lance SlashBlade, I think he stands out for all players and for people who know the players.

Lance’s sword also hides another nod, this one to hockey. “In the center are the sharpened edges of the blade of the sword, and then in the darker part of the sword there is a hockey stick,” he reveals.

On animating Lance, Deamer says: “We were asked to do a digitally simple thing. We had more meetings about this character and whether the pixelation was too much. He adds: “There were about 14 people in the room for about 12 weeks, wondering, ‘What do we mean by less beautiful quality?’ and where do we land?’

Ralph Eggleston

Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston, who worked on “Toy Story,” “Monsters Inc” and the first “Inside Out,” died in 2022. This Easter egg is perhaps Deamer’s most personal tribute and one of his favorites. “He was a friend and a mentor to me,” says Deamer, who says viewers will see that “he is the mental worker in the projection business. He is the first to match Joy’s character.

Eggleston, Deamer worked in pastels and always had the colors all over his hands. “He put his art around him and he collected DVDs and laserdiscs, so that detail is there. You will see his art at that time.

A113 And Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”

Teenager Riley has dark secrets on her mind. What they are has not yet been revealed.

The vault contains a classic Pixar Easter egg. Above the right door the numbers are engraved in Roman numerals. This is a reference to the character animation class at Cal Arts, the school attended by many Pixar animators, an act that has appeared in several films.

When the group of emotions is about to enter the vault for the first time, there is a picture of a sigil of Riley on the floor. “It’s an ode to the Terry Gilliam movie ‘Brazil,'” Deamer says.

Caroll Spinney, Big Bird’s puppeteer

Nielsen wanted a nod from someone close to his heart. “Caroll Spinney is the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar. He unfortunately passed away, but I still wanted to give him a little nod in the film.

After Riley and his friends win a hockey game, they go out and eat pizza. The pizza boxes say Spinney’s Pizza.

Angelique Jackson and Jack Dunn contributed to this story.