Summary
Unsurprisingly,Inside Out 2has been a huge box office success, but this confirms a harsh reality for Pixar’s future. Pixar’s reign in the world of animation continues and shows no signs of stopping soon, and its latest release isInside Out 2, the long-awaited sequel to Pete Docter’s 2015 movieInside Out. Directed by Kelsey Mann in his feature directorial debut,Inside Out 2reunites the audience with Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman), now a 13-year-old girl, and her emotions Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, led by Joy (Amy Poehler).
Inside Out 2follows Riley as she attends an ice hockey camp for a weekend, but not only is she now going through puberty, but she’s also facing the shocking reveal of her best friends not attending the same high school as her. On top of that, puberty brings new emotions to the Headquarters in Riley’s mind: Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy, led by Anxiety.Inside Out 2has been a critical success as well as a box office hit, becomingthe highest-grossing film of 2024 so far, but this confirms a harsh reality for Pixar’s plans.
Every Box Office Record Broken By Inside Out 2
Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is making waves at the box office following its premiere on June 11, 2025, and has since broken several impressive records.
Inside Out 2’s Success Proves Pixar’s Dependence On Sequels
Pixar Has Seen Success With Most Of Its Sequels
Pixar’s reign in animation started in 1995 withToy Story, which earned a spot in film history as the first entirely computer-animated feature film.Toy Storyalso introduced the audience to the “Pixar formula” and the type of stories the studio would go on to explore, most of them with the premise of “what if [this] had consciousness/feelings”. Although Pixar has brought a variety of original stories to life, it has also seen a lot of sequels, mostly from theToy Storyfranchise. Pixar didn’t waste time in making sequels, withToy Story 2arriving in 1999, being Pixar’s third movie.
Despite almost ten years passing between bothInside Outmovies, the sequel has been a huge success, which will most likely be the push the studio needs to carry on with its reboot and sequels plan.
Aside from three sequels toToy Story(and another one in development), Pixar has produced sequels toCars,The Incredibles, andFinding Nemo, along with a prequel toMonsters, Inc., though not all of them were a success. Shortly beforeInside Out 2’s release,Pixar president Jim Morris revealedthatPixar’s roster of content is being considered for a reboot, and the worlds ofFinding NemoandThe Incrediblescould be getting either sequels or a full reboot. While this caused some skepticism among Pixar fans, these plans seem more likely afterInside Out 2’s success.
Despite almost ten years passing between bothInside Outmovies, the sequel has been a huge success, which will most likely be the push the studio needs to carry on with its reboot and sequels plan. Pixar has been depending too much on sequels as seen with all theToy Storymovies, and thoughInside Out 2’s success is deserved, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Pixar should continue leaning on sequels more than on original movies.
Why Pixar’s Original Movies Have Struggled In Recent Years
Pixar’s Original Movies Have Faced Many Challenges
Pixar’s most recent original movies struggled to make big numbers not because of their quality, but because they faced the unexpected obstacle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Pixar hasn’t stopped making original movies, it has focused more on sequels, most likely due to how much original movies have struggled in recent years – however, it hasn’t been a fair battle for them. Pixar’s most recent original movies struggled to make big numbers not because of their stories and visual and narrative quality, but because they faced the unexpected obstacle of the COVID-19 pandemic.The pandemic led toOnward,Soul,Luca, andTurning Redbeing released on Disney+rather than in theaters, which directly impacted their numbers and overall reception.
Onwardgot a theatrical release but was sent to Disney+ two weeks later.Lightyearwas the first Pixar movie to be released theatrically post-pandemic.
Despite these being special situations,the release of these movies on Disney+ made them feel like they were streaming materialor a streaming brand within Pixar, even if their visual and narrative quality was on par with some of Pixar’s best works. Morris also said Pixar plans to balance new and original ideas with sequels and spinoffs, so Pixar isn’t slowing down on original stories, but the recent performance of those movies along withElementaland the success ofInside Out 2might end up putting more focus and speed on sequels than on original movies.
Inside Out 3 & Many More Pixar Sequels Look Inevitable Now
Pixar Already Has Plans For More Sequels
At the time of writing, there’s noconfirmation onInside Out 3, but seeing how well bothInside Outmovies have performed with critics and general audiences, it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s greenlit at some point.Inside Out 2’s box office success will also give Pixar enough confidence to carry on with sequel plans for other movies, as areThe IncrediblesandFinding Nemo, and maybe even for other movies that haven’t been expanded yet.Inside Out 2has been a massive hit for Pixar, but it’s likely the studio won’t learn the right lesson from it.
Inside Out 2
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.
