The Biggest Animated Film In History Is Coming To Disney+
Pixar had a massive hit with Inside Out 2, and now the hugely successful sequel is set to make its streaming debut on Disney+ very soon. Those who missed out on the movie in theaters or those who are already ready for a rewatch can catch it on the streamer starting September 25. It’ll be interesting to see if the sequel can become as big of a hit on streaming as it did in the theaters.
Disney Owns The Box Office
Inside Out 2 set plenty of impressive box office records while it was in theaters, making a stunning theatrical run of over $1.6 billion worldwide. This not only makes it the highest-grossing film of the year, so far, but it earned it the spot as the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Overall, it now claims the spot of the eighth highest-grossing film of all time right behind other Disney IPs, including both Avatars, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In fact, only two of the top 10 grossing films in history, Titanic and Jurassic World, are not owned by Disney.
A Record-Setting Release
Inside Out 2 also became the first animated feature to gross $1 billion overseas. This is a huge win for Pixar, which had been struggling to recreate its previous successes after muted receptions to last year’s Elemental and 2022’s Lightyear. Walt Disney Animation Studios has faced similar struggles, with last year’s Wish flopping and 2022’s Strange World failing to make any kind of impression.
The Sequels Are Coming
Undoubtedly, the massive success of Inside Out 2 is only going to bolster Disney’s decision to lean into sequels of its most successful previous releases. Both Pixar and Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming slates are chocked full of sequels such as The Incredibles 3, Toy Story 5, Moana 2, Zootopia 2, and Frozen III. Based on the reception to Inside Out 2, it certainly seems like there is a demand for these kinds of movies.
A Crowd-Pleasing Hit
Of course, a major selling point of Inside Out 2 that it had over efforts like Wish and Lightyear is that people really enjoyed it. The film was met with mostly positive reception as fans followed protagonist Riley as she grows up, experiencing puberty and the new, confusing emotions that come with it. As with the first film, these emotions are personified in a sort of control center in Riley’s head, with the new emotions being nuanced additions like Ennui, Anxiety, Embarrassment, and Envy.
Inside Out 2 also saw the original emotions from the first film return with Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. Amy Poehler returned to play Joy, Phyllis Smith reprised her role as Sadness, and Lewis Black returned as Anger. Meanwhile, new cast members included Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Tony Hale, Paul Walter Hauser, Liza Lapira, and Adele Exoarchopoulos.
A Trilogy Is Inevitable
Kesley Mann took over directing duties for Inside Out 2 and previously said there were plans to introduce other emotions like Schadenfreude, Shame, and Guilt, so it seems like the door is definitely wide open for Inside Out 3. This will be especially true if the film ends up taking home any awards at the Academy or the other award ceremonies this year. In the meantime, you can check it out when it hits Disney+ on September 25.
