Congratulations to the highest-grossing animated film in history, Inside Out 2

We’re in the “a rising tide lifts all boats” era of box office history, so let us say a very hearty congratulations to Inside Out 2 for all of its success. The film was a much-needed hit this summer when the box office was lagging. Cinema will never be truly dead so long as parents can enjoy taking their children to heartfelt animated features like the typical Pixar fare, and that’s a good thing! We need Inside Out 2s to keep the lights on. But according to Variety, Inside Out 2 just became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. That’s… fine, sure, but Inside Out 2? Really?Yes, really: Inside Out 2 has made an incredible $1.46 billion after just six weeks in theaters. It’s the highest grossing movie of 2024, the first movie this year to pass the billion dollar mark, and the fastest animated film to cross the $1 billion benchmark. Compared to last summer’s triumphant phenomenon, Barbie, Inside Out 2 still comes out on top—it has surpassed Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster as the 13th-biggest movie of all time. Obviously, things that are most successful aren’t always the best, but that’s just the thing about Inside Out 2 taking the title. It doesn’t have anywhere near the cultural impact of Barbie. It doesn’t even really have the cultural impact of Inside Out; it’s simply leapfrogging off the impact of the original. Inside Out 2 took the throne from Frozen 2, another film that coasted on its predecessor’s success. “Let It Go” was inescapable when Frozen came out; comparatively, “Into The Unknown” was a flash in the pan. The entire top 10 highest grossing animated movies is littered with Despicable Me spin-offs and Disney sequels and, depending on whether you count it or not, the live-action Lion King, which is “live action,” but technically computer generated. The live-action computer-generated Lion King is one of the highest grossing films of all time, period, and it’s had basically zero cultural or artistic impact, especially relative to its charming, beloved 2D predecessor. It makes sense that sequels and franchise entries ultimately make more money—audiences have had time to discover and enjoy the original entries and get excited about seeing the next installment in theaters. But the major studios have already become so sequel-dependent that the list feels more reflective of Hollywood’s serious risk-aversion rather than what audiences connect with. And it is nice to see a box office success, but it’s also worth noting that Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader aren’t in the sequel because they were reportedly offered a comparative pittance to Amy Poehler’s payday. The highest-grossing animated movie in the world couldn’t even come up with a fair voice acting wage? Something just doesn’t feel right here, folks. But at least the kids are having summer fun at the movies.