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As the last week of December approaches and viewers prepare for the upcoming animated movies of 2025, it's time to look back at the past year for the best animated movies of 2024. While a recent update about the release window of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-verse, the current most-anticipated animated movie, practically confirms that there won't be a release date for another 2 years, 2024 has still been very exciting for animation, with the release of sequels to many beloved franchises.

Every animated movie released in 2024 didn't make as big a stir in the box office or among critics as they were supposed to, but there have been some noteworthy surprise hits. While Kung Fu Panda, Inside Out, Moana, and Despicable Me got anticipated sequels, the Transformers franchise branched out into animation, and The Wild Robot got critical and commercial success beyond what anyone had imagined it would.

Inside Out (2024) Directed by Kelsey Mann...

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2024 has come to an end, and while this year wasn’t the greatest year for films or Hollywood after the disastrous pandemic and the Writers’ and Actors’ strike, it did see the release of some great films. From the much-anticipated sequel of the sci-fi film Dune to the superhero buddy-comedy film no one thought would ever happen, Deadpool & Wolverine. So, lets find out which films that were released in 2024 you should not miss out on.

A Real Pain (In Select Theaters) Credit – Searchlight Pictures

A Real Pain is a buddy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. The 2024 film follows American Jewish cousins David and Benji as they embark on a tour of Poland to honour their grandmother’s memories while exploring their family history. Still, their polar opposite personalities get in the way. A Real Pain stars Jesse Eisenberg,...

Phoebe, Chloe and Max are back in action in Nickelodeon’s spinoff series The Thundermans: Undercover, which will premiere Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7/6c, TVLine has learned. You can watch a full trailer above.

The half-hour episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays at 7 pm, and will follow the original characters from the live-action series. Per the official logline, the spinoff follows “Phoebe (Kira Kosarin) and Max (Jack Griffo) as they are sent undercover to handle a new threat in the beachside town of Secret Shores and bring Chloe (Maya Le Clark) along to develop her superhero talent.”

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Nickelodeon today revealed the trailer, first-look photos and the premiere date for The Thundermans: Undercover, a brand-new spinoff series based on characters from the original live-action show. The half-hour series premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. (Et/Pt) on Nickelodeon.

The series follows Phoebe and Max as they are sent undercover to handle a new threat in the beachside town of Secret Shores and bring Chloe along to develop her superhero talent. The Thundermans: Undercover will air regularly on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (Et/Pt) on Nickelodeon and will roll out internationally on Nickelodeon channels later in the year.

In the premiere episode, “Thundercover,” Phoebe and Max are assigned a mission in their new hi-tech beach home base, where their superhero identities remain a secret. They bring Chloe along to help her have a normal life, but the trio must stop the threats of Secret Shores and the true supervillain known as the Mastermind.

Pixar’s “Win or Lose,” an original series coming to Disney+, has already lost.

The animated show, which focuses on a little league’s championship game and is told from the point-of-view of various participants, deleted a storyline that involved a transgender character.

A Disney spokesperson confirmed the alteration, saying, “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”

Disney declined any further details on the episode in question.

When Pixar’s “Lightyear” was released in 2022, staff at the Emeryville, California-based animation studio protested when, shortly before release, a fairly innocuous same-sex kiss was removed. Disney finally caved and reinserted the moment, as it was very much a part of the ongoing discussion that had to do with Disney’s failure to oppose Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Inside Out 2 ventures further into the depths of Riley's mind and uncovers her Deep Dark Secret. The 2024 animated coming-of-age film, directed by Kelsey Mann and written by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, is a sequel to Pixar's hit 2015 movie and picks up one year after Inside Out's ending. Riley becomes a teenager in Inside Out 2, meaning that she hits puberty and experiences several new emotions, including Anxiety, Envy, and Embarrassment. However, when the new emotions move into headquarters, their ideas about what's best for Riley contradict Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger's plans for their girl.

Although Pixar hasn't confirmed it, Inside Out 2's success indicates that the animation studio will produce more sequels (which will hopefully introduce more new emotions).

Soon after its premiere in June 2024, Inside Out 2 broke multiple box office records. Many anticipated that the Pixar sequel would perform well in theaters,...

Animated sequels rarely live up to the standards of the original, especially since many animated classics are left as standalone movies. It's only in the 21st century that animated sequels have become more popular. Before this shift, animated movies were either left untouched or given direct-to-video sequels with little fanfare, as was the case with many Disney classics. The landscape of animated movies is much different now.

The 21st century has seen the rise of long-running animated franchises such as Shrek, Toy Story and Kung Fu Panda. Still, sequels can be tricky business, with studios struggling to come up with storylines as vibrant as those in the original movies. However, there are some exceptions where a sequel can strike upon a brilliant idea. In these cases, some sequels can even improve upon the animated classics which inspired them.

Related Why Walt Disney Didn't Make Sequels To His Animated Movies

None...

Inside Out 2 saw Riley dealing with new emotions while Joy and the rest tried to regain control of the Headquarters, and the movie left a big question at the end regarding Riley and the hockey team. Pixar continues to be a powerhouse in the world of animation, and though the studio doesnt make many sequels, the success of Inside Out in 2015 granted it a sequel. Almost ten years later, Inside Out 2 finally arrived to reunite viewers with Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman) and her emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Fear (Tony Hale), Sadness (Phyliis Smith), and Anger (Lewis Black).

Inside Out 2 takes place two years after the events of the first movie, following a now 13-year-old Riley as she prepares to go to ice hockey camp for the weekend. Unable to cope with the news that her best friends will go to a different high school,...

“Inside Out 2” introduces several news emotions in Riley’s head, but it also welcomes back some familiar favorites from the first film. No matter your preference among them though, you’re going to recognize many of their voices.

Now 13 years old and getting ready to head into high school — without her best friends, as it turns out — Riley has officially hit puberty, and it’s unsurprisingly rough goings. It means dealing with Anxiety and Envy and Embarrassment, and Riley quickly loses her sense of self.

Though those emotions might be a headache for her, they’re fun for fans, especially considering who’s voicing them.

Here are the voices you might recognize in the “Inside Out 2” cast now that the film is streaming on Disney+.

Disney

Joy (Amy Poehler) — Leading the charge at the console — at least, whenever she can — is Amy Poehler’s Joy, returning from the first film.

Batman's team of vehicles is back for new adventures with Batwheels. The animated TV show serves as a unique expansion of the iconic DC hero franchise, shifting the focus away from The Dark Knight, voiced by four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, to his and the rest of the Bat-Family's various vehicles, all brought to life by the Batcomputer. Together, they form the Batwheels, a new crime-fighting team led by the Batmobile, who goes by Bam for short.

Batwheels season 2 continues the show's unique blend of lighthearted character development and more direct crime-fighting adventures. Some of the episodes this season see the titular group facing off against the Legion of Zoom as they try to connect to the Batcomputer to become all-powerful, while also still taking time to enjoy things like dressing up for Halloween and helping Duke Thomas' Robin and the adorable Ace the Bat-Hound try and beat Harley Quinn...

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is set to begin streaming on Disney+ on September 25, the studio announced via its social media channels on Thursday.

The film hits streaming following an astonishing theatrical debut in June, which has made it the highest-grossing film of the year at over $1.6 billion worldwide. Marking the feature directorial debut of Kelsey Mann, the sequel has also broken records to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, as well as the eighth highest-grossing film of all time, and the first animated feature to gross over $1 billion overseas.

The coming-of-age film follows up Inside Out, Pixar’s 2015 Oscar winner directed by Pete Docter, which won hearts with its depiction of a young girl named Riley and the complex emotions she faces, all of which are brought to life on screen. The sequel finds Riley entering puberty and experiencing brand new, more complex emotions as a result.

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Ready to tap into your emotions? Inside Out 2 will soon be available to buy and stream online. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the Disney sequel from home.

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Already the most successful worldwide theatrical release of 2024, Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, with $1.462 billion to date at the global box office. In addition to surpassing Disney’s Frozen 2 ($1.454 billion) on the animated chart, the film has also moved into the #13 spot in the all-time industry global box office rankings.

Now in its sixth week of release, the film also crossed $600 million at the domestic box office yesterday and has remained in the top three titles throughout its run. Inside Out 2 has brought in $861 million internationally and is set to open in its final market, Japan, next week.

Other box office records and milestones include the fastest animated film to $1 billion globally (19 days), the highest-grossing movie of 2024 to date and the only one to cross $1 billion, the biggest global animation opening of all time ($292 million), and the...

Ecstatic. Incredible. Gleeful. Overjoyed. Take your pick.

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 has iced out fellow Disney release Frozen II to become the top-grossing Hollywood animated film of all time at the worldwide box office after finishing Tuesday with $1.462 billion, not adjusted for inflation. The film’s domestic total stands at $601 million, while it has grossed $861.8 million internationally.

Disney Animation’s Frozen II topped out at $1.451 billion in 2019. It now rests at No. 2 on the all-time animated list followed by Illumination and Universal’s video game adaptation The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.361 billion), the first Frozen ($1.274 billion), Pixar’s Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion), Illumination’s Minions ($1.157 billion), Toy Story 4 ($1.072 billion), Despicable Me 3 ($1.032 billion) and Finding Dory ($1 billion).

Among all films, Inside Out 2 laughed its way past Warner Bros.’ 2023 summer juggernaut Barbie ($1.446 billion) on Monday to land at No. 13 on the list of all time grossing films, animated or otherwise.

Joy, meet Euphoria. “Inside Out 2” has become the highest-grossing film in the long and distinguished history of Pixar, the studio behind the animated phenomenon.

The hit family film has earned $1.25 billion globally and passed “Incredibles 2,” the animation studio’s previous record holder that earned $1.24 billion worldwide over its run. “Inside Out 2” now ranks as the fourth highest-grossing animated movie of all-time, behind “Frozen” ($1.29 billion), “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.36 billion) and “Frozen II” ($1.45 billion). The “Frozen” franchise was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios, which shares a parent company with Pixar, while “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was produced by Illumination and Universal. Expect “Inside Out 2” to keep climbing up the charts, shattering records as it ascends.

Domestically, “Inside Out 2” has earned $543.5 million. Its international gross stands at $708 million. The sequel, which follows the emotional life of a teenage girl as she struggles with fitting...

It’s an emotional day for Pixar and parent company Disney.

On Wednesday, Inside Out 2 passed up Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion) to become the top-grossing Pixar title of all time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation. That puts it at No. 4 on the overall list of top-grossing animated films, and the climb is far from done, meaning it could ultimately rank No. 1.

Inside Out 2 finished Tuesday with $1.251 billion in global ticket sales, including $543.5 million in North America, where it’s already the third-biggest animated pic of all time, and $708 million internationally, where is the eighth-biggest animated title ever.

The movie is within days of overtaking Walt Disney Animation’s Frozen ($1.274 billion), and is also virtually assured of jumping Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.361 billion). Whether it can overtake Frozen II ($1.451 billion) and take the No. 1 crown is the biggest question mark, but many believe it can.

Inside Out 2 has been the story of the summer, breaking records at the ticket booth and delighting audiences worldwide. The film has reached a rare milestone: earning $1 billion at the box office.

The Pixar Animation Studios film — which brings audiences back into the mind of Riley as she deals with a host of new emotions as a teenager — has crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office in 19 days of release. That’s the fastest ever for an animated film.

It is the highest-grossing movie of 2024 to date and the only one to cross $1 billion. Inside Out 2 will be one of only 11 animated titles to have ever surpassed the $1 billion mark — and eight out of the 11 belong to Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar.

The movie has earned $469.3 million at North American theaters and is up to $545.5 million at international markets, for a total of $1.014 billion worldwide.

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 stayed atop the domestic box office chart in its third weekend with a hearty $57.4 million, enough to scare off Paramount’s prequel A Quiet Place: Day One after a closer-than-expected race.

Moreover, Inside Out 2 is celebrating crossing the $1 billion mark in global ticket sales in record time for an animated film, or 19 days. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the sequel introduces a whole new cast of emotions who are brought into “head”-quarters when the story’s young heroine, Riley, becomes a teenager. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust aren’t so sure how to feel about the arrival of Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment.

Amy Poehler leads the voice cast that also includes Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser and Yvette Nicole Brown.

Talk about feeling joyful.

Pixar and Disney’s Inside Out 2 has crossed the $1 billion club at the global box office in record time for an animated film after playing a major role in reviving the summer box office.

The movie achieved the feat on Sunday, it’s 19th day in release. That’s faster than any animated pic in history.

Inside Out 2 stayed atop the box office chart in its third weekend with a domestic tally of $57.4 million for a North American total of $469.3 million. Overseas, it grossed another $108 million for a foreign tally of $545.5 million and global cume of $1.015 billion.

The Pixar film is the first movie since Barbie almost a year ago to join the elite club making more than $1 billion at the global box office. Among animated movies, it’s the 11th film to achieve the milestone. Disney dominates the list, laying claim to eight of those releases,...

7 Hollywood Films In $100 Million Club In Second Weekend At The Box Office! ( Photo Credit – Twitter )

Inside Out 2 is officially the highest-grossing film of 2024. It has surpassed Timothee Chalamet, and Zendaya led Dune 2 to achieve that milestone. The record-breaking spree continues as the American animated list has entered the list of 7 films that have crossed the $100 million mark in its second weekend in North America. Scroll below for all the details!

As previously informed, the Pixar backed film has clocked $355.2 million in North America. It has also surpassed a billion-dollar Barbie, which had earned a total of $93 million in its second weekend. With the addition of $369.2 million from the international markets, the worldwide collections have surged to a whopping $724.4 million.

A list of 7 Hollywood films that made $100 million in its second weekend has been shared by box office insider Exhibitor Relations Co. on Twitter. Interestingly, all the featured films...

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 continues to sizzle at the box office, where it earned a record $30 million Wednesday. It is also the highest gross for Juneteenth since the date became recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

Excluding movies opening midweek, the film scored the biggest Wednesday gross of all time for an animated movie, and — just as impressive — the third-biggest of any film only behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($38 million) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($32.2 milllion).

And when including movies opening on a Wednesday, Inside Out 2 rests at No. 12 on the list of top Wednesday earners, not adjusted for inflation.

The animated tentpole has now earned $235.4 million domestically and a huge $203.3 million overseas for a global total of $438.7 million through Wednesday.

Inside Out 2 — which also did record-breaking business Monday and Tuesday following a huge opening — is being fueled by powerful word of mouth after earning glowing reviews,...

Pete Docter, the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios, is teasing the Inside Out spinoff series coming to Disney+ in 2025.

In a recent interview, the filmmaker gave details of what the spinoff will be about and the show’s setting.

“We have finished. It’s coming out next spring. I’m not sure that there’s been a specific release date,” Docter told Entertainment Weekly. “In the first film, remember we go to Dream Production to see how Riley’s dreams are made? It semi-explains why they’re so weird.”

Docter continued, “We’ve continued the exploration of the power of dreams and how they affect us in our waking life, as well. So it’s pretty cool.”

The spinoff series comes as Inside Out 2 has proven to be a global box office success. The Pixar sequel has broken multiple records. At $154.2M, Inside Out 2 is the...

Pixar's Inside Out 2 has sent the studio back to #1 with a massive $155 million opening weekend in North America. Not only has this helped restore Pixar's reputation after a rough few years courtesy of the pandemic (and ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek), but it comes at a time when theaters are desperate for box office hits.

As we first explained on Toonado.com, Inside Out 2 easily has topped the year's previous biggest debuts: Dune: Part Two ($82.5 million) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($80 million) by almost double.

It's also the first movie since last July's Barbie to open north of $100 million in the U.S. However, this news means there's a strong likelihood that Pixar will prioritise sequels moving forward instead of the original stories which put them on the map (Toy Story 5 is already in development).

Overseas, Inside Out 2 opened to $140 million from 38 international markets,...

Features the voices of: Amy Poehler, Kensington Tallman, Maya Hawke, Lilimar, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Diane Lane, Kyle McLachlan, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dave Goetz, Frank Oz, Bobby Moynihan, Paula Poundstone, John Ratzenberger, Paula Pell, Flea, June Squibb | Directed by Kelsey Mann

Back in 2015, Pixar delivered one of their best films to date with Inside Out, an inventive and powerfully moving animated comedy that imagined our lives literally being controlled by anthropomorphic emotions inside our heads. Nine years later, we finally have a sequel and while it never quite hits the emotional or comedic heights of the original, it’s a very worthy follow-up that’s well worth your time.

As before, the film centres on Minnesota schoolgirl Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman), who’s just turned 13, triggering the alarm marked “Puberty” inside her head. Accordingly, her ruling emotions, lead...

[Editor’s note: Spoilers for “Inside Out 2” below.]

There’s a lot to unpack psychologically in “Inside Out 2” (currently in theaters), which adds more emotional complexity to the franchise. This provided Pixar with imaginative visual opportunities along with a lot more screen time for teen Riley (Kensington Tallman).

Which means puberty literally takes a wrecking ball to Riley’s emotional stability, signaling the arrival of Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). Anxiety sees herself as an agent of change in reshaping Riley’s future in high school, and hockey camp offers the first opportunity to test her ideas. When Joy (Amy Poehler) and her front-line team of Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) refuse to cooperate, Anxiety throws away Riley’s crystal-shaped Sense of Self and banishes them to her Vault of Secrets as suppressed emotions.

This sets up...

Where to begin in describing the emotions that Hollywood and theater owners — not to mention Pixar and its parent company Disney — are likely feeling over the stunning start of Inside Out 2 at the box office. (Hint: Sadness isn’t one of them.)

In a joyous comeback for Pixar, the tentpole opened to a massive $155 million domestically over Father’s Day weekend — well ahead of an expected $90 million — to secure the second-biggest animated launch of all time for a three-day weekend, not adjusted for inflation. It also did historic business overseas, where it opened to a record $140 million for a global total of $295 million, the biggest opening of all time for an animated film in like-for-like markets when accounting for exchange rates.

Fellow Pixar sequel Incredibles 2 is the crown-holder for top animated domestic opening ($182.7 million). That was previously followed by Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie...

Eagle-eyed fans noticed potential LGBTQ+ representation in Inside Out 2's trailer, making them hope for more inclusive storytelling in the sequel. Inside Out 2's Riley isn't openly queer, continuing Pixar's trend of lackluster LGBTQ+ representation, as seen in movies like Onward and Lightyear. Pixar's short film Out centers on a gay protagonist, but the studio needs to bring that representation to its feature films too.

When Pixar announced that its next film would be yet another sequel, I was skeptical. Even though 2015's Inside Out is one of Pixar's best movies, I wasn't sure it needed a follow-up, especially given the studios' hit-or-miss track record with franchises. Fortunately, the sequel to the Oscar-winning, $858.8 million box office hit is really good. Not only does Inside Out 2 boast impressively high Rotten Tomatoes scores, but the film, which expands on the first outing's roster of personified emotions, more than justifies its existence.

Inside Out 2 is on fire at the Friday box office after starting off with a joyful $13 million in Thursday evening previews, well ahead of expectations and putting the movie on course to become the first title of 2024 to clear $100 million in its debut.

In fact, traffic is so strong that the Pixar and Disney title is now expected to open to at least $130 million in North America, one of the top five openings of all time for an animated film, not adjusted for inflation. By Friday night, rival studios were throwing out estimates of $140 million or more, but Disney and Pixar are taking a more circumspect approach until they see a final number of the day (Friday’s haul looks to be as much as $60 million, including previews).

Fellow Pixar release Incredibles 2 is the crown-holder for top animated opening ($182.7 million), followed by Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie...

Spoilers for "Inside Out 2" follow.

Something remarkable happens near the end of "Inside Out 2": a character has an anxiety attack. Is this a first for an animated Disney film? It just might be. This isn't the first animated film to depict a panic attack — the surprisingly excellent 2022 film "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" did it, and did it well. But for the House of Mouse, this feels like a monumental moment. Not only does "Inside Out 2" showcase an anxiety attack, but it does so in a realistic, harrowing way. As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, seeing such a moment depicted in a major movie aimed at kids felt almost seismic, as if I didn't know such an action was permitted. I imagine that seeing this scene will upset some younger viewers, but it might also open their eyes to thoughts and feelings they're grappling to understand.

This article contains major spoilers for "Inside Out 2."

At the end of Pixar's phenomenal "Inside Out," the core emotions of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear are given a new console in Headquarters to better equip the workers for the changes heading toward their girl, Riley Andersen. They've successfully helped her in her transition from Minnesota to the San Francisco Bay Area, prevented her from trying to run away from home, and helped restore Riley to the wonderful girl she's always been. She's on a new hockey team, the Fog Horns, and is embracing a new chapter in her life. But along with the console upgrades like the complete curse world library, there's a little section that reads "Puberty," which Joy (Amy Poehler) brushes off as "probably not important." Oh, Joy. You fool. You silly, optimistic fool.

"Inside Out 2" begins with a catch-up of what we've missed...

Well, now we’re in “prime” Summer movie season mode as one of the big “crowd-pleasing” studios drops its 28th feature film into the multiplexes this weekend. Oh, and it is truly animated with eye-popping visuals and splendid imaginative designs. And after the animal stars dominating the cartoon landscape this year with Kung Fu Panda and Garfield, we’re focusing on a human being, Well, mostly what’s going on in this teenager’s head, so we’re revisiting a set of creatures based on emotions and meeting a bunch of new “feelings”. Of course, I’m speaking of Pixar, who have decided to produce a sequel to a much-admired Oscar-winning 2015 “dramedy/fantasy”, after several interesting original flicks like Soul, Turning Red, and Elemental (so don’t think they’re just exploiting their “IP”). Yes, it’s been nine years, but animation can “tweak” time, so it’s only been...

Emotions are running high at Pixar and Disney as they open Inside Out 2 at the global box office this weekend, including a jolt of excitement over a last-minute bump in tracking.

On Thursday, Hollywood’s leading tracking service the National Research Group upped its domestic opening forecast for the summer’s first animated tentpole from $85 million to $90 million. Tracking has been notoriously off this year, and especially this summer, so the decision to go out with a higher number is significant. (For its part, Disney is sticking with $80 million to $85 million.)

At this pace, Inside Out 2 has a strong shot of scoring the top domestic opening of the year to date, supplanting Dune: Part II ($82.5 million).

Skies are also looking sunny overseas, where Inside Out 2 rolled out in its first eight international markets on Wednesday to the tune of $4.9 million.

Inside Out 2, with help from holdover Bad Boys: Ride or Die,...

Inside Out 2 Image: Disney/Pixar When it comes to sequels, Pixar’s track record has been mixed, to say the least. At the upper end of the quality scale there’s Toy Story 2, not only one of the best sequels to come from Pixar, but one of the best sequels ever made.

Inside Out 2Image: Disney/Pixar

When it comes to sequels, Pixar’s track record has been mixed, to say the least. At the upper end of the quality scale there’s Toy Story 2, not only one of the best sequels to come from Pixar, but one of the best sequels ever made.

Riley (Kensington Tallman), the little girl audiences were first introduced to in 2015’s Inside Out, is navigating typical teenage life in Inside Out 2. Early in the film, she gets invited to an advanced hockey tryout at her soon-to-be-new high school with her two besties, only to find out that they aren’t going to the same school, and that the badass jock girls at the new school are bigger, stronger, and cooler. While it’d be nice if she knew how to deal with that in an emotionally mature way, unfortunately, she’s literally got a lot more on her mind.

When we last saw her in the original film, Riley had one core group of anthropomorphic emotions running around the crystalline control center in her head, guiding her decisions: Joy (Amy Pohler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust, and Fear. After the big red puberty alarm goes off,...

In “Inside Out 2,” Riley, the displaced tween from “Inside Out,” is now 13 years old, which means that she’s on the verge of a whole new set of emotions. In the Headquarters of her brain, a siren flashes (it’s the one we saw in the earlier film marked Puberty), which means it’s time for renovation workers to bust into the place, tear down the walls, and install a new console that can accommodate Riley’s budding adolescent feelings. The original quintet of Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and the beloved Joy (Amy Poehler) are still around, but they’re now “suppressed emotions,” shoved to the back of her mind..

“Inside Out,” I would argue, was the last great Pixar movie. I loved “Toy Story 4” (2019), and “Finding Dory” (2016) was irresistible in a way that evoked the magic of “Finding Nemo,...

Anxiety, Joy and Ennui join the crew as Riley navigates high school, a hockey camp and zits – but where’s Lust?

The first Inside Out took us into the Mission Control operations centre within the mind of a kid, and showed us the five emotions amusingly piloting her every decision – Joy, Fear, Rage, Disgust and Sadness – as well as all sorts of dizzyingly intricate detail about memory balls and personality islands. Now the sequel-upgrade brings us up to the teen years with a whole bunch of new emotions. There are some laughs, but it sees the teen transition in terms of a moral crisis, of abandoning and then reclaiming the niceness of childhood innocence; it’s a little bit convoluted and repetitive and, in its sanitised, Disneyfied way, this film can’t quite bring itself to mention the most important new teen emotion of all. Have the grownups in charge of this film really forgotten?...

“Hey, kids! Let’s go to the multiplex and check out that animated movie about a moderately talented teenage girl trying out for a place in a slightly older ice-hockey team,” said practically no American parent to the delight of their children ever. Yet this is the path that Pixar have chosen for the sequel to 2015’s Inside Out, a twee but nevertheless thoughtful film that sought to sort out the jumble of emotions inside an 11-year-old girl’s mind as she adapted to life in a strange new city. This time round, our heroine is settled in, facing another less seismic yet much more personal change when she is forced to choose between doing what might be best for her, long-term, and doing what is right.

Although it’s been nine years since the original, Riley, now voiced by Kensington Tallman, has only aged two. And when the film starts, her five key emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) — are carrying on as usual, cheerleading Riley’s progress as a rising star on the ice-hockey rink. This time round, Joy, is the den mother, keeping all the others in check and prioritizing Riley’s “sense of self”, which, though it might sound abstract, is an actual, physical thing that she’s very protective of.

This idyll is interrupted when a red button, previously unnoticed on Joy’s control deck, makes itself violently known, waking all the emotions in the middle of the night. Riley has turned 13, and the puberty alarm is sounding, to the consternation of the emotions — especially Anger and Sadness — who find themselves amplified to previously unknown levels. This all coincides with Riley being invited to an ice-hockey summer camp, where she will be punching above her weight with older players and is about to find out that her two best friends will be leaving her anyways to go to a different school.

To Joy’s dismay, a demolition team moves in to tear down HQ, and in come the new team of emotions: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Anxiety — played very, very well by newcomer Hawke — makes her presence felt immediately, and her humble but pragmatic personality seems charming and even quite reasonable. But Anxiety’s needs grow, leading her to stage a coup that sends the other emotions, literally, to the back of Riley’s mind. As a result, Riley gives in to her own imagined peer pressure, ghosting her friends to curry favor with local sports star Val (Lilimar).

Which is where Inside Out 2 starts to come unstuck, since, of all the new emotions, only Ennui — “Eet’s what you would call boredom,” drawls Exarchopoulos — is really anything new to a developing child. And what happens next is a long slog in such a relatively short film, as, in lieu of anything else actually happening, Joy leads her team back to take control of Riley’s emotions. You could be forgiven for thinking that this journey home will be a picaresque riot, a colorful flexing of the collective Pixar imagination, but there’s not much fun in this 13-year-old’s mind. (Really? A parade of future careers? And being a Supreme Court judge is in that mix?)

Ultimately, the battle is over the control of Riley’s conscience, but seeing as there’s never been any serious dramatic conflict in this kind of family fare since High School Musical did away with it altogether, it’s pretty clear where a Disney production is going to go with that. So, really, you end up with a movie about a teenage girl playing junior-league ice hockey, while a lot of excitable animated characters — yellow, blue, green, whatever — chatter on and on about it.

But what you don’t get, sadly, is any sense of thought, which, by now, Riley should be capable of assembling. While it does suggest that Riley’s emotions combine in ways that guide her, Inside Out 2 stops short of assembling emotions into intelligence. Which might sound like a harsh takeaway for what’s essentially a kids’ movie, but the result is that Riley just doesn’t seem to have any agency of her own; she’s more like the malleable chef in Ratatouille than the kind-hearted flesh-and-blood teen her emotions have to keep telling us she is.

Battle-weary parents of surly teens will have some fun here and there, especially when Ennui’s blasé influence opens up a “sar-chasm” in Riley’s brain that makes everything sound, well, sarcastic. But, when all’s said and done, the stakes are so minor, it’s hard to imagine anyone will leave this desperate to see an Inside Out 3.

Title: Inside Out 2

Distributor: Disney

Release date: June 14, 2024

Director: Kelsey Mann

Screenwriter: Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edebiri, Paul Walter Hauser, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Lilimar

Running time: 1 hr 36 min...

Pixar’s 2015 instant classic, Inside Out, was the best possible psychological starter kit for curious kids. The movie was groundbreaking in its inventive way of showing children the complex workings of their minds, framed as a hair-raising adventure, while also making the tour into the subconscious both hilarious and deeply affecting for adults. What are the odds that a sequel almost a decade later and by a mostly new creative team could recapture its canonical predecessor’s magic and humanity? But graduating from childhood into the emotional minefield of early adolescence might even have improved upon it.

Veteran Pixar storyboard artist Kelsey Mann hits a home run with his first feature, working from a screenplay by Meg LeFauve (the key holdover from Inside Out) and Dave Holstein that ingeniously personifies the tornado of conflicting feelings wreaking havoc inside the head of 13-year-old Riley (Kensington Tallman).

Whereas many sequels bulk up...

Ahead of the arrival of Inside Out 2 in theaters Friday, June 14, the cast of the long-awaited animated sequel film as well as those behind the camera and more celebrities showed out to support at the movie’s world premiere. Many of the voice cast including Amy Poehler (Joy), Ayo Edebiri (Envy), Maya Hawke (Anxiety), Lewis Black (Anger), Tony Hale (Fear), Kyle McLachlan (Riley’s Dad), Kensington Tallman (Riley) and more as well as Pixar CEO Pete Docter, director Kelsey Mann and writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein walked the purple carpet.

Poehler, Black and Phyllis Smith — who was absent from the carpet — return to voice their respective emotions Joy, Anger and Sadness while Liza Lapira and Tony Hale took over the roles of Disgust and Fear from Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader, respectively. Paul Walter Hauser and Adèle Exarchopoulos voice new emotions Embarrassment and Ennui. Grace Lu and Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green...

He might voice a cop in the latest Disney-Pixar movie, but Flea is still a rebel at heart.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers rocker appeared to forget where he was for a moment as he posed with both middle fingers in the air on the purple carpet of Monday’s Inside Out 2 world premiere in Los Angeles.

It all appeared to be in good fun as he also busted out some dance moves for the cameras. Deadline has reached out to Flea’s reps for comment.

Despite the unexpected rockstar vibes, the event at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre drew plenty of families, including Ashlee Simpson, husband Evan Ross, and their brood.

Flea reprises his voice role as Mind Cop Worker Jake from the original 2015 film, which takes place inside a young girl’s mind, following the personifications of her changing emotions.

Flea gives the finger at the world...

Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” opens in theaters nationwide next week, inviting moviegoers inside the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as Headquarters undergoes a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions

In the follow-up to 2015’s Oscar®-winning “Inside Out,” Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust—who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts—aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment show up. The voice cast includes Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser and Yvette Nicole Brown. “Inside Out 2” is directed by Kelsey Mann, produced by Mark Nielsen and executive produced by Pete Docter, Jonas Rivera and Dan Scanlon. The film features a screenplay by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein...

We're only 9 days away from Inside Out 2 arriving in theaters, and Pixar has released the final trailer for the sequel (via Toonado.com). That puts the spotlight on many of Riley's new emotions, including a fun take on Nostalgia. 

Maya Hawke's Anxiety commands much of the screentime here, though, and Joy actress Amy Poehler recently dropped some hints about that character in an interview with Refinery29 Australia.

"Anxiety shows up for a reason," she told the site. "I think we tend to want to push anxiety away - 'Don't worry about it, it's fine!' We want to kind of get it out of our life. But what I think is really cool is they [the filmmakers] let anxiety show up to protect Riley."

"Anxiety gives us a lot of information. It can be really like an engine that gets us to do things and it's not all bad. But...

Counter-clockwise from top left: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith; Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons; Kevin Costner; Dakota Fanning, Olwen Fouéré; Richard Roundtree, June Squibb; Russell Crowe

Photo: Frank Masi (Sony Pictures Entertainment), Atsushi Nishijima (Searchlight Pictures), Warner Bros. Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Vertical

The summer movie season is here, and it’s in rough shape.

Tickets went on sale for Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 earlier today, and we're now just one month away from watching the long-awaited sequel to the 2015 hit movie. This follow-up will welcome different Emotions to now-teenager Riley's mind, and a newly released clip shows the returning fan favourites getting acquainted with Anxiety.

Earlier this year, director Kelsey Mann promised Anxiety is going to stir things up within headquarters. "Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, might be new to the crew, but she’s not really the type to take a back seat. That makes a lot of sense if you think about it in terms of what goes on inside all our minds."

Pixar has also shared some new posters for the movie featuring a mix of characters and we'd guess that one final trailer will head our way in the coming weeks.

The studio has struggled since the pandemic,...

Pixar director Kelsey Mann pitched “Inside Out 2” (in theaters June 14) as a hostile takeover of Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) emotions during the onslaught of puberty, led by Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and cohorts Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser).

“What if this version is like them going: ‘[Joy], you’re wonderful, but you need to get out of here,'” Mann said at a recent Pixar press junket. “And so I always pitched it as a takeover movie.” But there’s nothing sinister about Anxiety leading the revolt. Like Joy (Amy Poehler), she merely wants to protect Riley, but believe she’s more qualified to handle her teen angst now that she’s turned 13.

In fact, Mann found it analogous to “All About Eve,” with Anxiety as the emotional ingenue willing at first to support Joy and learn from her. That is, until she realizes that...

Back in March, Pixar Animation invited /Film to check out 35 minutes of their upcoming animated sequel "Inside Out 2." Along with the screening of the film's promising, clever, and hilarious first act, a series of presentations from the many filmmakers working on the movie took us behind the scenes to learn all about how the next chapter of Riley's life came together.

In "Inside Out 2," the core emotions find themselves overwhelmed when the now 13-year-old Riley enters puberty and begins experiencing some new emotions. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear, and Disgust are confronted with some drastic changes in how Riley approaches life when Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) show up and start messing with the console inside their girl's min.

Acting as the leader of the new emotions, Anxiety is the one who creates the biggest concern for Joy,...

Pixar director Kelsey Mann introduced the first 35 minutes of “Inside Out 2” at a recent studio sneak peek event, comparing how happy he looked at his 5th birthday party versus how uncomfortable he was at his 13th celebration. His teen angst was the driving force in making the sequel to Pete Docter’s Oscar-winning original.

“I hated everyone looking at me,” Mann said, “and I think it’s about the new emotions that come up at this age. You’re suddenly self-aware, and you’re extremely self-conscious. You start to look at yourself and see nothing but flaws. I was thinking, ‘Am I really worth all this celebrating?’ That’s what we want to do with this film. And that’s why we think it’s worth telling, and that’s why we think it’s important, especially now. We want teens to look at themselves in the mirror and love what they see,...

The sequel to the Oscar-winning 2015 film, Inside Out 2 is coming to theaters on June 14, 2024, and we have already seen numerous trailers from the upcoming movie, as well as a rough outline of the plot of the upcoming movie. The upcoming sequel will see Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan reprising their roles from the first movie, with Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kensington Tallman joining the cast. Kelsey Mann is taking over as director from Pete Docter, directing from a script by Meg LeFauve, who was one of the co-writers of the first movie.

Now, we are reporting about this because the recently held CinemaCon revealed some new footage from the film. And while the exclusive footage is not available online, we have a description of what was shown and we’re excited to reveal some interesting surprises.

In keeping with CinemaCon tradition, Disney this afternoon treated attendees to the first 35 minutes of its latest Pixar movie; this year being Inside Out 2.

The sequel to the 2015 pic brings viewers back into the mind of the now-teenage Riley (Kensington Tallman) as her emotions try to keep up with her new feelings. And while Pixar has gotten the short end of the stick during the pandemic with its movies Soul, Luca and Turning Red being sent to Disney+ and Lightyear shunned by Toy Story purists, Inside Out 2 had the Colosseum in stitches.

It was punctuated by the humor of Amy Poehler and Lewis Black, along with Maya Hawke’s scene-stealing turn as the antagonist Anxiety, who takes over the soul of young teen Riley from the feelings of Joy, Anger, Sadness and Fear. Let’s also not forget about Envy (Ayo Edebiri), who is in cahoots with Anxiety for the spirit of Riley.