Inside Out 2: Pixar’s Enduring Masterpiece 2 Years On

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Even almost two years after its release in theaters, Inside Out 2 continues to be a success. While the Chinese film Ne Zha 2 eventually earned more in 2025, Inside Out 2 briefly held the record for the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It’s still Pixar’s most successful film, and it’s clear to see why it resonates with audiences.

Two years after the first movie, Inside Out 2 finds Riley preparing for high school. As she grows up, Riley experiences new feelings like envy, boredom, and embarrassment, and a new emotion, Anxiety, starts causing trouble in her mind.

While Inside Out 2 was a massive box office success in 2024, earning over a billion dollars, many films achieve that level of popularity and are quickly forgotten. I doubt the live-action Aladdin remake will be remembered as a classic decades from now. What truly sets Inside Out 2 apart is its continued popularity – it’s still being widely streamed and enjoyed.

Inside Out 2 Remains Popular On Disney+

It’s been a little over a year since Inside Out 2 started streaming on Disney+, and about a year and a half since it helped boost struggling movie theaters during the summer of 2024. Even now, the popular Pixar sequel remains a top 10 movie on Disney+, performing better than films like Avatar, the Bruce Springsteen concert film, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Inside Out 2 Connected With Audiences Of All Ages

I’ve noticed Pixar hasn’t been hitting it out of the park lately. While Elio was cute, it didn’t really grab anyone’s attention. Elemental did surprisingly well, but it wasn’t a massive hit. And honestly, even with the Toy Story connection, Lightyear just didn’t perform at the box office. It’s a little worrying as a long-time fan!

However, Inside Out 2 truly resonated with people, much like Pixar’s classic films such as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and The Incredibles did when the studio was at its peak. It appealed to a wide range of viewers – young children enjoyed its fun and colorful animation, kids Riley’s age related to her experiences, and adults connected with its portrayal of anxiety.

The sequel arrived after about ten years, at just the right moment. The original movie’s young audience had become adults with money to spend – and some even had children of their own. This broad appeal, connecting with multiple generations, helped it become the year’s biggest box office hit in 2024.

Inside Out 2’s Message Is Just As Important As The First Film

What makes the Inside Out movies so brilliant is their direct and heartfelt way of telling stories about emotions. The films feature characters that are emotions themselves, and the central conflict revolves around a young girl’s inner life and emotional health. Both movies resonate with almost everyone because they tap into the universal experiences that connect all people.

The original Inside Out movie beautifully showed how sadness is actually a good thing. Joy, one of the characters, initially believes Riley would be better off only feeling happy and remembering joyful moments. However, it turns out that Sadness is essential for Riley to truly process her emotions and feel better.

Everyone naturally wants to avoid feeling down, but sadness is actually a healthy emotion that helps us cope with difficult experiences. While this message can be profound, this Pixar movie delivers it in a lighthearted and enjoyable way, making it easy for viewers to understand and accept.

The second movie delivers a message that’s just as powerful. It presents Anxiety not as a simple bad guy, but as a character you can almost understand. Maya Hawke does an amazing job playing Anxiety – she shows how frantic and damaging Anxiety can be, but also highlights that her intentions are actually good. Anxiety truly believes she’s helping Riley by trying to prepare her for everything that could go wrong, and she doesn’t see how much harm she’s causing.

The movie follows her journey of overcoming self-doubt and learning to think positively, even when things are uncertain. With the world feeling more stressful than ever, many of us are experiencing increased anxiety. Inside Out 2 delves into the reasons behind these feelings and offers some useful strategies for managing them.

Will There Ever Be An Inside Out 3?

Given the huge success of Inside Out 2 in theaters, many are wondering if Disney will make Inside Out 3, similar to their plans for Moana 3 and Frozen 3. Although Disney hasn’t officially announced a third Inside Out movie, co-writer Dave Holstein believes another sequel will definitely happen – the only uncertainty is when it will be released.

Pixar is always working on multiple projects, and finding time with their voice actors is challenging. But the biggest difficulty is creating a compelling story. Sequels like Inside Out 2 aren’t easy to make – Pixar can’t just rely on a simple formula. The team needs to identify a relatable experience common to all children and explore it in a meaningful, insightful way.

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2026-02-02 06:13