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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Catherine Shoard

‘Beyond marketing, beyond explanation’: how Inside Out and Despicable Me saved the summer

Chris Meledandri Pixar Steven Gaydos Meg LeFauve Amy Poehler Disney Gru Joy Pete Docter Steve Carell
Steve Carell at a Despicable Me 4 photocall in London.
‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ … Steve Carell at a Despicable Me 4 photocall in London. Photograph: Dave Benett/Sama Kai/WireImage

Five weeks ago, Hollywood was in the doldrums. A succession of hotly tipped blockbusters – The Fall Guy, Furiosa, IF – flopped. The mood was ominous. The last time early summer box-office takings had been so low was in 2000.

Today, considerably more cheerful records are being broken, thanks entirely to children’s films. Three weeks ago saw the release of Inside Out 2, Pixar’s sequel to its 2015 animation about the emotions jostling for supremacy in the head of an 11-year-old girl named Riley.

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