It’s been a rough time for Pixar lately! It seems like they’ve faced setback after setback this decade, with many of their original stories moving to Disney+, *Lightyear* performing poorly at the box office, and *Elemental* struggling before it started to recover from what was then the studio's weakest debut. Things haven't been easy, especially considering Disney has laid off animators and seems hesitant about letting them work on new projects. Despite all of this, *Inside Out 2* turned out to be genuinely good—even great! It’s close in quality to the original film, and earlier Pixar successes like *Soul* or the first *Inside Out*. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, but it's still a really enjoyable movie. The filmmakers managed to respect what came before while expanding on its ideas. This isn’t just a rehash of the original; they introduced new emotions and explored themes like puberty and anxiety, along with some fresh settings. I appreciated that they didn't simply revert Joy back to her initial state from the first film. They built upon her character development, allowing other emotions, particularly Sadness, to assist her and embrace new perspectives. She’s still imperfect, but it feels more like she’s continuing to evolve rather than repeating a familiar lesson. The movie even challenges the original's message: *Inside Out* taught us that it's alright not to be happy; *Inside Out 2* suggests that it's okay to embrace happiness and feel worthy. There’s one particular scene—a panic attack—that I found especially well-done, though I won’t spoil the details. Overall, it’s a strong film that expands on the original in such a way that I might even be willing to consider a third installment, something I honestly never thought I'd say! Well done, Pixar! You made a great sequel; please keep making them like this! TOTAL SCORE: 8.5/10

Source on TMDB