Unsurprisingly, Inside Out 2 has been a huge box office success, but this confirms a harsh reality for Pixar’s future. Pixar’s reign in the world of animation continues and shows no signs of stopping soon, and its latest release is Inside Out 2, the long-awaited sequel to Pete Docter’s 2015 movie Inside Out. Directed by Kelsey Mann in his feature directorial debut, Inside Out 2 reunites the audience with Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman), now a 13-year-old girl, and her emotions Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, led by Joy (Amy Poehler).

Inside Out 2 follows Riley as she attends an ice hockey camp for a weekend, but not only is she now going through puberty, but she’s also facing the shocking reveal of her best friends not attending the same high school as her. On top of that, puberty brings new emotions to the Headquarters in Riley’s mind: Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy, led by Anxiety. Inside Out 2 has been a critical success as well as a box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2024 so far, but this confirms a harsh reality for Pixar’s plans.

Inside Out 2’s Success Proves Pixar’s Dependence On Sequels

Pixar Has Seen Success With Most Of Its Sequels

Pixar’s reign in animation started in 1995 with Toy Story, which earned a spot in film history as the first entirely computer-animated feature film. Toy Story also introduced the audience to the “Pixar formula” and the type of stories the studio would go on to explore, most of them with the premise of “what if [this] had consciousness/feelings”. Although Pixar has brought a variety of original stories to life, it has also seen a lot of sequels, mostly from the Toy Story franchise. Pixar didn’t waste time in making sequels, with Toy Story 2 arriving in 1999, being Pixar’s third movie.

Aside from three sequels to Toy Story (and another one in development), Pixar has produced sequels to Cars, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo, along with a prequel to Monsters, Inc., though not all of them were a success. Shortly before Inside Out 2’s release, Pixar president Jim Morris revealed that Pixar’s roster of content is being considered for a reboot, and the worlds of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles could be getting either sequels or a full reboot. While this caused some skepticism among Pixar fans, these plans seem more likely after Inside Out 2’s success.

Despite almost ten years passing between both Inside Out movies, the sequel has been a huge success, which will most likely be the push the studio needs to carry on with its reboot and sequels plan. Pixar has been depending too much on sequels as seen with all the Toy Story movies, and though Inside Out 2’s success is deserved, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Pixar should continue leaning on sequels more than on original movies.

Why Pixar’s Original Movies Have Struggled In Recent Years

Pixar’s Original Movies Have Faced Many Challenges

Although Pixar hasn’t stopped making original movies, it has focused more on sequels, most likely due to how much original movies have struggled in recent years – however, it hasn’t been a fair battle for them. Pixar’s most recent original movies struggled to make big numbers not because of their stories and visual and narrative quality, but because they faced the unexpected obstacle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic led to Onward, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red being released on Disney+ rather than in theaters, which directly impacted their numbers and overall reception.

Despite these being special situations, the release of these movies on Disney+ made them feel like they were streaming material or a streaming brand within Pixar, even if their visual and narrative quality was on par with some of Pixar’s best works. Morris also said Pixar plans to balance new and original ideas with sequels and spinoffs, so Pixar isn’t slowing down on original stories, but the recent performance of those movies along with Elemental and the success of Inside Out 2 might end up putting more focus and speed on sequels than on original movies.

Inside Out 3 & Many More Pixar Sequels Look Inevitable Now

Pixar Already Has Plans For More Sequels

At the time of writing, there’s no confirmation on Inside Out 3, but seeing how well both Inside Out movies have performed with critics and general audiences, it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s greenlit at some point. Inside Out 2’s box office success will also give Pixar enough confidence to carry on with sequel plans for other movies, as are The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, and maybe even for other movies that haven’t been expanded yet. Inside Out 2 has been a massive hit for Pixar, but it’s likely the studio won’t learn the right lesson from it.