Inside Out 2 Review: Box Office Success, But Did It Deliver?

Inside Out 2: That Deep Dark Secret Reveal Was a Total Letdown!

Inside Out 2: Exploring the Depths of Riley's Teenage Mind

Inside Out 2 (2024), directed by Kelsey Mann and written by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, takes us back to Riley's mind a year after the first film! She's now a teenager— meaning puberty, new emotions (Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment!), and way more complicated feelings. This sequel was seriously hyped up after all the amazing results achieved by the original and its immense popularity. But its box office numbers exceed expectations by massive levels and shows what creative works, involving clever writing and creative marketing really can bring; breaking box office records in its debut; demonstrating that strong and creative works can attract audiences everywhere! These early numbers became insanely amazing numbers!

The movie's main cast, bringing back many well-loved and hugely successful voices across animation also brings additional attention to the project itself. Its incredible performance completely exceeded expectations from its studio, which means additional funding may be unlocked.

Also Read: Inside Out 2: Is Joy a Lesbian? Evidence Suggests Riley's Sexuality is More Than Subtext

Riley's Deep Dark Secret: A Seriously Anticlimactic Reveal!

Inside Out 2 Poster Showing Joy and the Other Emotions Squished Together Image

Anxiety kicks Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger out of headquarters, sending them on this wild adventure through Riley's memory vault. They bump into Bloofy, Pouchy, Lance Slashblade, and the mysterious Deep Dark Secret! And what is the ultimate result?

The big reveal only comes in that final post-credits scene. Deep Dark Secret reveals that secret is–Riley burned a hole in the rug! Whoa. Talk about anticlimactic. Burning a rug? This wasn't exactly thrilling! It is almost like this story was not planned properly from the beginning; or is what would've otherwise happened without fully anticipating audience demands for this story! Seriously! While it is important that those elements were not omitted, those aspects lacked the oomph and creative genius that would have truly satisfied all of that anticipatory speculation! It failed. A missed chance entirely!

Also Read: Is Inside Out 2 appropriate for younger children? Parents Guide For Sequel From Pixar.

Why Deep Dark Secret (and Some Key Emotions) Remains in the Vault

While most characters escape, Deep Dark Secret remains in the vault. The character might look scary; it turns out, this character is utterly terrified and ashamed about that hidden and secret memory. He completely hides in there! This also sets up some anticipation for that potential Inside Out 3! The big question: Will Deep Dark Secret appear alongside these new and yet-to-be-seen emotions? A chance exists and could result in many other creative plot opportunities!

Also Read: Riley's Development, New Emotions, and Sense of Self Inside Out 2 Ending Explained

Was There a Better Deep Dark Secret? Exploring Fan Speculation and Missed Opportunities

A large portion of this speculation is surrounding a certain fan speculation about Riley’s sexuality and its role. The narrative itself introduces possible hints of a same-sex attraction, notably the “crush” Riley shows towards Val, a fellow sports-team member; this added aspect added a possible LGBT+ story element, which many found incredibly exciting due to its unexpected addition.

This reveals a potentially significant miss for Pixar: a big opportunity that went unrealized and demonstrates some important shortcomings within the studio. Pixar’s attempts to represent LGBT+ characters have involved merely using background characters; completely reducing it to a minimal, barely visible symbol and utterly avoiding developing a full LGBT+ story within that movie itself. This makes many people highly critical of their approach and that disappointment extends across a whole lot of fanbase and has left many fans feeling cheated and ignored after that disappointment! A really lost chance to showcase how difficult such feelings are for many.

Also Read: 30 Must-View Disney+ (June 2024) Movies: New Releases to Classics.

Conclusion: Inside Out 2: A Successful Movie With a Flawed Ending

Inside Out 2 is insanely good, making serious bank, delivering lots of heartwarming coming-of-age moments— and many surprisingly intense plot moments; generating plenty of surprising moments that only a well-planned production would accomplish! However, it fails due to that anti-climactic reveal—That super hyped Deep Dark Secret is rather dull, especially concerning all that anticipation and possible opportunities presented previously. That decision removes a perfect avenue to deal with Riley's possible sexuality. This would make for an incredible and emotional story, instead, this decision left a powerful narrative arc largely unexploited, showcasing a potential major miss by Pixar.