Depicting Anxiety in “Inside Out 2”: A Multimodal Analysis Using Kress and Leeuwen’s Three Metafunctions

Abstract

This study uses Kress and van Leeuwen’s Three Metafunctions within a Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) framework to examine how anxiety is constructed in the film Inside Out 2. Focusing on scenes with Riley and Anxiety, the analysis explores how meaning is created through visual and auditory modes. Incorporating Freud’s theory, the study identifies three types of anxiety (Neurotic, Moral, and Reality) and shows how these are expressed multimodally. For reliability, the data were re-analyzed over time (intra-rater) and validated by an external rater (inter-rater). Inside Out 2 effectively conveys internal emotional experiences, helping audiences grasp complex mental health concepts. For example, Riley’s neurotic anxiety is illustrated through her fearful expression, nervous dialogue, and avoidance of eye contact when meeting Val Ortiz. This highlights MDA’s value in analyzing how semiotic modes work together to communicate psychological messages. The study contributes to the framework by demonstrating how Inside Out 2 portrays different types of anxiety, aiding literature students in understanding emotions through film. Future research may explore other characters’ coping mechanisms or apply the same approach to other films for broader emotional representation analysis.