Inside Out 2 director has ‘a lot of ideas for other countries and emotions in his head’ for a third film
Inside out 2 tore its way through the box office and Disney Plus in 2024, breaking records for highest-grossing animation and most-streamed premiere, and since then many of us have been anxiously wondering when we can delve into Riley’s mind again.
After all, the new movie included a few key details that hinted at even more sequel storylines, including the introduction of a new emotion (Nostalgia, voiced by June Squibb) that didn’t play a major role in Inside out 2but gave us a hint of a possible recurring character in future films.
I spoke with writer and director Kelsey Mann, who would neither confirm nor deny that Pixar is considering expanding the franchise Inside out 3 (a spin-off TV show has already been released); all he would say was that nothing was in the pipeline yet: “(There are) no plans for a sequel at the moment,” he told me.
Where ideas are made
However, Mann did announce this during a conversation about the making of Inside out 2 that he had explored three different ideas for the sequel’s storyline, as well as “a lot of (new) emotions coming into HQ”. While two of these obviously didn’t make the cut, it does mean that there are probably some ideas left on the storyboard.
These ideas could eventually find their way into future films in the US Inside out franchise, especially if some characters/emotions, like the aforementioned Nostalgia, are brought back to play a larger role in later installments.
The story of Inside out 2 suggests an infinite number of possible new characters who could join future outings, as the introduction of four new emotions in addition to Nostalgia (Fear, Boredom, Shame, and Envy) to represent Riley’s maturing mind as she moves from child to teenager suggests that This It could happen again as she gets older.
“There are so many ideas. I don’t have a general idea of Riley if she is (a certain) age. I don’t have anything like that, but I have a lot of ideas for other countries or other emotions in my head that I think would be great,” Mann said as he discussed the different possibilities for turning neuroscientific ideas into colorful, animated analogies.
Mann’s enthusiasm for where one of the best Disney Plus movies could be next is infectious, so much so that it seems a foregone conclusion that Pixar Studios will return to this golden goose soon enough. “There are so many great ideas that I think, ‘This deserves to see the light of day.’ And I hope it is, I really hope it is,” Mann added.
A dream production
Like the absence of a solid Inside out 3 news is not what you wanted to hear, and you have already exhausted all the news new Disney Plus movies and rewatch the Inside Out films several times, then you will love the film Inside out 2 spin-off series Dream productions which premiered on the streamer in December.
As Mann explains: Dream productions, which takes place between the events of Inside out And Inside Out 2, “all takes place in Riley’s head at Dream Productions, where all her dreams are made like a movie studio”.
“It’s really fantastic, and I can’t wait for the world to see that because you get to see a little bit more of Riley’s life, which we’re doing a little bit more of,” Mann says of what will likely be one of the best Disney Plus shows with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating from audiences at the time of writing.
The series gives fans a great way to delve into Riley’s thoughts between watches of two of the films best family films available to stream on Disney Plus. While the future of Inside out 3 is still up in the air, I have no doubt that we will return to headquarters in no time.