Inside Out 2 (Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Kelsey Mann

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Lewis Black (VOICES)

Release Date: September 10, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.

‘Inside Out 2’ rejoins Riley and the various emotions within her mind for their biggest adventure yet, trying to navigate being a teenager. As Riley’s core emotions Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness prepare for the rocky road ahead, they are thrown when their headquarters is reconstructed in order to allow some new emotions to join the team, but when newly arrived Anxiety decides that she is the only one that truly knows what’s best for Riley, she finds a way to get rid of the core team in order to let her do her thing. When Riley’s weekend at Hockey camp sees one problem after another arising, the new feelings decide that they need to completely reconstruct her sense of self and everything begins to get even more complicated, while Joy and the others desperately try to find a way back to headquarters to help their girl.

Directed by Kelsey Mann (TV’s Megas XLR) from a screenplay written by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Dave Holstein (TV’s Kidding), Mann does a great job at the helm of ‘Inside Out 2’ guiding along the sequel with heart, care and style throughout. The notable voice cast of the film includes Amy Poehler (Free Birds), Maya Hawke (TV’s Stranger Things), Lewis Black (TV’s Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), Phyllis Smith (TV’s The Office US), Tony Hale (Toy Story 4), Liza Lapira (TV’s The Equalizer), Ayo Edebiri (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Adèle Exarchopoulos (Passages), Paul Walter Hauser (Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm), Kensington Tallman (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run), Diane Lane (Man of Steel), Kyle MacLachlan (The House with a Clock in Its Walls), Yvette Nicole Brown (DC League of Super-Pets) and more, with each offering solid and capable performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Inside Out 2’ is a wonderful and gorgeously animated sequel that’s loaded with heart, humor and an exciting new story that’s sure to tickle your funny bone while also letting your emotions run wild (no pun intended). The film invites viewers back into the head of now teenager Riley and reunites us with the emotions we fell in love with in the first film, while also introducing some new emotions to the mix which naturally results in some chaotic clashes and differences of opinion as they all deal with the troubling task of navigating the world of being a teen. The sequel finds Riley starting her life as a teenager and must tackle going to hockey camp where no shortage of difficult decisions are put in front of her, while her core emotions led by Joy and Sadness must confront numerous conflicts from within her head when a group of newly arrived emotions cause friction and the end result is an emotional new animated adventure for the family that manages to find countless ways to expand from the first film while never letting things become overly repetitive or lacking in originality.

It continually finds clever ways to approach the story and uses the new hurdles in Riley’s life as a perfect opportunity to create an engaging new tale that does a marvelous job of exploring the complications and stressful uncertainty of approaching a new stage in one’s life and the many issues that teenagers must deal with as things change around them as well as within. It takes things to some surprisingly real places along the way and never hesitates to delve into the misery and sense of confusion that comes with so many new things on the horizon, while also making a point of showcasing the beauty and wonder that can accompany the struggle and pain.

Overall, ‘Inside Out 2’ is a fantastic follow-up that once again proves that Pixar and Disney can create a sequel that’s right up there with its predecessor and ‘Inside Out 2’ is certainly no exception to that. It’s another emotional, spectacularly animated and surprisingly moving exploration of life as a teenager that never lacks in clever ideas or unique ways to approach real life ordeals in a manner that’s as amusing as it is realistic and relatable. If you’re a fan of the first film but haven’t yet had the chance to check out the sequel, it’s definitely well worth taking the time to do so and I would wholeheartedly encourage giving it a whirl whenever possible.

For the fans of the film simply interested in the release’s technical merits, you can rest assured that the 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of ‘Inside Out 2’ delivers outstanding video and audio presentations, along with a few extras and a Blu-ray copy of the film on top of it, all packed within a nice, sturdy Steelbook featuring original artwork and it’s definitely recommended. For the time being, this Limited Edition Steelbook is the only 4K UHD version of the film available physically, although standard Blu-ray and DVD editions are available for those who may not want to pay the higher price tag of this limited edition.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Inside Out 2’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and beautifully detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any unexpected issues to be uncovered along the way. Detail is outstanding across the board and everything looks marvelous down to each animated line including characters both inside Riley’s head and in the real world, as does the various scenery and locations throughout which all look sharp and impressive. The HDR addition also complements a great deal of this already immensely colorful feature by offering more vibrant and lifelike colors noticeable on characters, surroundings and plenty more; all balanced by clean, deep and rewarding black levels. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition presentation that dazzles at every turn and should thrill fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is quite tremendous itself and provides a clean, crisp and frequently immersive audio presentation throughout. It regularly takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, action and sports-related effects, along with crowd chatter and plenty more whipping throughout the various speakers whenever fitting, while never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements that might occur simultaneously becoming distorted or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a fantastic Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that never falters or disappoints and should leave fans and first time viewers extremely pleased.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Inside Out 2’ includes a few enjoyable extras which can all be found on the included Blu-ray disc. Included is a collection of ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the movie (running approximately 24 minutes in length altogether), in addition to the Behind the Scenes Featurettes ‘New Emotions’ (running approximately 12 minutes) and ‘Unlocking the Vault’ (approximately 9 minutes) which explore the cast, characters and different elements of bringing the sequel to life.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘Inside Out 2’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD Steelbook, Blu-ray & DVD September 10, 2024 & is Now Available on Digital from Disney – Pixar

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You can purchase ‘Inside Out 2’ on 4K UHD Steelbook at Amazon HERE!

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