INI appointed as a supporter of "Inside Out 2"! Special video and Pixar-approved illustrations released

■ “It was my dream to be involved with Pixar!” (INI Ikezaki Masato)

INI has been appointed as a supporting supporter for the movie “Inside Out 2.”

Disney and Pixar have brought many heartwarming and moving stories to the world, such as “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Coco.” Pixar, the studio that has won the most Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Films, is highly praised for its deeply moving stories that people all over the world can relate to. “Inside Out 2,” set in the world of “emotions” that are present in everyone, will be released in theaters on August 1.

INI has been appointed as a supporter of this film. A special video packed with the various emotions that have arisen in their activities so far and an officially authorized Pixar illustration depicting the “emotions inside their heads” have also been released.

■ Ikezaki Masato, a huge fan of Pixar, said, “It was my dream to be involved with Pixar!”
Just like the main character Riley, who is struggling with a storm of emotions as she enters high school, INI saw the audition as a turning point in her life, and overcame a variety of emotions such as joy and sadness during the audition, and is now making a big impact. She was chosen as a supporting supporter because she embodies the message of Inside Out 2, “Every emotion can become your treasure.” Member Ikezaki (the official spelling of 崎 is たつさき) has been a fan of Pixar films, including Toy Story, since childhood, and said, “I’ve always wanted to work at Pixar, so I’m happy to be a supporting supporter. I’m really touched that I’m able to be involved in my dream.”

The members had the opportunity to see the film early, and Goto commented, “It made me want to take better care of myself. I thought that being angry and irritated were bad emotions, so I kept lying to myself, worried about what other people thought, and always behaved to suit them. There are times when I don’t know what my true self is, but all emotions are important to me, so I decided to accept and love both the good and the bad parts of myself.” Fujimaki spoke about the message he received from the film, saying, “When you have too many emotions, like worry, your field of vision can narrow. At times like that, you feel like you’re losing your true self. But I think that by accepting that part of yourself and facing your emotions, you can regain your true self.”

Matsuda added, “I was moved. I felt like we could relate to it,” and Nishi also revealed the points he could empathize with in the film, saying, “When I start something, I also get immersed in it. I can really understand Shinpai’s feelings.”

The special video released at the same time also depicts the storm of emotions brewing inside the head of Riley, a hardworking girl about to enter high school. It emotionally depicts INI’s journey so far, as well as previously unreleased footage, along with the film’s message: “I always want to shine, but sometimes I get anxious and my emotions become a mess. But it’s okay, all these emotions will surely become treasures someday.”

The video is woven together with memorable scenes from INI’s first arena tour, “2022 INI 1ST ARENA LIVE TOUR (BREAK THE CODE),” held in 2022, and their largest arena tour, “2023 INI 2ND ARENA LIVE TOUR (READY TO POP!),” which visited seven cities across the country, as well as their fifth single, “TAG ME,” in which the members’ joy and sadness are overflowing. After watching the video, Sano smiled and said, “I think this video appeals to the viewer that the emotions we feel in our lives will someday become ‘treasures’. I also think there are some overlapping parts in which the friends we have met are also wonderful ‘treasures.'”

Also, when asked what feelings they had during the auditions, which, like Riley, were a “turning point in their lives,” Kimura said, “Each time the rankings were announced, my emotions were racing. When our rankings went up, I felt happy. But I also felt sad because I had to part with my friends. I felt that my complex emotions were similar to Riley’s, with not only joy but also sadness.” Tajima also revealed that, like the main character Riley, a variety of emotions were overflowing in his head, saying, “Before the performance, I was overcome with anxiety. When it was over, I felt joy. So many different emotions came up.”

■INI members“Emotions inside your head” turned into characters! 11 Pixar-approved illustrations revealed
In addition, an official Pixar illustration was released, depicting the emotions inside the heads of the INI members in silhouettes of their profiles in the members’ colors. Heo Pung-Fan commented, “Each member chose their own character. I’m happy that the hairstyles and costumes are from our latest single!”, expressing his surprise at seeing the group wearing the costumes from their sixth single, “THE FRAME,” released just last month.

Ikezaki also expressed his joy, saying, “I love drawing and I love Pixar, so I’m very happy. This illustration is a treasure.”

When asked why he chose these three characters, Goto said with a smile as he looked at the other members, “They’re positive (joyful), but they also get anxious and tend to think about the future. Iinaa has 10 cool members, and when I see their performances I always feel like they’re cool, so I chose them!”

Takatsuka (the official spelling of “Taka” is with a はしごだか) chose Shinpai, Bibiri, and Iinaa, saying, “They represent me. The main Iinaa character’s color matches my member color (light blue).” He chose them in reference to himself.

Fujimaki also said that he immediately decided between Ugh, Darry and Joy, saying, “Joy has many moments when he is genuinely happy, and I think Darry and Ugh are a good match. I’m lazy, and right now I’m feeling mad because of this heat (laughs).”

[Emotional Characters]
・Ikezaki Masato Embarrassing, Good, Joyful
・Takumi Ozaki Joy, Sadness, and Anxiety
・Masaya Kimura – Scary, Darling, Good
・Goto Taketoshi Joy, Comfort, and Concern
・Yudai Sano – Scared, Good, Angry
・Huh Pung-Fan Annoyed, Annoyed, I’m Sorry
・Takatsuka Taimu – Fear, Scare, Good
・Shogo Tajima Joy, Anger, Embarrassment
・ Nishi Hiroto Joy, Sadness, Anger
・Kyousuke Fujimaki – Annoyed, Joyful, Darry
・Matsuda Jin Joy, Anger, Anger