Inside Out 2’s Vault of Secrets is one of the most important locations in the Pixar sequel. The originalInside Outwas a critical and commercial success when released in 2015 and the sequel went to even greater heights, withInside Out 2’s box officecementing it as the highest grossing movie of 2024 and the eighth highest of all-time, along with earning more than any other animated movie. Part ofwhat makesInside Out 2,so compelling is its highly imaginative and universally relatable storyof personified emotions.
AsInside Out 2’s Rileygrows older, and as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust are forced out of Headquarters and undertake a perilous return journey, many new and transformed locations within Riley’s mind are revealed. In addition to the Vault of Secrets, there is Imagination Land, which has become less playful and more focused on gossip and focused on brainstorming worst-case scenarios for Anxiety. Much like Imagination Land,the Vault of Secrets is representative of Riley entering her teenage yearswhile playing a pivotal role in the story.
The Vault Of Secrets Holds All Of Riley’s Secrets In Her Mind
It Lives Up To Its Name
As the name suggests, the Vault of Secrets is whereRiley subconsciously stores the secrets she does not want to share with others. As Riley begins to experience puberty and becomes a teenager, many of these secrets pertain to embarrassing moments she wishes to forget or are fictional characters who she enjoyed during her childhood. These elements are part of Riley and her history, but she wants to suppress them from the forefront of her current self.
The high-security vault is housed inside a building that has the aesthetic of a government establishment, complete with a symbol of Riley putting a finger to her lips, and a motto that reads,“Your secrets are safe with us.”
When Anxiety has Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust bottled up and sent out of Headquarters,the emotions are transported by the mind police to the Vault of Secrets. The high-security vault is housed inside a building that has the aesthetic of a government establishment, complete with a symbol of Riley putting a finger to her lips, and a motto that reads,“Your secrets are safe with us.“Anxiety sends Riley’s five original emotions to the vault to repress them while she takes control of Riley’s life.
Every Character Inside Riley’s Vault Of Secrets
Make Your Way Down To Bloofy’s House!
After being trapped in the Vault of Secrets,the suppressed emotions encounter Bloofy, Pouchy, Lance Slashblade, and Deep Dark Secret. Bloofy is the fictional host of a preschool-age show,Bloofy’s House, that Riley secretly still enjoys. He always talks as if he is speaking to his audience, even when he is only talking to his own shadow. Around Bloofy’s waist is Pouchy, another character from the show who holds a variety of items, including tomatoes, frogs, and sticks of dynamite.
Steve Purcell
Deep Dark Secret
Lance Slashblade is a video game character who is an aspiring hero tortured by his past, and has the power move of transforming himself into a rolling ball. He is held within the Vault of Secrets becauseRiley has a secret crushon him, with his face even being one of the four to grace Mount Crushmore. As for Deep Dark Secret, he is a gigantic, shadowy, hooded being who represents Riley’s deepest and darkest secret of when she accidentally burned a hole in the rug.
Why Deep Dark Secret Stays In The Vault Of Secrets
He Is Not Ready To Be Free
When dynamite is used to blast open the door to the Vault of Secrets, allowing Bloofy, Pouchy, Lance Slashbade, and the imprisoned emotions to escape,Deep Dark Secret stays behind because he is not ready to reveal himself yet. The embarrassment Riley feels about burning the hole in the rug is too deeply rooted to allow the secret to be free in her mind. From a narrative standpoint, it adds further intrigue to what the secret is, as staying behind suggests it must be severe enough that Deep Dark Secret would rather remain captive and hidden away than be free.
Inside Out 2 Finally Brings A Controversial Animated Movie Debate To An End
Inside Out 2 was already given the highest-grossing animated movie record, and it’s continued success has now ended a controversial movie debate.
Even though Deep Dark Secret begrudgingly shares the truth when Joy later returns, he locks himself inside the Vault of Secrets again when she mentionsRiley’s other dark secret, which is when she peed in the pool. Director Kelsey Mann revealed that thisInside Out’s 2 post-credits scene was addedafter audience test screenings, as he"always loved the idea of leaving a little mystery with Deep Dark Secret and having audiences debate as to what the secret was. But the more we showed it, the more people were dying to know what it was.”
Inside Out 2has deleted scenes that can be watched when purchasing the digital version of the movie, but are not included on Disney+.
Deep Dark Secret barricading himself inside the Vault of Secrets again suggeststhat he is never meant to leave there. When one dark secret is revealed, another may always take its place, and will always remain sealed within the Vault of Secrets. If theInside Outmovies continue to follow Riley as she grows older,every successive movie could update what Deep Dark Secret is hiding, with the changing secret being reflective ofeach stage in Riley’s life.
How The Vault Of Secrets Helps Riley
It Helps Compartmentalize Her Mind
The Vault of Secrets' functional purpose is to prevent Riley’s secrets from spilling out, which could lead to profound embarrassment and undesirable scenarios. With the additions of Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, Riley is already grappling with new and sometimes difficult emotions as she struggles to find her place among her peers and forge her new Sense of Self.The Vault of Secrets helps ensure that she does not become needlessly overwhelmedwith every secret she has when she already has plenty to deal with in the present and at the forefront of her mind.
Why Embarrassment Helps Sadness Undo Anxiety’s Plan In Inside Out 2
While most of the new emotions in Inside Out 2 seem to be a team, Embarrassment betrays his friends by helping Sadness, putting Riley’s needs first.
Secrets like accidentally burning the rug and peeing in the pool are not going to currently help her and will only create additional issues if she becomes too fixated on them.It is a clever way of conceptualizing the mind compartmentalizing information, and in this case, literally locking the secrets away in a high-security vault. Even though the Vault of Secrets is a temporary prison that several key characters have to break out of, it also helps Riley manage various memories and feelings.
In terms ofInside Out 2’s plot, the Vault of Secrets also helps Riley as it enables Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust to meet helpful characters who they may not have met otherwise. Lance Slashblade embraces his identity and uses his power move to help the emotions evade the mind police, while Pouchy’s dynamite helps the emotions finally get back to Headquarters, along with becoming an unexpected friend for Anger. All ofthese elements make the Vault of Secrets essential to the themes and narrative progression ofInside Out 2.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
