Since the pandemic, it is no secret that Pixar Animation Studios’ road to movie success has been paved with rusty nails. Onward (2020) was only in theaters for a couple of weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them all to close. Pixar’s next three films — Soul (2020), Luca (2021), and Turning Red (2022) — were not even released in theaters; they went straight to Disney+.
Sadly, things did not get better when Pixar movies finally returned to theaters. Lightyear (2022) was a massive flop, losing Disney and Pixar more than $100 million. And while Elemental (2023) received rave reviews, it didn’t perform at the domestic box office. However, it did perform incredibly well overseas.
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Some reports indicated that Pixar was “on life support”, but that all changed when Inside Out 2 hit theaters on June 14, 2024. The highly anticipated sequel was expected to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend, but it shocked everyone when it made nearly $300 million. In fact, Inside Out 2 is so popular that it is about to become Pixar’s most successful film of all time.
Inside Out 2 brings back all the emotions from the original 2016 film — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Fear (Tony Hale).
However, the film centers on the fact that Riley is going through puberty, and a whole new slew of emotions are entering her brain, trying to take over. Joy and her gang must deal with the arrival of Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and their leader, Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
It was slightly surprising that a movie about puberty could be successful for Pixar, considering another movie about puberty — Turning Red — received a lot of backlash. Some complained that they did not want to watch a movie about a young girl dealing with the changes brought about by puberty.
So, are Disney and Pixar fans being hypocritical?
Now, there are some factors that we need to remember when thinking about both films and how they deal with the bodily and emotional changes in young girls.
Turning Red was much more “in your face” about Meilin and her puberty experience. Director and writer Domee Shi did not shy away from the harsh realities of puberty. The film includes a scene where Meilin’s mother supplies her with a ton of feminine hygiene products. And then there’s Meilin’s sexual awakening, where she suddenly sees boys as attractive instead of just annoying.
Related: ‘Turning Red’ Cast Speaks Out After “Racist” and “Privileged” Review
Inside Out 2, on the other hand, took a more nuanced approach, focusing on Riley’s emotional changes. In fact, Riley could even be considered a background character, since the movie largely takes place inside her head. Inside Out 2 also only alludes to the physical changes of puberty, never saying things like “period.”
Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, has said that Pixar will focus more on creating movies with a larger mass appeal instead of telling more “autobiographical” stories. But what does that mean in terms of Turning Red and Inside Out 2?
Well, Meilin and her friends in Turning Red might not have had wide appeal. There was even one review that went viral — for misogynistic reasons — saying that it would be hard for men and boys to relate to a story about a young girl. However, it should be pointed out that the publisher apologized for the narrow-minded review.
Inside Out 2, on the other hand, had more characters people could relate to. Nearly all of us have experienced emotions like joy, sadness, anxiety, fear, and embarrassment. There is even a scene where Riley has a full-blown panic attack, and it was something that viewers praised as incredibly realistic and relatable.
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It is possible that fans are okay with things like puberty, as long as they are conceptual, like in Inside Out 2, and not in-your-face, like in Turning Red.
From a critical reception point of view, both Turning Red and Inside Out 2 tell incredible stories. Critics even loved Turning Red more, giving it a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. They also enjoyed Inside Out 2, giving it a 91% rating. Fans, on the other hand, have a clear favorite.
Turning Red only has a 67% audience score, while Inside Out 2 has a 96% audience score. So, fans have told Disney and Pixar that puberty talk is okay, but only in low doses. And as long as it isn’t spoken about directly.
Do you think Disney and Pixar fans have been hypocritical about the reception of Turning Red and Inside Out 2? Let us know in the comments!
