The sequel to the Pixar favourite Inside Out brings a new human emotion to life: boredom. More specifically, the feeling of low effort and jadedness that takes over during teenage years.
Known as Ennui, the character is one of the new antagonists who will join the story's core team of emotions: Fear, Anger, Joy, Disgust and Sadness. The first animated film follows Riley and her emotions after her family moves to San Francisco from Minnesota. Aged 11 in the original, the sequel returns as she's 15 and navigating the throes of teenage life.
Here are the new characters, and emotions, fans can expect to see.
The three Es
Alongside, Ennui, Riley now has to deal with Envy and Embarrassment. Plus, perhaps most antagonistic of all, Anxiety. However, while all the other emotions seem relatively straightforward, Ennui is somewhat enigmatic.
The feeling of "ennui" is suspended somewhere between being bored, jaded, listless and having a lack of mental stimulation. Dissecting the word’s etymology also reveals another layer. Ennui, which means the same in French, is derived from the Late Latin word "inodiare". The word is the same root that forms "annoy" and hints at the irritation that ennui evokes.
Where does the word come from?
Ennui may sound like a relatively recent entry to the English lexicon, but its use dates back centuries. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the US, mentions ennui in a letter dated 1787, where he writes “of the days of life [that] are consumed, one by one, without an object beyond the present moment”. An 1823 work by English poet Charles Lloyd is titled Stanzas to Ennui. American poet Sylvia Plath also has a poem dedicated to unravelling this anxious state, a sonnet simply dubbed Ennui.
However, ennui has gained a novel resonance in the modern era, and its eponymous character Inside Out 2 will be exploring how.
How is Ennui depicted on screen?
Styled in indigo with a long tapering nose and shimmering straight hair, Ennui’s listlessness is best captured in her eyes and deadpan expression. She is dressed in relaxed, loose-fitting clothing, and is always seen with her phone in hand, swiping with disinterest at the screen. In the trailer for Inside Out 2, she gives a sense of the emotion it strives to embody. Aloof from the rest of the group, she lays on the couch, staring sleepily at her phone – a state that seems in line with how teenagers (and adults) express their boredom. As Joy struggles to pronounce her name in the trailer, Ennui says, in a dull French accent: “It’s what you would call the boredom.”
Ennui is voiced by Adele Exarchopoulos, a French actress known for her work in the 2013 film Blue is the Warmest Colour. Other new cast members include Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment, and Ayo Edebiri as Envy. The film will also include stars who appeared in the first film, including Amy Poehler (Joy), Liza Lapira (Disgust), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Lewis Black (Anger) and Tony Hale (Fear). Kensington Tallman will be taking the role of teenage Riley, whereas Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane will be portraying Riley’s parents.
Inside Out 2 is scheduled to be released in June
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
