I Bought McDonalds’ INSIDE OUT 2 Happy Meal: Toys, Packaging, and Review

McDonalds has finally teamed with Disney on a correctly timed Happy Meal. This isn’t THE MARVELS Happy Meals, which were released 3 months before the film’s release or CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meals, which were released a few weeks ago, 9 months before the film is set to come out. This time, INSIDE OUT 2’s release date is just two weeks away. So the arrival of the new Happy Meal and toys at McDonalds is perfectly timed to run up to and through the release.

INSIDE OUT is an animated film that was released in 2015. Many consider it Pixar’s last truly great film (though I disagree; I loved LUCA and ONWARD) and explores the emotions of a young girl named Riley as she navigates the challenges of growing up. The film follows Riley’s emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust— inside of her brain as they lovingly battle for control as they try to help her cope with the changes in her life. So what did Disney decide to do with this classic? Make a sequel of course. INSIDE OUT 2 is the sequel and will see Riley turning into a teenager and coping with new emotions including anxiety, ennui, and embarrassment. Okay, okay, I’m not hating on it; I’m actually excited for it.

So now that they have a properly timed Happy Meal, are the toys and packaging any good? Well actually, they are. First up, let’s take a look at the boxes:

I love the artwork on the front; it’s simple but eye-catching. It features four of the original characters surrounding two of the new characters: Ennui and Embarrassment. This is actually a fresh take since Anxiety has been getting a lot of the attention in the marketing campaign. I also love the purple and blue coloring in the background which make both the title and characters pop. McDonalds gave some nice coloring to the handles, adding a kind of sparkly sheen that, at least to me, seems like it would be in the world of INSIDE OUT.

The artwork on the sides invites “grownups” to play as their favorite character online. This assumes that 1) you collected your favorite character (which is a long shot when it comes to Happy Meals) and 2) you are an adult who has purchased a Happy Meal. The second point is the one that really caught my attention. Does McDonalds now realize that grownups are now purchasing their Happy Meals and are catering exclusively to them? Or are they just wanting to throw a video game into their Happy Meal programming hoping to avoid the ire of annoyed parents by being able to say, “hey this is for grownups, not kids.”

The other side of the box provides visual instructions on how to use the toys inside. Essentially the toy is a translucent statue that sits on top of a pedestal that is able to fire circular cardboard discs in a pog-like game (hey grownups – remember that one!). I assume these circular discs are meant to mimic the memory balls that Riley accumulates in INSIDE OUT.

The upper flaps show various characters (new and returning) from the film: Embarrassment, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Sadness, Anger, and (the most interesting additions) Guards Frank and Dave. Frank and Dave were two “Subconscious Guards” (literally guarding Riley’s subconscious from the emotions) in the first film and are returning for the sequel. In my opinion, they were one of the funniest parts of the film, and while I’m glad they’re back, I’m a bit worried that they might be overused. Hopefully Pixar proves me wrong.

The only downside to the packaging is the plain red McDonald’s coloring on the back. Like can they do something on the back? I guess it saves McDonald’s some money but… really?

THE TOY

So how about that toy? Well, I lucked out and I got JOY. I love JOY and she is MY FAVORITE emotion – or character at least. So guess what, McDonalds, this GROWNUP IS going to be playing that tablet game with their favorite character. Mission accomplished. Anyway the toy is actually kind of beautiful.

And the little pog-like circular discs that shoot out of its base are also really nicely drawn and rendered. I am guessing that the other emotions have Riley’s face in various states of emotion. I really want to get ennui and anxiety to see what those discs look like. So yes, I will be returning to McDonalds (probably tomorrow).

The stickers are also a really nice addition. The character stickers of Joy and the splashes surrounding her are not really meant for the toy as per the instructions on the back of the stickers. So you can just stick them onto your notebook or cell phone or whatever people place stickers on these days.

I’m not sure if I will be using this little toy a ton for playing this disc game or even shooting discs out of it and there isn’t a place to conveniently store multiple discs (only one fits in the base at a time). But it works just as great as a statue on my desk.

Overall, I loved this Happy Meal. It is doing its job and getting me hyped for INSIDE OUT 2 in a few weeks. I loved looking at the box while eating my meal and I love the toys. When I get more toys I will update this post with more photos below so please keep coming and checking back.

What do you all think of these toys? Are you going to get an INSIDE OUT 2 Happy Meal? Are you going to see INSIDE OUT 2? Leave a comment below and give this article a like if you enjoyed my review. Thanks!