Disney fans, animation fans and 3D fans, it’s time to engage those core memories and remember a time when movies were shown on our screens in the third dimension. As Inside Out 2 heads into theaters, it’s time to start asking questions, like can the magic of Riley’s previous adventure into emotion can be captured by a sequel?
While we’re at it, it’s time to approach the query you could have seen coming a mile away: To 3D or Not To 3D? If you’re curious about how Disney/Pixar’s latest fares as a film, you should read Sarah El-Mahmoud’s official Inside Out 2 review.
But if you’re curious as to whether you should spend that extra 3D money on your ticket or on a new mouthguard for hockey practice, this is the place to be. So let’s get started and take a peek into the 3D of this animated sequel!
Fit Score - 5/5
I have to say, looking back at Inside Out’s To 3D score, the pedigree of the movie’s third dimensional enhancement serves this picture’s purposes rather well. In fact, the story for this sequel, which sees Riley (Kensington Tallman) heading to hockey camp, actually gives the filmmakers a good reason to revisit the premium format magic exhibited in the previous movie.
WIth the market seeing franchises that have engaged in healthy 3D pedigrees in the past eschewing the format altogether, Inside Out 2 is a good example of a series sticking with it, and for good reason, especially when the resulting product is a vast improvement from its predecessor.
Planning & Effort - 4/5
Reviewing my thoughts on the 3D version of Inside Out, I noticed that there were several factors that seemed to take a huge hit in the process. One of the lowest rates factors was indeed Planning & Effort, which absolutely should be a slam dunk when it comes to computer animated projects.
I can definitely say that Inside Out 2 works better in this respect than its predecessor, but even with that in mind, there are some fields that could have been better utilized. This much is especially true when thinking back to the 3D presentation of last year’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an Illumination picture that somewhat proves that Pixar’s hold on the field of CGI animation is being challenged quite readily as of late.
Before the Window - 3/5
There’s a moment in Inside Out 2 where a hockey puck is dropped towards the audience’s point of view that shows how the Before the Window factor best works in Disney/Pixar’s latest. We see that effect used a couple of times in the film, and it’s in that moment, and a scattered handful of similarly exciting scenes, that the viewer feels like something is breaking through the window and heading out towards them.
It’s another improvement over Inside Out’s 3D presentation, but even then one can’t help but wish they’d done more to project objects out of the screen. A “brainstorm” sequence is also another showcase for pelting the crowd with flying objects that made me wish this segment was better implemented throughout the movie, and also stands as another visually impressive moment in a mostly ok product.
Beyond the Window - 5/5
The backdrops of Inside Out 2 are definitely worth paying attention to, as the Beyond the Window factor is well served throughout the visual landscape of this second round of Riley. Whether it’s Riley’s cranial command center of emotions, the wider landscape of her mind or even the physical realm of hockey practice, there’s quite a vast field of depth on display at any given moment.
Spatial reasoning is king in this segment, and Inside Out 2 definitely keeps this in mind as it keeps characters crisply separated from their surroundings and each other. During a key breakdown that Joy (Amy Poehler) suffers at an integral point in the narrative, the Before and Beyond fields sparkle together, from projecting the character out into the audience to showing her get a bit smaller and more removed through curling up into a ball.
Brightness Score - 4/5
Brightness is surprisingly not a problem that was presented during the 3D presentation observed for this evaluation. That’s important to denote, as when you see a movie like Inside Out 2, the quality will vary due to various theaters maintaining their equipment to varied degrees.
In the conventional 3D version I attended, there was only a slight dimming while wearing the glasses required for the illusion to properly work. It was another huge step forward from my experience with the original Inside Out, and thankfully not a repeat of that time I experienced technical difficulties during Lightyear’s mostly stellar 3D showing.
Glasses Off Score - 4/5
When testing the brightness of a 3D movie’s picture quality, it’s easy to measure another key standard: the “Glasses Off” factor. Measuring the blur of picture that’s presented to properly achieve the illusion of three dimensional imagery, it also feeds the natural instinct to slip your glasses off during a movie’s running time, if only to give your eyes a break.
Inside Out 2 has the usual suspects in blur measurement present. Shifting 2D anchor points allow the audience to move its eyes to the most visually important factors in any given scene. Meanwhile, the majority of the blur does tend to be presented in the background; with softer focus on the elements that are front and center. Considering how the quality of this product’s Beyond and Before the Screen factors varies, this tracks.
Audience Health - 5/5
Whether it’s a good or bad 3D movie, the last thing any audience wants or needs is any sort of wonkiness that hurts the eyes or causes any sort of discomfort. Over the extended history of modern 3D, it’s amazing to recall the time when movies like Clash of the Titans’ 3D variant could give audiences a sense of nausea.
You’re not going to run into any problems of that sort with Inside Out 2, unless, of course, you’re super sensitive to the 3D effect. It’s a smooth sailing experience that doesn’t strain the eyes, nor does it make you feel as if you’re going to lose your taste for popcorn in the process.
Final Verdict: 30/35
I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Inside Out 2 needs a viewing in 3D, but then again, I’m not exactly one of the biggest fans of the movie in general. That said, you won’t be wasting your money, as it’s a solid experience that does have its moments of crowd pleasing.
Though I will admit, I was disappointed that a film with an IMAX roll-out failed to have the ever increasingly rare IMAX 3D variant on offer. Thankfully, that isn’t the case with Deadpool & Wolverine, and you can bet I already have my opening day tickets for the first screening in large format 3D already booked.
With that knowledge firmly in hand, it’s time that we close down the To 3D or Not To 3D command center, as Inside Out 2 has been thoroughly evaluated down to the last memory. Until next time, remember to recycle your glasses and take it easy on yourself in this ever anxiety-filled world.
