Pixar sequels have a very spotty record. At their best, they capitalize on beloved characters and worlds to explore new themes through their creativity. At their worst, they retread the same elements as their predecessors. Pixar sequels have to tow a difficult line between expanding beloved worlds in interesting ways without showing too much that the magic fades. Pixar had an era in the 2010s when nearly every movie they put out was a sequel or a prequel, and the quality varied substantially. Some won Oscars, others were complete misses.
Inside Out 2 is one of the good Pixar sequels on the whole, but nonetheless, it has its moments where it struggles on the wrong side of world-building for the sake of world-building. But as solid as Inside Out 2 is, where does it rank among the Pixar sequels and prequels over the years?
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10) Lightyear
Lightyear is easily the most forgettable sequel or prequel Pixar has ever made. Forget about whether the conceit is convoluted or not. Forget about whether the twist at the end actually works. The movie is just there. There’s plenty to enjoy but not a lot to cling to. The robot cat is amazing, and the initial premise is heartbreaking. But the characters and the world are totally forgettable the minute the movie ends.
9) Monsters University
Monsters University is a movie in search of a purpose. Despite being filled with cool creatures and inhabiting a whole world separate from its more successful predecessor, the movie itself is quite empty. There’s no emotional center like the best Pixar movies have. It feels very much like Pixar was trying to make a movie “for the boys” and decided that boys can’t wrestle with a full range of emotions. Revolving the movie around Sully (John Goodman) getting over himself so he can be the best scarer, only to be a humble and kind guy in Monsters Inc., just doesn’t make sense as a character arc.
8) Cars 2
Here’s the thing about Cars 2. It was just ahead of its time. Pixar took the wildly successful idea behind Cars and said, “How do we expand this universe.” That, unto itself, was not a bad idea! Cars 2 is basically a spy movie about Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Pixar was trying to use different genres and different characters to make a bigger Cars universe before big movie universes really took off with the MCU. You can’t fault them for trying. With a little more love and more open minds from viewers (and perhaps a different Cars 2 about Lightning (Owen Wilson) first and a different name for this movie), it could have been one of the more successful Pixar sequels.
7) Finding Dory
Finding Dory erases everything that Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) learns in Finding Nemo just so Pixar could make a sequel. Perhaps a version of Finding Dory where Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) helped Dory find out who she was together could have worked. But instead, Finding Dory retreads basically everything that worked so fantastically in the original movie. All the beats work, the characters are fun, and the ways the movie asks, “How would this thing work in this universe?” are all sufficient. But because it is literally the same movie over again, the magic wears off the second time around.
6) Cars 3
A lot of Cars 3 is about trying to do what Cars 2 couldn’t: show us the extent of the Cars universe. It’s marginally successful. Demo derbies are cool, but they’re no Radiator Springs. The original movie’s success is that it took a really annoying Lightning McQueen and taught him to be a really good friend. Cars 3 comes pretty close to matching the emotions as Lightning struggles with getting older and securing his legacy. But it takes him too long to realize what he’s got with Cruz (Cristela Alonzo). It’s hard not to wonder what the movie would would have been like if Lightning had lightened up a little sooner.
5) Toy Story 4
Toy Story 3 was a perfect ending to the series. Andy went off to college, and all his toys were in a new home. But you know what, life goes on, and if there’s a story worth telling, there’s no reason Pixar shouldn’t be inclined to tell it. Toy Story 4 gets to glide a little on how beloved its characters truly are. But it’s still a very good Pixar sequel. This is the movie in the Toy Story series that feels the most like it’s trying to dazzle you with creative new scenarios where toys would find themselves. But the characters and their journey are so darned charming that it still works very well.
4) Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 is a genius Pixar sequel. Emotions become more and more complicated as we grow up and taking Riley into puberty is a perfect way to let Pixar give its existing world and characters a whole new purpose. The true essence of the emotions get a little muddled in this movie because they have to be both anthropomorphized emotions and full characters in a movie. But the movie largely justifies this by reminding us that the moral of Inside Out was that emotions don’t exist in a vacuum. So when Joy (Amy Poehler) cries, it doesn’t feel out of place because the movie reminds us that joy and sadness often go hand in hand. Plus, all of the world-building like Brain Storms and Sar-chasms word, despite being a bit cheesy, because here they’re played for laughs. You’re meant to think the joke is a little bit corny, just like in the original movie. Inside Out 2 lacks the emotional gut punch that is Bing Bong, but it still has its own deeply satisfying lessons for its characters to learn about how hard it is to grow up.
3) Toy Story 3
Speaking of how hard it is to grow up, Toy Story 3 is also a genius Pixar sequel. It came out at just the right time that so many people watching it who grew up on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were at the same kinds of transitional points in their lives as Andy by now. The reason why all of the Toy Story sequels work so well is because each one has its own unique thesis. Where Toy Story 4 was about how letting go is hard, Toy Story 3 is about how growing up is hard. They’re similar but still distinct, and Toy Story 3 is a successful Pixar sequel because all of its world-building elements have a purpose in the moral. It’s not set in a daycare for the heck of it the way that Monsters University is set at a college for the heck of it, or that Finding Dory takes place in an aquarium just to show off different kinds of fish. It’s set at a daycare because growing up is hard, and watching the toys pass from one owner to another requires experiencing Bonnie’s world for itself.
2) Incredibles 2
From the moment The Incredibles ended, everybody was begging for a sequel. Thankfully, writer and director Brad Bird took his time and waited for the perfect story before moving forward. What makes Incredibles 2 one of the very best Pixar sequels is that it just feels like a natural extension of the first movie. Sure, it opens exactly where the first one ended. But nearly every other Pixar sequel or prequel feels like it’s going out of its way to showcase what else its world has to offer. “What are toys like in this scenario,” or, “What are cars like in that scenario.” Here, more than any other Pixar sequel, it feels like the story is driving how the world expands rather than the other way around. Plus, Incredibles 2 is full of great character moments, great action, and the perfect amount of Jack-Jack.
1) Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 isn’t just the best Pixar prequel, it’s the best Pixar movie. It’s one of the best movies of all time, period. It’s not trying to expand a universe. It’s not trying to remind you of something you used to love. All of its characters feel like they learned and grew in the first movie and took those lessons with them into Toy Story 2. And like the other Toy Story sequels, it feels like the ways it does play with “what if toys were in this situation” were conceived to fit the story rather than to build out a world. Every new character is as iconic and beloved as the original crew, and the soundtrack is an absolute all-timer.
Everyone has their favorite and least favorite Pixar sequels. Some expand their worlds better than others, just like some tell compelling and emotional stories better than others. But no matter which Pixar sequels you like the most, it’s undeniable that Inside Out 2 is one of Pixar’s strongest sequels yet.
Inside Out 2 is playing now in theaters.
