International
Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 takes the global box office by storm!
Mumbai: Inside Out 2, the coming-of-age sequel to the Oscar-winning franchise by Disney and Pixar released in cinemas worldwide on 14 June after 9 years and is touted to be the biggest animated film of the year. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, the film takes audiences back to the life of Riley who has adjusted to her new life in San Francisco and has recently turned 13. She navigates through new emotions including Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui and Envy who are brought into the headquarters as Riley is now a teenager. Audiences and critics have applauded how this new mixed bag of emotions on an exceptional rollercoaster is a must-watch for everyone.
In its opening weekend, Inside Out 2 has shattered the box office records and has emerged to be the biggest Hollywood film of 2024 raking in 155 million dollars domestically leaving behind films including Dune 2, God x King: The New empire, amongst others. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the film grossed a global total of $295 million, the biggest opening of all time for an animated film.
Inside Out 2’s Rotten Tomato score stands at a staggering 93 per cent while its IMDb rating is currently at 8. The film became the second-highest domestic opener of all time in the animated movie genre behind Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’ and is further expected to shine globally, including in India as well.
The film features Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan reprising their roles from the first film with Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kensington Tallman joining the cast. Inside Out 2 is now in theatres in English and Hindi.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
