“What if (X) had emotions?” It’s a template Pixar used to massive success with “Toy Story” and has returned to time and time again ever since. It was probably inevitable then that the studio would make a film with the premise, “What if emotions had emotions?” The result was 2015’s “Inside Out,” and you know what? It’s pretty damn great, too.
Pixar’s animated hit examines the inner workings of the mind of Riley, an 11-year-old hockey-loving girl whose world is completely upended after her family moves across the U.S. from Minnesota to San Francisco. However, we as viewers get to experience this not just through Riley’s eyes but through those of the personified emotions guiding her brain (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger). For a film with such a heady setup, “Inside Out” is as crowd-pleasing as they come, combining rib-cracking laughs and tear-jerking drama (friggin’ Bing Bong, amirite?) with dazzlingly colorful visuals of Riley’s inner landscape (like personality traits that manifest as floating islands with themes such as “Goofball”).
The movie ends with Riley turning 12 and a tease of what’s to come, from her newfound sense of personal fashion to her boy band phase. With “Inside Out 2” now on its way to becoming a reality, does that mean we’ll finally get to visit “Tragic Vampire Romance Island”? Here’s what we know about the sequel so far.
When does Inside Out 2 premiere?
Things were looking pretty dire for Pixar for a while there. After Disney sent three of its films directly to Disney+ in a row in response to COVID-19, the studio’s “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” bombed hard at the box office in 2022. Thankfully, its next film, “Elemental,” overcame a slow start to become one of the biggest animated hits of 2023, ensuring that Pixar will continue to have a home on the big screen for the foreseeable future.
The House of Mouse has since affirmed its commitment to releasing future Pixar films exclusively in theaters prior to their streaming premiere. Hence, you’ll have to make the trip to your local multiplex to see “Inside Out 2” when it opens on June 14, 2024 (either that or be patient and wait a few months for it to make its way to Premium Video On Demand and Disney+).
What are the plot details of Inside Out 2?
“Inside Out 2” will pick up where its predecessor left off, following Riley as she navigates her “terrible teens” on her way to adulthood. Announcing the film at Disney’s D23 event in 2022, the sequel’s cast and crew confirmed it will once again “take place inside Riley’s head, only this time she’s a teenager.”
Speaking to The Wrap in February 2023, “Inside Out” director Peter Docter (who is currently Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer) talked about how, while researching the first movie, he and his creative team learned humans experience somewhere between “five to 27 emotions.” As such, the sequel will introduce a number of new emotions into the mix in an effort to “be a little bit more truthful and broadening (the scope),” as Docter put it.
“Inside Out 2” will also feature returning emotions from the first film, though not as many as you might think (for reasons we will get into next).
Who is the cast of Inside Out 2?
So, here’s where things get awkward. Amy Poehler is set to reprise her role as Joy for “Inside Out 2,” but as of right now, Disgust actor Mindy Kaling and Fear actor Bill Hader are not returning for the sequel. According to Puck (via Vulture), Kaling and Hader passed after being offered a mere two percent of Poehler’s salary ($5 million “plus additional fees and bonuses”). Co-stars Phyllis Smith (Sadness) and Lewis Black (Anger) were also offered the same deal as Kaling and Hader. At the time of writing, though, their involvement remains somewhat up in the air.
The original report by Puck goes on to highlight how Disney had been increasingly “going cheap on voice talent” in the lead-up to the actors’ strike of 2023. Ideally, the status quo will have improved dramatically for voice performers in general (who have been historically under-valued across the entertainment industry) by the time “Inside Out 2” arrives.
Who is the director of Inside Out 2?
With Peter Docter keeping busy overseeing all of Pixar, Kelsey Mann will take over directing duties on “Inside Out 2.” Prior to joining Pixar, Mann was a storyboard artist on animated series like “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” and “Ultimate Spider-Man.” He would go on to serve as a story supervisor on the films “Monsters University,” “The Good Dinosaur,” and “Onward,” in addition to acting as a creative consultant on several other Pixar projects.
During his interview with The Wrap, Docter confirmed it was Mann who came up with the idea for an “Inside Out” sequel. In his own words:
“It was really poignant and very heartfelt, very personal to him, but also universal. (…) It’s got a real great heart to it, a really great core that is central to some of these new emotions showing up. It’s all connected.”
Who are the writers and producers of Inside Out 2?
“Inside Out 2” is being scripted by Meg LeFauve based on Kelsey Mann’s original pitch. LeFauve has evolved into one of Pixar’s most trusted writers over the last decade, penning “Inside Out” and “The Good Dinosaur” as well as the story for “Onward.” She also wrote Netflix and Cartoon Saloon’s acclaimed animated fantasy adventure film “My Father’s Dragon” and received story credit for her efforts on Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel.”
Although he won’t be directing the film, Peter Docter will still serve as a producer on “Inside Out 2,” joining the likes of Pixar veteran Mark Nielsen (who got started with the studio as a modeling and shading coordinator on “A Bug’s Life” and “Toy Story 2” in the ’90s). Other producers and creative personnel will be announced closer to the sequel’s theatrical release in 2024, so keep it tuned to /Film for additional updates in the future.
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