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From the premiere of Toy Story in 1995 to Toy Story 3 in 2010, was practically untouchable. Every release was met with near-universal acclaim and big box office numbers, and the studio practically had the Best Animated Feature Oscar on lock for over a decade. But things started to shift in the 2010s, as the powerhouse saw some of their first failures, at least by their sky-high standards. While their films are still met with generally strong reviews and big box office returns, this trend has largely continued into the 2020s.

However, 10 years ago, Pixar released what might be their last unimpeachably great film: , which premiered on June 19th, 2015. While the studio has done plenty of solid work in the years that followed, none of their subsequent films have had the same emotional impact as that one. might be one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Inside Out has one of those concepts that's so brilliantly constructed that only Pixar could have thought it up. Co-directors Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen consulted with neuroscientists to create the core crew of emotions that run young Riley's (Kaitlyn Dias) mind, whittling it down to Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader), and Anger (Lewis Black). .

Pixar would often use anthropomorphism to explore the human condition, whether in the form of talking toys or a lonely robot, but before Inside Out, they hadn't attempted to humanize something as abstract as emotions. Pixar's earlier films certainly had plenty of emotional resonance, but much of it was through a more adult lens, like Up's devastating grief or Finding Nemo's journey of parenthood. , those who might find themselves discovering more complex combinations of emotions like Riley. This allowed it to connect powerfully with its young viewers, as well as the adults who saw their own adolescence in Riley's emerging emotional maturity.

Since Inside Out's release, Pixar has alternated between long-awaited sequels to movies like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, alongside original stories like Coco, Onward, and Soul. While many of these have been as visually stunning and entertaining as ever, none of them have possessed the same alchemy that makes Inside Out endure.

To be clear, Pixar has made some stellar work post-Inside Out, in particular its takes on the afterlife in Coco's Day of the Dead-inspired vision and Soul's bureaucratic way station. . The storytelling has stuck to what's worked in the past, but the end result sometimes feels like Pixar is doing new spins on similar formulas. Even highlights like Soul feel like they're borrowing from Inside Out, presenting a vision of the inner workings of a fantastical world. 2022's Turning Red might be the 2020s release that feels the most genuinely unique, anchored in a specific time period and cultural perspective that helps it stand out among its peers.

, extending the Toy Story canon with 2022's quasi-prequel Lightyear and 2019's Toy Story 4, a highly enjoyable sequel that nonetheless felt like it robbed the tremendously moving third film of some of its impact. With a fifth Toy Story movie on the way, any lingering sense of finality engendered by Toy Story 3 will be gone for good. Inside Out's own 2024 sequel, while undeniably entertaining, felt like a pale imitation of the original.

Perhaps the reason that many of Pixar's films from the last decade have felt lacking in comparison to their earlier era is that, . It's a problem faced by a lot of trailblazers, where their innovation has become part of the cultural fabric. Inside Out felt like the final time (at least so far) that Pixar was pushing into uncharted territory.