Pixar isn’t pulling any punches when its new film, Inside Out 2, comes to cinemas on June 14. At a time when films come to digital and streaming services alarmingly fast, Pixar says Inside Out 2 will get an extended theatrical run in favor of being rushed to Disney+ shortly after release.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Pixar president Jim Morris says Inside Out 2 is playing in theaters for at least 100 days. “I hope that we will not release another feature film on Disney+,” Morris explained. “If we do more stuff for Disney+, it should be a series, and then that makes a clean demarcation between what we do for theaters and what we do for streaming.”
Pixar found varying success with several of its most recent films, including Soul, Luca, Turning Red, Lightyear, and Elemental. The studio’s biggest releases underperformed theatrically, mostly due to the pandemic, except Elemental, which Disney said was a financial success after extended play in cinemas. Its own artists criticized Pixar after films like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red turned up on Disney+ either at or close to launch, saying the studio gave their hard work a limited time to shine on the silver screen. Disney’s experimentation with porting films to Disney+ in record time is changing as the studio aims to occupy more screens for extended theatrical runs.
Kelsey Mann (Onward, Lightyear, The Good Dinosaur) makes her feature directorial debut with Inside Out 2, which includes a script by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, Captain Marvel, My Father’s Dragon). Pixar announced Inside Out 2 in 2022 at Disney’s D23 Expo.
In Pixar’s Inside Out 2, a teenage Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) attempts to make new friends while navigating a foreign environment and social pressures. Her emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) return to aid Riley in her mission to fit in. However, with fresh experiences come new emotions, and Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) are moving into Riley’s head. As Riley’s brain becomes crowded with possibilities, unknowns, and what-ifs, she spirals out of control while trying to make sense of her hormones, mood swings, and fight-or-flight intuition.
Many things can trigger these volatile emotions in the human brain, paving the way for other complications. I trust Riley can navigate the storm, though I believe we’re in for nasty weather before she sorts her feelings.
I’ve seen the first 35 minutes of Inside Out 2, and I’m thrilled to say this is Pixar at its best! The movie is worth every dollar to see in theaters, and audiences will have plenty of time to do just that. Do you plan to see Inside Out 2 in theaters? Let us know in the comments section below.