Inside Out 2 introduces some new emotion characters to Riley’s mind, but another teased character may hint that her parents will get in on the action as well. The 2024 movie will see Riley go through puberty, sending the emotions running the show inside her head into an upheaval. This massive change means that new emotion characters will be introduced, which is a little confusing since Riley’s parents only had the standard five emotions in 2015’s Inside Out. However, the upcoming sequel may be ready with an answer, along with an adorable additional character.

In the original Inside Out movie, every human character had five personified emotions in their heads—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. Though different emotions could be in charge (Sadness ran the show for Riley’s mom while Anger took the wheel for her dad), it was always these five emotions that were seen no matter which character’s mind was being explored. Now, the trailer for Inside Out 2 has introduced new headmates for Riley. Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy have joined in as the result of puberty, but there have been hints that a character called “Nostalgia” will also be featured.

Inside Out 2’s “Nostalgia” Character Could Be A New Emotion For Riley’s Parents

Though the trailer for Inside Out 2 shows only Anxiety, Ennui, Embarassment, and Envy, Pixar has teased another possible emotion character to join the bunch. In the months before the movie’s release, Pixar showcased the first 30 minutes of Inside Out 2 and invited a lucky few to see what had been finished so far. Among the invitees was The Pixar Post, who took to Twitter to share some of what Pixar had been willing to divulge. Among the posted images is a character resembling an adorable old lady, and the caption reads “Nostalgia.”

Riley is 13 in Inside Out 2, and though she could certainly experience nostalgia, the design of this character implies that she will exist in the head of one of the protagonist’s parents instead. This is an exciting prospect since the sequence in 2015’s Inside Out that explored Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s minds was among the more comical scenes in the film. With Riley getting new emotions in Inside Out 2, it makes sense that the film would take a moment to explore what kinds of additional emotions other characters might have as well. What’s more, this would resolve some of the confusion inspired by the trailer.

Riley’s Parents Having New Emotions Would Solve An Inside Out Continuity Problem

The promotions for Inside Out 2 imply that Riley is getting new emotions because of puberty, but this is strange since the adult characters of the first movie—who had all obviously gone through puberty before—have only the same five emotions as Riley in Inside Out. If the sequel introduces another emotion character for Mr. or Mrs. Anderson, then it could imply that some of these personified feelings don’t stay in headquarters all the time. Perhaps Nostalgia is someone who comes to headquarters when Mrs. Anderson is longing for the past and then heads back into the depths of her mind when the feeling passes.

This could provide some hints about the ending of Inside Out 2 as well. The 2024 movie’s trailer shows Joy and the rest of the OG gang getting trapped within a bottle while Anxiety and the other puberty emotions take control. If it’s revealed that one of Riley’s parents temporarily hosts a Nostalgia emotion, then this could mean that the new characters of Inside Out 2 are only temporary residents of Riley’s headquarters and that they will return to the deeper reaches of her mind before the sequel’s end. Of course, we can only wait and see.