Disney and Pixar's next sequel, Inside Out 2, makes its way to theaters soon behind strong early reviews and reactions from industry insiders.
Inside Out 2 marks the first official sequel for Disney and Pixar since 2019's Toy Story 4, bringing a vast new set of characters into play on the back of 2015's Inside Out.
Embracing a different kind of coming-of-age story (involving a deep dive into puberty), this sequel hopes to give Disney and Pixar another winner after an up-and-down run of success in the last few years.
Insiders Sing Inside Out 2's Praises With Strong Reviews
As part of insider Matt Belloni's "What I'm Hearing" newsletter from Puck, Inside Out 2 is garnering strong reactions from people close to him.
While discussing the general negativity surrounding movie theaters and big blockbuster movies, Belloni addressed Pixar's potential concerns about Inside Out 2. This is even the case after 2023's Elemental turned out to be a surprise hit across its theatrical and streaming runs.
However, he clarified his comments by noting, "Everyone I've talked to says the opposite [of it's bad]," teasing another great movie from Pixar with this outing.
In mid-May, Collider's Steven Weintraub offered similar sentiments on X (formerly Twitter) after watching the first 30 minutes of Inside Out 2, calling it "a return to form for Pixar:"
"Hearing 'Inside Out 2' turned out great and it’s a return to form for Pixar. I saw the first 30 minutes and they were fantastic."
Early Inside Out 2 Reviews & Reactions
Along with Belloni and Weintraub's comments, critics who saw the first 30 minutes of Inside Out 2 largely had positive reviews about Pixar's 28th full-length movie.
Tessa Smith from Mama's Geeky held nothing back in her commentary when she called it her "fave Pixar film" and "a PERFECT sequel:"
"Over the moon after seeing 30 mins of 'Inside Out 2'! 'Inside Out' is my fave Pixar film & this starts out as a PERFECT sequel. It's hilarious. Pacing is flawless. Animation is stunning. Story has me hooked. Extremely relatable as a parent of a teen. Loved it! GET HYPED!"
Critic Scott Menzel took that praise even a step further, ranking Inside Out 2 as "the best Pixar movie in about a decade" while praising Maya Hawke's work as Anxiety:
"'Inside Out 2' looks like the best Pixar movie in about a decade. The footage shown was very funny. Maya Hawke as Anxiety is the scene stealer so far."
Reel Rejects' Coy Jandreau teased "incredible new concepts" that are introduced in this sequel, highlighting "threads of BELIEF" and the idea of "forming a sense of self:"
"'Inside Out 2' introduces some incredible new concepts *threads of BELIEF, the concept of forming a sense of self* not to mention new characters like Envy/Anxiety/Embarrassment. Forgot how much I loved this world. Impressive way to paint the human condition."
Robert Butler III from Geeks of Color focused on Inside Out 2's new characters, describing them as "hilarious new characters" and hyping up a "worthy sequel" for fans:
"'INSIDE OUT 2' follows Riley dealing with puberty and new, more extreme emotions, We’re introduced to hilarious new characters like ANXIETY, ENVY, EMBARRASSMENT, and so many more. It is very very funny. Looks like a worthy sequel"
With only days left before Inside Out 2 hits theaters, Disney seems to have solid momentum ahead of the film's release - a good sign considering multiple movies did not meet expectations in 2023.
Inside Out 2 will debut in theaters on Friday, June 14.
Read more about Inside Out 2 below:
Inside Out 2 Gets Unsurprising Rating
Inside Out 2: New Emotion Revealed By Disney TV Spot (Video)
First Look at Inside Out 2's Deleted Emotions Revealed by Disney
