It's been a challenging few years for Pixar. During the pandemic, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided to release movies like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red on Disney+, creating the impression that its movies were only fit for streaming after Lightyear underperformed at the box office.
Last year, Elemental was written off as a "flop" before proving it had legs (ultimately grossing just shy of $500 million), so the pressure is on this weekend's Inside Out 2 to deliver.
Following the sequel's premiere yesterday evening, the first social media reactions are in and they're overwhelmingly positive. As you'll see below, it sounds just as good - if not better - than its 2015 predecessor.
These come just days after Fandango revealed that Inside Out 2 has surpassed the first movie's advance ticket sales, becoming the highest ticket pre-seller for Pixar since Toy Story 4 in 2019.
For context, Inside Out grossed $858.8 million and Toy Story 4 made over $1 billion.
Check out the first reactions in the X posts below and come back here soon for a review roundup and Tomatometer reveal.
Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as Headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions.
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 movie features a screenplay by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein and story by Mann and LeFauve, with music by Andrea Datzman.
Inside Out 2 arrives in theaters on June 14.