Summary
Over the last 9 years, Pixar has struggled to nail its once-successful story formula. Starting with 1995’sToy Story, Pixar Animation Studios' first feature-length outing,the filmmakers have consistently struck gold with the “What if X had feelings?” formula. In 2015, the tried-and-true recipe resulted inone of Pixar’s best movies— the Academy Award-winningInside Out. Directed by Pixar vet Pete Docter,Inside Outis a somewhat meta culmination of the studios' efforts in that it personifies a young girl’s emotions, essentially asking, “What if emotions had feelings?”
Set in the mind of a preteen named Riley,Inside Out’s core cast of charactersare Riley’s basic emotions — de facto leader Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Lewis Black). As Joy works to mitigate Sadness' influence, an unexpected journey through Riley’s mind pushes Joy to understand that it’s okay to be sad sometimes.Inside Outgarnered $858.8 million at the global box office, making it one of Pixar’s highest-grossing films. However,a 2024 DreamWorks movie carries on Pixar’s post-Inside Outlegacy better than any other animated film.
Orion’s Personified Nighttime Entities Are As Memorable As Inside Out’s Emotions
Orion and the Dark
Orion and the Dark is an animated family comedy film by director Sean Charmatz, released in 2024, based on the book by Emma Yarlett. Orion, a boy with a powerful imagination, is thrown into a gauntlet of all his fears when he is dragged along by his greatest fear, the Dark, to discover that his fears of the night may be unfounded.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation and animated by Mikros Animation,Orion and the Darkcenters on an 11-year-old boy with an extensive list of irrational fears. Penned by Charlie Kaufman, the mastermind behind searing films likeAdaptationandEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,Orion and the Darkis an incredibly ambitious film. MuchlikeInside Out, the DreamWorks project isn’t afraid to tackle difficult moments or existential concepts, taking the “What if X had feelings?” concept to new heights. AlthoughOrion and the Darkdoesn’t personify a child’s emotions, it tackles something similar.
Orion And The Dark Review: Jacob Tremblay Leads A Stellar Voice Cast In Uplifting Animated Adventure
From its endearing animation style, which blends 2D aesthetic with 3D technology, to poignant & refreshing writing, Orion and the Dark is a true joy.
Orion is greeted by the personification of his worst fear: Dark.
One night, a blackout strikes, leaving a fearful Orion (Jacob Tremblay) in total darkness. Soon enough, Orion is greeted by the personification of his worst fear: Dark (Paul Walter Hauser). Annoyed with Orion’s complaints about nighttime, Dark decides to take the terrified kid on an eye-opening trip.On the journey, Dark introducesOrion and the Dark’s other characters— his fellow nighttime entitiesSleep (Natasia Demetriou), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), and Sweet Dreams (Angela Basset). Although the other entities are reluctant about having a visitor, Dark convinces them to let Orion tag along.
Why Pixar’s Formula Hasn’t Worked Since Inside Out
Pixar’s More Recent Movies Have Strayed From Its Signature Approach
In the wake ofInside Out, the studio released a rash ofPixar sequelsless-than-stellar originals, likeThe Good Dinosaur,Finding Dory, andCars 3. While theFinding NemoandCarssequels still hold some charm, especially where characters and world-building are concerned, Pixar didn’t totally justify the films' existences. Instead,Finding DoryandCars 3rehashed familiar concepts without bringing anything fresh to the table. After that,Pixar shifted its focus to human character-led films, likeCoco,Incredibles 2,Luca, andTurning Red. Of course, films likeSoulandToy Story 4are exceptions.
Pixar’s decision to revisit [Toy Story for a fourth time] seemed a little more financially-motivated.
In some ways,Toy Story 4falls more into theFinding Dory/Cars 3camp: It’s fun to see theToy Storyfranchise’scharacters again, but Pixar’s decision to revisit the property seemed a little more financially-motivated.Soul, on the other hand, tried to replicateInside Out’s success. Helmed again by Docter,Soulsees jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) exploring The Great Before — a realm where newly born souls receive all the quirks and personality traits to make their humans into unique individuals.UnlikeInside Out,Soul’s concept was too nebulous and opaque to resonate with audiences.
Inside Out Ending Explained: Sadness, Anger & Well-Balanced Emotions
The ending of Inside Out shows the inner workings of several characters and demonstrates how “negative” emotions like Anger and Sadness are important.
The Inside Out Sequel Must Justify Its Existence By Balancing The Familiar & The Fresh
Ahead of its release,Inside Out 2’s Rotten Tomatoes score was high, and the film’s success continued over its opening weekend. Still, that success is impressive given how high of a barInside Outset — and how muchOrion and the Darkraised that bar just a few months ahead ofInside Out 2’s release. AsOrion and the Dark’s endingshows,a well-executed film about abstract, challenging concepts can be both accessible and deeply moving. That said,Inside Out 2’s choice to introduce new emotions, like Anxiety (Maya Hawke), proves that Pixar can rekindle its signature story formula.
Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
