An abstract journey: production focus on the 'abstract thought' sequence in Pixar's 'inside out'

In the Abstract Thought sequence of Pixar's Inside Out the characters find themselves in a specific part of Riley's brain that processes abstract notions. They go through various stages of transformation towards abstraction as they try to find their way out. A very particular art direction, which was different from the overall look of Inside Out, required a small team of artists to work very closely together in order to to keep communication lines short and workflows flexible. All departments had to react to changes promptly, bringing rough, new ideas from story to screen as quickly as possible in order to be evaluated in context.