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

Nearly two years after its landmark theatrical run, Inside Out 2 has aged like a fine wine. Although it was promptly overtaken by the Chinese mega-hit Ne Zha 2 in 2025, Inside Out 2 was briefly the highest-grossing animated movie ever made. But, while it lost that record, it remains Pixar’s biggest movie ever, and it’s easy to see why.

Picking up two years after the first film, Inside Out 2 sees a now-teenage Riley getting ready to start high school. As she reaches the next milestone in her life, Riley’s mind is suddenly populated with a bunch of new emotions: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and the film’s villain, Anxiety.

Inside Out 2 was a billion-dollar blockbuster in 2024, but plenty of billion-dollar blockbusters come and go without having a lasting impact. I can’t imagine the live-action Aladdin remake will hold up as a classic in 40 or 50 years’ time. Inside Out 2’s true success has been its staying power. It’s still a huge hit on streaming.

Inside Out 2 Remains Popular On Disney+

It’s been just over a year since Inside Out 2 came to Disney+, and about a year-and-a-half since Inside Out 2 stormed into dying movie theaters and kept them afloat during the summer of 2024. But the smash-hit Pixar sequel still consistently ranks in the top 10 movies on Disney+, outranking Avatar, the Springsteen movie, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Inside Out 2 Connected With Audiences Of All Ages

Pixar has been struggling to connect with audiences lately. Elio was a charming little movie, but it didn’t make much of a splash. Elemental was a sleeper hit, but not a runaway success. Despite being tied to Pixar’s most reliable franchise, Lightyear was an unmitigated box office bomb.

But Inside Out 2 really connected. It connected with audiences the same way Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and The Incredibles all did in the studio’s heyday. It spoke to viewers of all ages: young children who just appreciate a wacky, colorful cartoon; older kids around Riley’s age, going through the same thing she’s going through; and adults suffering from anxiety.

It came out at the perfect time, almost a decade after the first film. Kids who grew up with the first one had grown into adults with their own disposable income and, in some cases, their own kids, so it had an intergenerational appeal that pushed it to become the highest-grossing film of 2024.

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

The genius of the Inside Out franchise is that it’s literally emotional storytelling. The characters are personified emotions, and the MacGuffin at stake is a little girl’s soul and mental wellbeing. Both Inside Out movies are universally relatable, because no matter who you are or where you’re from, we’re all united by the human condition.

The first Inside Out movie carried a really important message about the positive role of sadness. The character of Joy thinks the character of Sadness is a drag, and that Riley would be much better off if she could only feel happy and remember her happy memories. But Sadness ends up being the key to Riley’s emotional catharsis.

No one likes to be sad, but it’s important to feel sad — it allows us to process the sad things. It’s a simple message, but it was one that a lot of people needed to hear, and it was made wonderfully accessible through the lens of this fun-filled Pixar adventure.

The second movie’s message is just as important. It turns Anxiety into a sympathetic villain. Maya Hawke’s portrayal of Anxiety is pitch-perfect; she plays Anxiety as a frantic, destructive force, but also captures the good intention behind her meddling. Anxiety thinks she’s helping Riley by preparing her for every possible worst-case scenario; she doesn’t realize the negative impact she’s having.

Her arc in the movie is learning to let go of her insecurities and calm down and focus on positive what-if scenarios. In an increasingly fraught world, we’re all getting more and more anxious. Inside Out 2 explores the cause of those anxious feelings, and even has a few handy tips to help deal with them.

Will There Ever Be An Inside Out 3?

Since Inside Out 2 was such a monstrous success at the box office, it might seem like a no-brainer for Disney to make Inside Out 3, just like they’ll make Moana 3 and Frozen 3. While a threequel hasn’t been officially greenlit by the Mouse House, Inside Out 2 co-writer Dave Holstein has said that he has “no doubt” we’ll eventually see another Inside Out sequel. The question is when.

Pixar has a lot on its plate at any given time, the voice actors are all very busy, and the biggest hurdle is coming up with a worthy story. Inside Out 2s don’t grow on trees; there’s no formula that Pixar can just repeat. The filmmakers need to come up with another universal experience that every child goes through, and analyze it on a subconscious level.