Instructive on the inside, a box-office hit on the outside

For every work of art, one can consider an inside and an outside. This inside and outside, in different schools and approaches, have taken on various terms. For example, some believe every work has a form and a content. Some others consider the work to include appearance and meaning. Some others consider the more correct expression to be theme and execution. But if we want to assess works of art with an industrial view, we can use the pairing of theme and sales. Every work of art must at the same time both display a theme and achieve good sales. In this respect, the second installment of the animation "Inside Out" achieved an inner and an outer success!

Redemption in 19 days

Nine years after the successful release of Inside Out, its sequel became one of the most appealing phenomena of the summer box office. Only 19 days after release, this animation, with sales of more than $1 billion, became the first animation to reach this milestone at such speed.

Inside Out 2 not only managed to surpass last year's most successful film, namely "Barbie," which had $1.44 billion in sales, but also became the fastest animation in history to reach $1 billion in sales. This film so far (Mordad (July-August) 1403 (2024/25)) is the tenth highest-grossing film in cinema history, and it is predicted that it will also have a special brilliance at the Golden Globe and Oscar film festivals. The successful release of this animation shows that the world film industry has taken another step away from the dark COVID era.

A review of the story of Inside Out 2

"Inside Out" is a coming-of-age animation directed by Pete Docter, the first part of which was made in 2015 by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. This animation explores the inside of the mind of a teenage girl named Riley Anderson, whose five emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust shape her behaviors. The first part narrates the Anderson family's relocation and the conflict between Joy and Sadness, which ultimately leads to the coexistence of these two emotions.

In "Inside Out 2," which is a direct sequel to the first part, Riley has entered the complex world of adolescence and new emotions such as Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Nostalgia are added to her previous emotions. This animation follows Riley's story one year after the events of the first part, at a time when she faces more mental and emotional changes and her inner emotions are drawn into new challenges.

Astonishing record-breaking

This animation is not only the highest-grossing film of 2024, but is also counted as the only billion-dollar film of this year. Inside Out 2, with a $200 million budget, has so far managed to reach approximately $1.5 billion in sales; a great success for the Pixar company that has had striking growth relative to the first part.

Lessons of Inside Out 2 for Iran's animation industry

Producing a high-quality feature film is a costly and time-consuming process. Inside Out 2's $200 million budget, counting each dollar at 60 thousand tomans, equals 12 thousand billion tomans. Producing a successful film requires precise planning, correct management, and sufficient financial resources. Hollywood, aware of this, has moved toward lower-risk projects, but still a work for which sufficient budget has been spent and which has a creative idea can achieve great success.

The content roots of Inside Out 2's success

"Inside Out 2," as an animation whose main audience is children, has managed to attract a wide range of audiences. Young adults who had grown up with the first film now came to cinemas to enjoy Riley's new adventures and her emotions. This film is even recommended as a tool for improving mental health, because with its help people can better understand their emotions.

Audience diversity

This animation has managed to attract diverse audiences. Latinos make up 38 percent of the audience, Whites 34 percent, Blacks 13 percent, Asians 10 percent, and Native Americans 5 percent. This audience diversity has played a key role in the commercial success of "Inside Out 2."

Final word

"Inside Out 2" showed that animations are not only entertainment tools, but can also act as a powerful tool for education and conveying complex concepts to audiences of any age. This dual nature of the animation, besides appeal and entertainment, also brings many educational and psychological benefits. The animation industry is one of the most profitable entertainment industries in the world, and "Inside Out 2" proved that one can make a work that is both educational and useful and achieves high sales.