Inside Out 2
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: June 14, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 59 Critic Reviews
Positive:
53
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinKaren GordonJun 14, 2024
Like sequels of beloved movies, puberty can either be terrific, passable or really suck. So, while Riley, the lead character in Pixar’s Inside Out, has a rough-ish start to adolescence, the sequel Inside Out 2 — I’m relieved to say — is terrific. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 12, 2024
It was a tall order to match the brilliance of “Inside Out,” but the sequel meets the challenge on every level. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJun 14, 2024
Rejecting all Hollywood trends pointing the other way, Inside Out 2 goes for the penetrating over the shallow every time, never allowing the premise to devolve into a mere gimmick. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla DargisJun 12, 2024
Franchises often bank on nostalgia, so it’s easy to fall for “Inside Out 2,” which works largely because the first one does wonderfully well. The new movie conforms to the original’s ethos as well as inventive template, its conceit and visual design, so its pleasures are agreeably familiar. Read full review
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 is a transporting fable about the desire to fit in, to be validated by the Cool Culture that’s, more and more, our collective seal of approval and success. And while the movie is an enchanting animated ride of the spirit (be prepared for it to help save summer at the box office), it may also be the most poignantly perceptive tale of the conundrums of early adolescence since “Eighth Grade.” Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 12, 2024
It’s the balance of basic psychology with abstract concepts and inspired observational comedy that makes this a uniquely captivating coming-of-age tale. Read full review
89
PolygonTasha RobinsonJun 14, 2024
Inside Out 2 is full of passion and empathy, letting the audience in on Riley’s inner struggle without always painting her as the hero, even in her own story. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJun 13, 2024
Sure, much of it follows ground already trodden in the first film, but it finds that same sweet balance of tears and laughter. Read full review
88
USA TodayBrian TruittJun 12, 2024
The original movie took a similar tack but did it better, and the sequel misses a real chance to flesh out the intriguing new emotions more. Aside from Anxiety, a truly inspired Disney antagonist, they feel more like side characters than Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness did in the first outing. Read full review
88
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJun 12, 2024
By necessity, Inside Out 2 goes to even more complicated places than its predecessor, but it does so with real understanding, illustrating the ways that leaving childhood behind and forming the earliest stages of what will become an adult identity can be both liberating and terrifying, exhilarating and mortifying. Read full review
88
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJun 12, 2024
Kelsey Mann was able to expand on what seemed like a complete story in the original film and tell a new and potent one, and that’s impressive and commendable even though — like many Pixar films — it falls apart in the details. Read full review
85
CNNBrian LowryJun 12, 2024
Whatever one’s age, there’s much to like in a movie that offers the requisite laughs and sweetness, while managing to feel quite profound. Read full review
83
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJun 12, 2024
What’s often most striking about Inside Out 2, however, is how the arguments and conflicts between these emotions often feel as though they are speaking directly to the adults in the audience. Read full review
80
Christian Science MonitorCameron PughJun 20, 2024
It offers a refreshing perspective on mental health that draws in new audiences while reminding the rest of us why we continue to watch the studio’s films. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Charlotte O'SullivanJun 18, 2024
Is Inside Out 2 as memorable as the original? To borrow a word popular with Ennui, “Non!” Is it a must-see? Oui oui. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly RichardsJun 12, 2024
Through this decade so far, Pixar’s films have held great ideas that haven’t quite reached their full potential. This is probably its best film since Coco, and best sequel since Toy Story 3. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenJun 12, 2024
The result is an empathetic, emotionally candid treat – Pixar’s own brains trust back at full capacity. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJun 12, 2024
Crucially, Kelsey Mann’s film, co-written by returning screenwriter Meg LeFauve, gets Pixar back to doing what they always did best: juggling big concepts in fun and ingenious but also surprisingly wise and moving ways. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 is strongest when harnessing the essence of how our emotions define us and, occasionally, lead us astray. But Mann never condemns any of Riley’s feelings, recognising that each has its place. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeJun 12, 2024
There is, as there was in the first film, a profound sadness at the heart of Inside Out 2. Read full review
80
BBCNicholas BarberJun 12, 2024
Directed by Kelsey Mann, Inside Out 2 glimmers with diamond-hard truths about the complex business of being a human being – especially a teenage human being – but it's still a fast-paced and playful comedy adventure with even more jokes and more puns than Inside Out. Read full review
80
LooperReuben BaronJun 12, 2024
Despite my questions and quibbles, I'm still happy this sequel exists, even if it falls short of masterpiece status. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 12, 2024
A sequel, by definition, can’t be as innovative as the original. And there is no sure-fire crying scene here like — spoiler alert — the fate of Bing Bong in the first film. (I rewatched it again to make sure it still has the desired effect. It, ahem, does.) Read full review
80
Rolling StoneDavid FearJun 12, 2024
This sequel knows that when you leave childish things behind, you risk leaving key parts of the child’s personality and personal growth as well. It also recognizes that young adulthood is a different game altogether. Read full review
80
Total FilmKate StablesJun 12, 2024
Alongside Turning Red and Orion and the Dark, Inside Out 2 offers a timely reflection of the anxiety epidemic among kids. If it doesn’t have the sparkling originality of its predecessor, it has its big heart, keen to show us how complex and gloriously messy teens can be. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyJun 12, 2024
Sure, there’s nothing in the film that matches the pure heartbreak of the first, when Riley’s imaginary friend Bing Bong (Richard Kind) disappears into nothingness. But Inside Out 2 proves that it’s ludicrous, at this point, to accuse the studio of having run out of ideas. Read full review
80
ColliderRoss BonaimeJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 takes complex ideas and emotions and turns them into a delightful animated adventure, and one of Pixar's best films in years. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineAmy AmatangeloJun 13, 2024
Parents of teens will be charmed (and definitely feel validated) by how accurately the movie captures this period of time. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 17, 2024
It’s solid, middle-of-the-road Pixar, not quite as good as some of their better sequels but superior to the Cars follow-ups. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 14, 2024
Laughs are few and far between here, but a movie about the emotional RED ALERT that heralds puberty is bound to produce a few. Read full review
75
The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsJun 13, 2024
Much like the previous movie, Inside Out 2 has a predictably fun time journeying throughout the different corners of Riley’s brain. It also plays it pretty safe, careful not to disrupt too much about what its predecessor established, filtering in Michael Giacchino’s whimsical and soulful score to piano key stroke more of its connective tissue. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenJun 12, 2024
Wise and witty, Inside Out 2 continues the Pixar tradition in the ways that matter most. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 is serviceable entertainment. That’s a sad thing to say about a Pixar film, especially when you consider they made classics like “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” and, well, the first “Inside Out.” Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiJun 12, 2024
We hold Pixar to a higher standard because of the true art it has achieved over the past – gulp – 30 years. If “Inside Out 2” doesn’t quite reach those heights, it is still a promising step on the studio’s difficult quest to rediscover its own sense of self. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleJun 12, 2024
In more ways than one, Mann’s movie feels like a much-needed feature-length refuge from today’s anxiety-producing devices. Unlike many of Pixar’s moving metaphors of parenthood, this one is, affectingly, for the kids. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 12, 2024
Even if “Inside Out 2” sometimes favors speed over, well, everything else, it’s gratifying to see an ordinary and, yes, anxious 13-year-old’s life, like millions and millions of lives right now, treated as plenty for a good, solid sequel, and without the dubious dramatics of the first movie’s climax. Read full review
75
ConsequencePaolo RagusaJun 12, 2024
The new characters of Inside Out 2 are a success, and the voice actors definitely help bring them to life...The only problem is that the new characters in Inside Out 2 begin to outshine the old. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 zips confidently along, fashioning a hypnotic and transportive imaginativeness that is incredible to take in. Read full review
72
The Daily BeastAllegra FrankJun 12, 2024
Thanks to its stellar animation, some great gags, and unique twists on one of Pixar’s smartest concepts, the film should be a memory that audiences find worth keeping in their minds’ headquarters. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsJun 17, 2024
Its borderline-necessary messaging doesn't render it completely invulnerable, but should Pixar be up to it, they've earned an 'Inside Out 3'. Read full review
70
Film ThreatAlan NgJun 14, 2024
I love the fact that they told a straightforward, insightful story that doesn’t feel the need to push the “message.” At the same time, Inside Out 2 misses that quest for excellence and instead goes for good enough. Read full review
70
ABC NewsPeter TraversJun 14, 2024
Why is the sequel never the equal? Mostly because the surprise goes poof, along with the kick of originality. This followup to the animated Oscar-winning 2015 original can't do much about that, except deliver charm in sweet abundance. So why resist? Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshJun 12, 2024
The film’s representation of how emotions and memories create a belief system and sense of self are indeed useful for talking to kids about how their inner lives and brains work, and the imagery is smart, but it has the feeling of an educational children’s book. Read full review
70
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 may not reach the emotional highs of the first film, but don't be surprised when it reduces you into a sobbing mess at the end. Read full review
70
ScreenCrushMatt SingerJun 12, 2024
On the whole, Inside Out 2 lacks the structural elegance of the first film, and it holds far fewer surprises for viewers on a narrative level. Still, whether you call them anxieties or fears, Inside Out 2’s depiction of tween insecurities is right on the money. Read full review
70
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaJun 12, 2024
While its chaotic new cast serves a clear purpose, Inside Out 2 is more metaphor than meaning. It explains plenty about the confusing emotions associated with puberty, often in intelligent ways, but it rarely lets them be felt or experienced, the way its predecessor did. Read full review
70
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 leans more towards greatness than redundancy & though it falls short of being one of Pixar's best, it's a worthy addition to the library. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubCindy WhiteJun 13, 2024
You want to connect to these characters on a deeper level, but it never really lets you get fully invested in them. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyJordan HoffmanJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2 can surely be used by parents as a teaching tool if a kid ever spirals into a freak-out before entering a new school or having a big audition. But even with the antic animation, a funny dig at Blue's Clues, and a color palette resembling an exploded box of Trix cereal, the movie suffers from a bit of a do-your-homework vibe. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkJun 12, 2024
The film’s visual complexity isn’t matched by the actual journey the core emotions take back to the forefront of Riley’s mind, which can’t help but feel like a more convoluted retread of the first Inside Out’s abstract buddy comedy. Read full review
63
Washington PostAmy NicholsonJun 12, 2024
Design-wise, the “Inside Out” characters are Pixar’s crudest work, with the blocky colors and stiff hair of a creature in a TV commercial for insecticide. Blown up to the big screen, they just look worse. Narratively, however, the film’s portrait of Joy is beautifully complex. Read full review
63
ObserverEmily ZemlerJun 12, 2024
Those looking to re-experience the tear-jerking emotional heft of Inside Out won’t find that here, although the climatic scenes are sweet. It’s less joy than it is moderate satisfaction. Read full review
62
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJun 12, 2024
Perhaps now more than ever, the Pixar folks seem to be stuck inside their corporate heads instead of listening to their beating hearts. Read full review
60
Little White LiesHannah StrongJun 14, 2024
It’s a timid offering from a once-bold studio, and although it’s better conceived and more enjoyable than many of the studio’s recent projects, retaining the charming design style and thoughtful touches which have made Pixar one of the world’s most beloved animation studios, it – ironically enough – lacks the emotional gravitas of its predecessor. Read full review
60
The AtlanticDavid SimsJun 13, 2024
Although it’s often charming and relatable, it’s a letdown when you consider the heights such a project could reach. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 12, 2024
Inside Out 2’s view of growing up has nothing in it as powerful or real as the When She Loved Me song from Toy Story 2 – but there are a lot of entertaining moments, including a great demonstration of what sulky teen sarcasm does to the tectonic plates of your emotional geology. Read full review
50
The New YorkerJustin ChangJun 21, 2024
Yes, we all contain multitudes. And, yes, we must learn to take the bad with the good—a lesson that Inside Out 2 bears out more dispiritingly, I think, than its makers intended. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreJun 12, 2024
New characters and elements get added, the metaphor becomes overextended, and the idea that this world is meant to be a reflection of one person’s psyche gets lost in a sea. Read full review
42
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJun 12, 2024
Here we have another spreadsheet of a movie that conceives of the human mind with the vision of a digital artist and the ethos of a corporate accountant; a film so mercilessly “relatable” that only a chatbot could ever hope to see themselves in it. Read full review
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