Inside Out 2 - 4K UHD Limited Edition SteelBook

We live in a cinematic landscape dominated by remakes, sequels, requels, legacy sequels, and so forth. If it’s an established IP, you better believe you’re going to get more of the same. However, that’s not always a bad thing. Once in a while, we get a gem, a true rare diamond of a sequel that not only gives us more, goes big, but also nearly manages to outshine its predecessor. It’s rare, but it does happen and Pixar managed that near-impossible feat with Inside Out 2. A truly grand sequel that is as good as the original if not better!

Now that they’ve settled into their respective roles managing Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) Sense of Self, Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Fear (Tony Hale), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and Anger (Lewis Black), they live on emotional easy street. But just as Riley is about to head off to Hockey camp before starting high school, Puberty hits and Headquarters undergoes a major upgrade. When new emotions Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Envy (Ayo Edebiri) arrive, Riley is in for one hell of a roller coaster ride of feelings. 

The thing I loved about the first Inside Out was that it was a funny film, a visually amazing piece of work that would obviously make kids laugh, but it was clearly meant for the parents in the room. If nothing else, it helped kids put a name and a face to their feelings. What I love about Inside Out 2 is the film is appropriately aged up. The youngsters who saw the original film are now in their teens and experiencing a full range of emotional and hormonal upheaval making this a timely sequel. The parents who enjoyed the first film can look back and dissect their own formative years and rediscover the fun emotional distress of being a teenager. For my part, I’ll say Paul Walter Hauser’s big pink lovable galoot Embarrassment hits very close to home.  

Writer/Director Kelsey Mann with fellow writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein do what all franchise filmmakers should aim for with Inside Out 2. They not only find a reason for audiences to return to this emotionally charged, seemingly one-and-done Pixar property, but they do it in a way that’s genuinely worth the journey. This isn't about nostalgia bombs and repeating fan-favorite catchphrases. Inside Out 2 really is an emotional roller coaster - you’re going to feel the feels. But as the film frequently points out, you need to be able to experience these feelings, good or bad. We’re not a sum of our joys or sorrows but all of the emotions in between. We can’t appreciate the good memories without making peace with the bad - or the horribly embarrassing! And in true Pixar form, the film gives the heartstrings a few good yanks. 

When this film was announced, Disney and Pixar were arguably at a low point with their releases. By trying to stuff too much junk on Disney+ as fast as possible, various projects felt run-of-the-mill (Luca), underappreciated (Turning Red), or worse - were absolutely pointless (looking at you Lightyear). Pixar badly needed a win, something that would remind stalwart fans that this is a premier studio that happened to be owned by Disney. I’d say they more than succeeded with Inside Out 2. It’s one of the rare sequels that goes big, hits hard, and leaves you wanting more. If we get a third film, there's obviously emotional room to explore, but as is, Inside Out and Inside Out 2 are practically a perfect double feature. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Disney unleashes the emotional torrent that is Pixar’s Inside Out 2 onto 4K disc as a SteelBook-exclusive 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital release. As of yet, there is no standard 4K release announced. The 4K is pressed on a BD-66 with a BD-50 serving up the 1080p. The SteelBook art follows other Pixar SteelBooks with the sketchbook-style characters from the film. If there’s a criticism I have is for such a beautiful-looking film there is a lot of eggshell white in this design. Not bad, not amazing either. The discs follow Disney’s standard system of a language option menu before allowing you to chose to dive right into the film or go to the animated main menu. 

NOTE: So far we haven’t been able to rip the 4K disc, all images are pulled from the included Blu-ray. When we can, we’ll circle back and update images and try to slip in a video sample while we’re at it. 

In keeping with Disney’s odd want for Dolby Vision as a streaming exclusive, Inside Out 2 comes home with a masterful HDR10 transfer. We may not see the refinement for color shading or black levels, but this is still a beautiful HDR grade. Character details for our favorite emotions are sharp and clear. The human counterparts are equally well animated with clean lines and textures. It’s Pixar, it’s not like they’re going to suddenly crap the bed with their animation standards. Primaries are simply gorgeous throughout with bold blues, reds, and yellows, but the emerald greens of Envy, the manic orange of Anxiety, the deep purple of Ennui, and the bright pink of Embarrassment shine beautifully. Black levels are nice and inky and the image has an incredible sense of depth - that said I will be keeping an eye out for a 3D disc. Hopefully, we won’t have to import from Japan, but if we must, we must.

In another welcoming turn, we have a truly splendid Atmos track. It’s nice to hear Disney is gradually working away from past Atmouse controversies as this track is well-balanced without a need to compensate for softness. Right from the jump we have an active and fully engaged Atmos experience letting the Front/Center channels, sides, rears, and height channels get right to work. Every slap of the control console to every slashing blade on the rink to every twang of Riley’s emotional sense of self is given a place to shine. I was really impressed with the sense of self audio elements and how the voice travels upward into the heights - some truly lovely imaging. Throughout dialog is right on point and Andrea Datzman’s score is splendid filling out the soundscape without overpowering the show. LFE has some fun effective touches, the creation of the Sar-Chasm was hilarious but also delivered some fun rumble in the subs.

On the bonus features front, I have to say I’m disappointed with Disney’s effort for their biggest hit of the year. This is a frustratingly anemic assortment of mostly EPK-style talking head pieces. We get two very short featurettes and about 24 minutes of deleted scenes in various stages of completion with crew discussions about why they were excised. This piece is at least an earnest glimpse into the creative process and worth the watch. 

• New Emotions (HD 11:44)
• Unlocking the Vault (HD 8:59)
• Deleted Scenes (HD 23:53)

I honestly didn’t expect much from Inside Out 2. The original was a true favorite but I never needed, wanted, or expected a sequel. But we got one and it’s better than I could have hoped. Among the best of Pixar, this sequel certainly hits you hard but it’s a joyous, visually stunning, and heartfelt feature. After a blistering run at the box office all summer, Inside Out 2 comes to 4K UHD as a SteelBook-exclusive release. As of now, there are no announced plans for a standard edition. The HDR10 transfer is a true beauty with an excellent Atmos mix to match but bonus features could have used some more care and attention. Highly Recommended