The highest-grossing animated film of all time, Inside Out 2, is making waves just days after its OTT release! The Disney/Pixar film clocked a mammoth $294.2 million worldwide in its opening weekend, making history as Pixar’s biggest opening weekend. The highly anticipated sequel broke numerous records after its theatrical release on June 14, 2024.
Inside Out 2, directed by Kelsey Mann, clocked 30.5 million views worldwide on Disney+ in the first five days after its September 25, 2024 release, making it the number-one film premiere YTD. The film boasts a 104-day theatrical window between cinemas and the streaming service. The viewership for Inside Out 2 was the best on Disney+ since the 2021 film Encanto. Inside Out 2 maintains its streak as the highest-grossing film of 2024 as of October 1, 2024. It is the only animated film ever to reach the $1 billion mark internationally and was also the fastest animated film to do so in just 19 days.
The plot of Inside Out 2 is a natural continuation of the first movie, Inside Out. The film takes viewers into the mind of teenage Riley (Kensington Tallman) as both she and her existing emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) grapple with the onset of puberty. Puberty also brings with it an introduction of new emotions: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Adebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). The film is produced by Pete Docter, Jonas Rivera, and Dan Scanlon.
Former Pixar Employees Allege Poor Work Environment
According to a report by IGN, ten former Pixar employees have opened up about the toxic work environment that existed behind the scenes of Inside Out 2. The former employees, who chose to remain anonymous, spilled the tea on the realities of the work culture behind the blockbuster movie.
The report cited sources who revealed that the animators were working seven days a week and remarked that production was an enormous mess. Despite the film’s immense success, Pixar laid off 14% of its workforce in the following months. The sources also revealed that the working cultures lacked balance to the extent that animators’ bodies began to break down. One of the anonymous sources termed the whole experience of the film’s production in the following words:
“The largest crunch in the studio’s history.”
Sources even allege that Disney reportedly made notes to make Riley seem “less gay.” The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Pixar releasing three movies, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red, directly on Disney+. Eventually, in 2022, Lightyear and Elemental, which had theatrical releases, had disappointing box office performances, which put pressure on Pixar to make Inside Out 2 a raging success — that automatically translated to the work environment. All the alleged information must be taken with a grain of salt, as Disney has yet to comment on the report.
Watch Inside Out and Inside Out 2 on Disney+
Inside Out 2 | |
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Cast | Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling |
Release Date | June 14, 2024 (US), July 5, 2024 (UK) |
Stream On | Disney+ |
Directed by | Kelsey Mann |
Produced by | Mark Nielsen |
Based On | Characters by Pete Docter, original screenplay by Meg LeFauve |
Plot Summary | Riley returns as a teenager, and new emotions emerge to guide her through her challenges. |
Musical Elements | Score by Michael Giacchino |
Current Status | Released on June 14, 2024. Continues to break records, one of the biggest streaming hits on Disney+. |
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