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Pixar Animation Studios‘ 28th feature film will make its highly-anticipated theatrical debut this weekend. As the sequel to its 2015 predecessor, Inside Out 2 continues the story of Riley, who is now navigating the many emotions that accompany the teenage years.
Riley in “Inside Out” (2015) and in “Inside Out 2” (2024)/Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
“Inside Out 2”: Blockbuster or Disaster in the Making?
As with any sequel from Disney and/or Pixar, debates over the upcoming film have been intense as fans and non-fans alike make known their opinions about whether the second installment of Riley’s story will be an overwhelming blockbuster like the first film–or a miserably deflated failure.
Surely the upcoming box office debut of Inside Out 2 is a source of excitement, pride, and joy for the writer and director of the first film in 2015. But it likely brings the now-Pixar executive, Pete Docter, back to a place he has spoken about often in the years since Inside Out debuted nine years ago–a place where, despite the first film’s enormous success, left him feeling like a miserably deflated failure of sorts.
Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter/Credit: Pixar’s Inside Out Wiki
In fact, the wild success of Inside Out in 2015 had an effect on Docter that was completely opposite of what he thought he’d feel, given the film’s over-the-top performance. Despite Inside Out rising to become Pixar’s most lucrative film of all time up to that point, Docter found himself feeling let down and empty in the face of that success, and he ultimately began to question his very purpose in life.
The Pandemic Pushes a Pixar Film to the Brink of Failure
It was evening time on Christmas Day in 2020. A holiday that was usually marked by numerous family members–immediate and extended–coming together under one roof to celebrate looked, sounded, and felt very different that year.
Only a few months into the era of the coronavirus pandemic, several family members had either recently been sick or were concerned about getting sick, and a handful of them were simply going through the motions they’d become accustomed to in the preceding months as Americans became all too familiar with the definition of the word quarantine.
Credit: Disney/Canva
Christmas Day that year was far less eventful than Christmases past, largely because of the absence of so many members of the family, but somehow, there wasn’t the expected damper on the day. In fact, the leisurely manner in which we could experience the day was a welcome guest in our home that day–despite the usual guests being absent.
That evening would lend itself to making that Christmas Day (and Christmas night) one of the most enjoyable and memorable holidays I’ve experienced in my life, and it was helped along by a film that Disney and Pixar Animation Studios had been desperately trying to release for most of the year.
Related: Can We Talk For a Minute About Pixar’s ‘Soul’?
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
First announced in June 2019, shortly before the theatrical release of Toy Story 4, Pixar’s Soul was to be yet another engaging story from the mind of Pixar’s now-chief creative officer, Pete Docter, and from the talented hands of the studios’ many animators.
Soul was first scheduled for a June 19th release. Then, a November 20th release. Finally, Pixar announced a Christmas Day release, and the studio made good on its promise.
But the release was exclusive to Disney+ and not at the box office. Though many Americans had resumed the majority of their pre-pandemic activities and outings, we as a nation were still leery of sitting in close proximity to others within the confines of a movie theater.
A Box Office Bomb . . . In At Least One Way
At the global box office, Soul returned just over $120 million, landing it securely behind several of Pixar’s notable flops up to that point, including The Good Dinosaur (2015), Cars 3 (2017), and Onward (2020).
Fans of the film, however—this writer included—couldn’t care less about Soul‘s box office receipts as the film presented a message that was different from any other Pixar film at that time while tackling tough-to-discuss topics that must have also been difficult to illustrate and animate.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
(You try drawing the many celestial and ethereal elements of Heaven.)
And though the very nature of his role at Pixar means that he has to care about the film’s box office returns, Chief Creative Officer–and the writer and director of Soul–Pete Docter likely felt like the fans did, even if he couldn’t admit to it.
That’s because, for Pete Docter, Soul was far more than just Pixar’s 23rd feature animated film. It’s the story of the man behind Inside Out who, when faced with unbridled success and accolades, was left feeling empty and defeated and was ultimately pushed to the point of questioning what he was doing with his life.
Who Is Pixar’s Pete Docter, Really?
Born Peter Hans Docter in 1968, Pete Docter, as he is more commonly known, began his career with Pixar when he was just 21 years old in 1989. He quickly rose through the ranks at the animation studios based in Emeryville, California, as he worked on classic Pixar films like Toy Story.
Credit: Disney Dining
The 6’4″ Minnesota native and his wife Amanda have been married for more than 20 years, and the couple are parents to two grown children, Nick and Elie. Elie Docter has a speaking part in Pixar’s Up (2009), and she also served as the inspiration for the character of Riley in Pixar’s Inside Out (2015).
After a family trip to Disney World when Docter was a child still living at home, he returned to his hometown of Bloomington, Minnesota, and began the work of turning his bedroom into the likeness of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland.
After high school, Docter spent one year at the university before transferring to California Institute of the Arts, affectionately called CalArts, where he won a Student Academy Award for his hand-drawn cartoon short about a cranky old man and a chipper girl living in his neighborhood, titled, Next Door.
The Oscar-winning animator and filmmaker would go on to direct several of Pixar’s most memorable animated films, including Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020). In 2018, he took over at Pixar as the company’s chief creative officer following the departure of John Lasseter.
A Monumental Achievement For Pete Docter . . . and For Pixar
Three years before he took a seat at the head of the table at Pixar, however, Pete Docter wrote and directed Pixar’s most lucrative film to date, accomplishing a massive goal for himself and realizing one of his biggest dreams. But even after winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature with Inside Out, Docter felt empty.
Credit: Flickr/Walt Disney Television
“Inside Out came out, and luckily people liked it, and it did well and we got some awards and all this,” Docter explained. “And then I was like, ‘Now what?'”
The animated film won numerous awards and accolades, and it grossed nearly $900 million at the box office, but somehow, Docter didn’t feel the deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that he thought he would feel after such a victory.
Credit: Flickr/Walt Disney Television
“My whole life was about this movie,” Docter admitted, but he said that following the success of Inside Out, he began to wonder, “Is this really what I’m supposed to do?”
Whether Docter was able to answer that question is largely anyone’s guess. Then again, fans may already know the answer Docter likely received in response to his soul-searching–especially the fans who saw Docter’s 2020 film, simply titled Soul–the film from Pixar Animation Studios that was born from that existential question pondered by Docter in the months following the release of Inside Out.
Joe Gardner in Pixar’s “Soul” (2020)/Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
As Docter yearned to discover whether writing, animating, and directing Pixar films was the best use of his time on Earth, he began to develop the storyline in Soul.
A Film About a Teacher Who Can’t Find His Spark
Within the first half-hour of Soul, viewers see the main character, Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), get the offer of a lifetime–to play alongside jazz legend Dorothea Williams at the Half-Note Club.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
But moments later, Joe dies after falling down a manhole in the city. While on his journey to the Great Beyond–a place that’s symbolic of Heaven–the middle school band teacher and jazz musician is adamant in his refusal to die.
“I’m not dying today, not when my life just started,” Joe says as he runs away from the entrance to the Great Beyond.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
In his attempt to cheat death, so to speak, Joe ultimately finds himself trapped in the Great Before, a place where, according to the film’s storyline, serves as a place where souls are before they’re sent to Earth. And things only continue to spiral out of control for him.
Joe is mistaken for a mentor in the Great Before and is paired with a soul simply named “22” (voiced by funny girl Tina Fey). But unlike Joe, who is determined to get back to Earth so he can keep living his life, 22 has no interest in even beginning hers.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
Together, Joe and 22–a most unlikely duo–navigate the complexities of purpose and passion, ultimately discovering that life’s true meaning lies in appreciating everyday moments rather than a singular achievement.
‘Soul’ Symbolizes Pete Docter’s Journey To Find His Calling
The symbolism within the film is rich. Jazz music represents the improvisational and unpredictable nature of life, while the Great Before serves as a metaphor for self-discovery and the intrinsic value of one’s very existence. The story within the film underscores several themes, including self-fulfillment, the joy of living in the present, and the profound impact of seemingly ordinary experiences.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
And perhaps, just maybe–the main character, Joe Gardner, serves as the symbol for Pete Docter–and anyone who’s struggling to find their calling in life.
“Inside Out” and “Soul”: A Very Intimate Connection
Credit: Disney Dining
Following Pixar’s announcement about Soul coming in 2020, some fans began to consider the film a sequel to Inside Out. Some even equated the character of 22 to the soul that would later be embodied by Riley, whom fans met in Inside Out. But Docter was clear in his response to that assumption.
Credit: Disney/PIXAR Animation Studios
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
Will ‘Inside Out 2’ Give Way to More Existential Questions?
Inside Out 2 is scheduled for a theatrical release this weekend, and the jury’s still out on whether the film will be a flop or a blockbuster. Some fans note that Pete Docter didn’t write or direct the sequel film, suggesting that the sequel, as is often the case in Hollywood (outside of Pixar’s success), won’t be nearly as good as the original.
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
Then again, the first film had a success that couldn’t be measured in box office receipts. Here’s hoping the sequel can have a positive and significant impact on those who see it, perhaps like Pixar’s original Inside Out had on the incomparable, genius, and obviously big-hearted Pete Docter.
