Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		5.0

Inside Out 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 7, 2024

Note: As of the writing of this review, Disney / Buena Vista is not offering any "standard" packaging for a 4K release, and this SteelBook is the only option.

In a world where virtually nothing is a given, and where even the supposed certainty of taking a next breath isn't guaranteed, there may be one iron clad, unavoidable future event which will defy the odds and arrive with 100% inevitability: in other words, there will be an Inside Out 3. Inside Out took the world by storm in 2015, coming relatively close to claiming one billion (like, with a "b") at the box office, and easily landing in the Top 10 lists for that year of many critics and the perhaps more important tally of receipts, so a sequel was virtually guaranteed. But probably even bean counters at Disney and/or Pixar weren't quite prepared for what happened when Inside Out 2 was released earlier this year. That aforementioned billion (with a "b") data point, came and went as droves attended theaters to catch the film, and as the press sheet accompanying review copies proudly trumpets, Inside Out 2 has become the highest grossing animated film of all time (at least until that third installment is released), and is as this review is being written the highest grossing film of 2024 in any genre, and has started to climb into the ranks of the highest grossing films of all time. One of the "new" characters in this film, Envy (Ayo Edebiri), might therefore understandably be taking a victory lap and figuratively offering an "in your face" to any perceived competitors.

Inside Out 2 picks up more or less where the first film left off, albeit segueing forward far enough that a comedic quasi-"previously. . .on Inside Out" is offered in a quick introductory info dump to help get audiences up to speed. Riley (Kensington Tallman) is now an enterprising 13 year old, a star on her hockey team, and a really decent, kind human being who has bonded with two other "outsiders" in her school, Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green). The three play together on the Foghorn hockey team, and are overjoyed when a local hockey coach invites them to a hockey camp, where, if they do well, they may be invited to play on the high school team. Before that potential celebration can take place, though, a couple of intervening obstacles arrive. First, Riley's "puberty alarm" goes off in HQ, leading to a hilarious kind of HGTV inspired "demolition" that leaves the emotion console in disarray, with a gaggle of new "characters" (i.e., emotions) suddenly vying with Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) for "air time". Second, on the way to camp, Bree and Grace inform Riley that they've actually been assigned to a different high school, and so their day to day friendships may be in jeopardy.

Aside from Envy, Joy and her cohort of pre-existing emotions also have to contend with Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and part of the fun of this enterprise is seeing how this new if not exactly improved (at least for a while) concatenation of characters interact with each other. Anxiety in particular is one of Pixar's more gonzo creations (bearing a rather peculiar resemblance to The Noid of Domino's Pizza fame and/or infamy), and in fact he (it?), along with a 2D rendering of Riley's fading memory of a kiddie show character named Bloopy (Ron Funches) may put the lie to a supplement where a Pixar employee states that the studio likes to approach things with "subtlety". Any lack of subtlety duly noted, it's undeniable that both Anxiety and Bloopy provide moments of laugh out loud hilarity.

Many are probably aware of the commendable efforts of The It Gets Better Project, which aims to reassure potentially at risk LGBTQ+ youth, but in a way, Inside Out and Inside Out 2 may serve as a more generalist "it's going to be OK" for any kid of any ilk who finds themself having to contend both with an unpredictable outside world and an often roiling inner psyche. One of Pixar's repeated strengths is its emphasis on characters undergoing some kind of stress where they ultimately find out they have the wherewithal to get through it all, and maybe emerge stronger and more whole as a result, and that's certainly the case with Riley in both films (and, one assumes, in the inescapable follow up that is probably already on the drawing board).

In terms of life being unpredictable, one of the few certainties in the big, wide world is how firmly Pixar's magicians can tug on the heartstrings while also providing both consistent comedy and some amazingly inventive animation techniques. All of those elements are fully alive in Inside Out 2, and some of the new-to-this-sequel aspects, like Sense of Self or the Belief System, and even the Vault where emotions are literally bottled up for a while, all have both distinctive and often quite sumptuously beautiful appearances, all while the narrative continues apace, finding Riley kind of stuck between her old persona and whatever is nascent as her teen years start. In both that way and some "road trips" some emotions take (that echo the first film), Inside Out 2 may also tend to hint that it's the "journey" rather than the "destination" that ultimately matters.

Inside Out 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package. I actually think these screenshots provide a more accurate representation of the color space in particular than if I had offered captures from the 4K disc which would have been downscaled to 1080 and in SDR.

Inside Out 2 is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. This is simply a stellar looking presentation from start to finish, one that takes all of the many positives of Disney's 1080 version and somehow almost miraculously improves them, admittedly at times relatively marginally, but in terms of some fine detail levels and especially the vividness of the palette, much more noticeably. HDR adds some gorgeous highlights that are obvious from the get go through the opening hockey sequence where blues are emphasized, to some of the interior moments at Riley's home, which are almost more brown-orange hued, and then to the hockey camp. While all of the "outdoor" material trundles along, some of the most amazing visuals are within Riley's mind, and it's here that the artistry of the animation team arguably finds its best expression, one which this 4K presentation supports stunningly just about all of the time. Textures on the emotions, especially some of the "fuzzier" ones, is outstanding, and even background textures like the couch on which Ennui is perched, are incredibly precise looking. And, again, the colors of some of the "mind spaces" are in fact mind blowing, with the stunning Belief System at the top of that list.

Inside Out 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I don't know why Disney keeps insisting on different audio specs for its 4K and 1080 versions of the same film or television series, but they're at it again here, with the 4K disc offering a Dolby Atmos track and the 1080 disc offering a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. I often cheat a bit and give a 1080 review a 4.5 and the 4K review a 5.0, to indicate some improvement, but while, yes, there is noticeable engagement of the Atmos speakers throughout this version, I frankly found the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on the 1080 disc to be practically perfect in every way as well, so I'm not going to split hairs. The Atmos "elevations" are subtle at times, but can be more marked, as when Joy (and, later, other characters) catapult negative emotions into the back of Riley's mind. Shorter effects, like a wrecking ball careening through HQ can provide simultaneous LFE and a bit of overhead activity. Surround activity is outstanding, and engagement of the side and rear channels can be a whirlwind in the "inside" scenes in particular, but also quite noticeably in some of the hockey sequences in the "outside" world. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Inside Out 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K disc in this package has no on disc supplements. The 1080 disc offers the following Bonus items:

• New Emotions (HD; 11:44) focus on the impending changes Riley experiences as she becomes a teen.


• Unlocking the Vault (HD; 8:59) looks at the great sequence with the emotions encountering Bloopy.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 23:53) are in various stages of completion and have crew interstitials talking about them.


• Info (HD; 00:08) is kind of hilariously listed as a supplement, when it's that standard opening disclaimer verbiage that typically appears at disc boot up that you probably try to chapter skip past if you're like me.


• Maximizer can be found under the Setup Menu and is a kind of nifty calibration tool.

The SteelBook packaging is whimsically enjoyable, with kind of "midcentury modern" versions of the emotions on the front panel and a fun quasi- sillhouette of Riley on the back panel which is comprised of those (pun unavoidable) selfsame emotions. The interior panels offer a glimpse of the stunning Belief System lightshow.

A digital copy is also included.

Inside Out 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pixar has had a few stumbles along the way in its now rather healthy and long life, but Inside Out 2 isn't one of them. This is another beautifully written outing that provides both laughs and sentiment in about equal measure, and which offers a really stunning level of animation artistry. Technical merits are excellent, the on disc supplements appealing, and the SteelBook packaging engaging. Highly recommended.