Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore — Inside Out 2 Delivers Disney & Pixar A Massive Win
This month's newsletter is actually all about Inside Out 2 and what it's much-needed success means for Disney, Pixar, and the Disney Parks?
Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore!
In this issue, we will be covering:
Inside Out 2 Delivers Disney & Pixar A Massive Win 🙌
Inside Out 2 Box Office Breakdown 🍿💰
Podcast Plugs 🎙
Links of the Month 📰
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Inside Out 2 Delivers Disney & Pixar A Massive Win 🙌
If Inside Out 2 didn’t succeed, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter was going to have to radically rethink Pixar’s entire business model.
Thankfully, the film didn’t just succeed. It surpassed all expectations, critically and commercially. It’s a sigh of relief for Pixar who has gone through a gauntlet both from Disney and the press. After having their films sent directly to Disney+ and then having a major misfire in Lightyear followed by a subtle comeback success story in Elemental. They needed a outright win and they got it. Disney on the other hand needed this just as bad as their entire 2023 slate underperformed their lofty standards.
However, before Inside Out 2 was a runaway success, Pixar was doing press and it gave us a glimpse at a studio that was wrestling with the possibility of a radical overhaul. The media has constantly tried to label Pixar films like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red as “flops” although that would be inaccurate considering those three films never had a chance at financial success as they were sent to Disney+ (all three were critical darlings). Not to mention, if they were really flops why do we see Luca and Turning Red merch everywhere?
Pixar CCO Pete Docter during his rounds of press, shined a light on the studio and its future plans. A mix of sequels with originals, and a more budget-friendly output for Disney+ after producing shorts that weren’t viewed as much. Docter admitted that Lightyear was maybe too nerdy for general audiences. Disney nerds love the meta concept but general audiences are easily confused. Also it didn’t help the execution didn’t work. Docter also admitted the marketing for Elemental was wrong (vindication for me). I wrote about Elemental’s marketing last year, and how I was baffled at how Pixar couldn’t sell it despite it being an awesome film.
I also found it intriguing that Docter was lamenting the fact Pixar has sorta run out of “universal story” ideas like “the monsters in your bedroom” or “if toys could talk.” It seems like they are hard at work trying to find those concepts again, things that make everyone go “Oh I get that!” Sorta like how everyone understands Inside Out 2 because we all have emotions. Pixar’s next film Elio despite a Lightyear-lite teaser is allegedly going to tackle the concept of “Are we alone? Are we the only intelligent life in the universe?” I’m hoping the delay made the story stronger and maybe Elio’s next trailer won’t look as Lightyear-lite.
Sure, Inside Out 2 will also give Disney a big data point that the audiences may turn out for sequels. Although I hope Pixar’s bosses realize the magic was in the gap of time and the story being strong. Pixar is planning new installments in the The Incredibles and Finding Nemo franchises. Docter also teased Monsters, Inc. as a possible option as well. Lindsey Collins (Turning Red, Wall-E) was named SVP of Development at Pixar and her job is to explore potential new installments with popular Pixar IP. Collins recently told Bloomberg she had a conversation with her son about “a hypothetical” regarding Incredibles 3 and her son straight told her, “cash grab.” Collins said an expletive in reaction to her son. Yet it’s a reminder to Collins, Docter, and Pixar that they have to tread lightly when doing sequels. When it comes to Pixar projects with established IP, I’d also like to throw Coco into the ring for another installment or spinoff. The IP has been lucrative for Disney in recent years and it’s expected to get a larger presence in the Disney Parks. It’s my dark horse pick for another sequel/installment.
Docter also ruled out Pixar live-action remakes, but we will see if Disney allows that. I think Disney’s new live-action boss David Greenbaum won’t touch Pixar’s projects as he’s more likely to take some bolder swings while mixing in some Disney Parks film adaptations. I’m also wondering if Docter said the comment just to get ahead of a potential pitch from Walt Disney Studios about the possibility. Maybe an executive in Burbank sees money in a live-action Incredibles or Up? But I agree with Docter that the Pixar films should remain in animation. Disney Animated films are a different story in my personal opinion.
Pixar’s upcoming projects include its first full-length Disney+ series Win or Lose, Toy Story 5 directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E), another original film rumored to be a musical about Ducks, and a few other projects in the pipeline that are continuations and originals. Hopefully, we will get clarity at D23. I know a few things though like Turning Red director Domee Shi is working on Elio and another original project. Luca director Enrico Casarosa is working on another project as well. There are a few other projects as well but maybe we save discussing them for another piece.
This quote below by Pete Docter resonated with a ton of people so I decided to share it again in the newsletter.
“You might think our movies are about cars or bugs or monsters, but they’re really about us at the core. They’re about our experiences as human beings that we hope will then resonate with the audience.” — Pete Docter
Pixar’s charting its course into the future, and thankfully after an era of turbulence it can have a little bit of rest until Win or Lose and Elio. But Inside Out 2 at least buys the iconic animation studio some breathing room and avoids a potential radical reinvention.
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Inside Out 2 Box Office Breakdown 🍿💰
Box Office Breakdown🍿💰: A historic haul that will likely have even better numbers by the time this newsletter publishes. Inside Out 2 made $154 million over its opening weekend at the domestic box office. It then followed with a historic second weekend with $101 million (a small drop), joining films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Jurassic World, and The Avengers on making over $100M in its second weekend. The international box office is also carrying its weight with $434 million at the time of this writing. The film is breaking records across Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The demographics driving Inside Out 2’s overwhelming success are 18-24 year olds, 25-34 year olds, and 13-17 year olds. Families and older demos have contributed but the young demos have been the driving force behind the box office juggernaut.
The film will reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Now it’s a matter of making more history. Top-grossing Pixar film? Top-grossing animated film? Remember this film has only been out for nearly three weeks and there are no plans on rushing this film to Disney+ with a long 100-day theatrical window.
Inside Out 3 and Dream Productions💡: A third installment is a given now. It’s now just a matter of when and if they can crack a story that lives up to the first two. I have all the confidence in Pixar to make a third Inside Out, the rare franchise that could handle multiple installments. Now the question is does Disney announce that the film is in early development at D23 2024? Or do they maybe wait to announce at D23 2026, with a potential release date in the 2030s (yes I know — scary!). After all, Riley as a senior in high school and college-bound seems to be the next logical time jump. Another universal story that could hit all the emotions and continue to bring in that young demo.
The other intrigue after Inside Out 2’s epic performance is the rollout of Dream Productions, which will be a Disney+ series of shorts set inside the world of Inside Out particularly Dream Productions, the Hollywood studio that makes Riley’s dreams. Dream Productions will likely get a more robust rollout on Disney+. They may hype this as a cornerstone title for when it’s released in Spring 2025. It’s possible we could see a Disney+ ad with Daredevil: Born Again and Dream Productions side by side. What a world.
More Inside Out at the Disney Parks 🎢: Given the success of Inside Out 2. Disney and Pixar are about to look at the franchise in a whole new light. It’s now an IP that could be expanded upon across the Disney Parks. When it comes to Walt Disney World (my home resort), you can be opportunistic with adding Inside Out in either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios.
Fans are enamored with the potential of Inside Out taking over the abandoned Wonders of Life building at EPCOT. I think that would be a home run and would fit EPCOT’s theme. There is also history there as Pete Docter did work for the Cranium Command attraction at Wonders of Life. Past rumors have tied Inside Out to Magic Eye Theater, the former home of Captain EO and the current home of the Disney-Pixar Short Film Festival. Other rumors had the franchise connected to Journey into Imagination with Figment. Although, this may be increasingly unlikely considering Figment’s rise in popularity in recent years, and the fact the character has a Disney feature film in the works. At Hollywood Studios, Disney has to be strategic but adding more Pixar may not be a bad play, and getting Inside Out in there could work. I joked about bringing over the flat ride Inside Out: Emotional Whirlwind from Disney California Adventure to Hollywood Studios because at least it would increase capacity at the smaller park. Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney Parks have some decisions to make but it’s a bit easier to make these decisions when the franchise attached has cemented itself as a top-tier, Pixar franchise for years to come.
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Podcast Plugs 🎙
Zach was invited onto the Movies & Us Podcast to discuss Inside Out 2. (Spotify) (Apple)
This is the Waycast breaks down the much-discussed Star Wars series The Acolyte (Spotify) (Apple)
The Zach Perilstein Show with theme park content creator, Max Kennedy and a Father’s Day special with Max Perilstein. (Spotify) (Apple)
The Lowdown on the Plus-Up: Kelly McCubbin and Peter Overstreet discuss Jungle Cruise and Bob Gurr’s Autopia this month. (Spotify) (Apple)
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Disney Inflation: How Prices Have Changed for Iconic Disney Snacks (FinanceBuzz)
— Jim Henson Was a Style God for the Ages (GQ)
— Pour one out for the Magic Kingdom Universe. Ron Moore is heading back to Sony. But what will happen to Society of Explorers and Adventurers and the MK universe? We’re trying to find out what happened. (Deadline/Boardwalk Times tweet)
— Six Flags/Cedar Fair merger was approved by the DOJ. Begging this newly combined company to do something cool at IAAPA. (Theme Park Insider)
— Universal Unveils Dark Universe: Home of the Universal Classic Monsters for Epic Universe. The Victoria Frankenstein attraction sounds amazing. (Boardwalk Times)
— The Potential 60+ MCU Characters Returning for Avengers 5 (Boardwalk Times)
— Boardwalk Times columnist Kelly McCubbin shares some of Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr’s wisdom. (Boardwalk Times)
— Disney Adventure, Disney Cruise Line’s biggest ship yet and the one they acquired from another company, will have seven themed areas based on beloved Disney IP. (Boardwalk Times)
— Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened today at Walt Disney World. (Yes, I’ll ride it eventually and write about it then) (Axios New Orleans)
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