Inside Out 2 First Reviews: Critics Say Pixar Has Delivered “A Worthy Follow-Up”

The highly anticipated sequel to one of Pixar's most beloved films hits theaters tomorrow, and "Fans of the original can breathe a sigh of relief," says critic Linda Marric, because Inside Out 2 is "full of heart, emotion and a truck load of silly antics, with a strong message of hope and kindness."

Marric is one of the many critics to give Inside Out 2 a glowing review out of early screenings of the film ahead of its release, but there is a common theme among the reviews: the film doesn't dive deep enough.

Despite this, Inside Out 2 landed a Certified Fresh rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 114 reviews, and people are saying it is "a worthy follow-up" to Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen's Inside Out.

Ross Bonaime at Collider says, "Inside Out 2 manages to capture all the eccentricities, complexities, and decisions that make us who we are", and Belen Edwards at Mashable calls it "the rare Pixar sequel that truly earns its existence and deepens the message of its first film".

A few negative reviews mean the film hasn't scored as highly as its predecessor.

Damon Wise at Deadline says, "there's not much fun in this 13-year-old's mind", and M. N. Miller at InSession Film says it "isn't particularly funny and suffers from unusual tonal dissonance."

Despite this, Inside Out 2 seems to have landed with a majority of critics, and now it's up to the audience to determine how they feel when it hits theaters tomorrow.

Inside Out 2 Review Roundup

• USA Today: With empathy, hope and a heap of metaphors, it's a matured Inside Out that still understands the wonders and wrinkles of being a kid.

• Flick Feast: Inside Out 2 offers a deeper and wider look into Docter's vision that brilliantly conveys the messiness of clashing emotions. While it doesn't quite reach the highs of its predecessor, there is enough joy and creativity here to justify a sequel.

• TheWrap: Kelsey Mann was able to expand on what seemed like a complete story in the original film and tell a new and potent one, and that's impressive and commendable even though — like many Pixar films — it falls apart in the details.

• The Curvy Film Critic: Inside Out 2 kicks off the summer of sequels with delightfully joyous animated journey through the pains of adolescence. Maya Hawke rocked!

• New York Times: Works largely because the first one does wonderfully well. The new movie conforms to the original's ethos as well as inventive template, its conceit and visual design, so its pleasures are agreeably familiar.