Inside Out 2 might well be the most exciting of all of the sequels currently in the works at Pixar HQ, following up one of the best animated movies ever made. And now we have an update from Pete Docter, who is the head honcho at the studio these days.
Released in 2015, and directed by Docter himself, Inside Out is one of the best movies ever made at Pixar. It takes place within the mind of young girl Riley, and follows the various emotions who are responsible for “driving” her personality and organizing her memories.
Long-time Pixar employee Kelsey Mann is making her directorial debut with the sequel, so we’re counting down the days to the Inside Out 2 release date. Docter told Variety that there will be a shake-up in Riley’s brain for Inside Out 2 and any other new movies on the way.
Docter said: “As for Inside Out, a bunch more emotions get to come in. It’s not just the five we saw in the first film. The team on that one put together a really great story that I think also has real depth and meaning to it. So fingers crossed that people like it.”
The filmmaker didn’t go any further in terms of which new emotions we’ll get to see in Inside Out 2. But we know that there were plenty on the cutting room floor from the first movie, including Surprise, Hope, Embarrassment, Trust, Pride, and loads of others.
In the same interview, Docter explained the balance between creating original stories at Pixar, like the new movie Elemental, and making sequels like Inside Out and Toy Story 5.
He said: “Right now, the world seems to want the comfort of what they know, which is sequels, and movies based on things like comic books or video games.
“But all of these things were original at one point. I think it’s essential for us to develop new original stories, which are harder to publicize, harder to get people excited to go see them. But I think audiences deserve it. They want to find that surprise, along with the comfort of the expectation.”
Inside Out 2 is certainly the kind of sequel we can get behind, given how much love we have for the first movie. And with Riley’s life set to change and shift radically throughout her teenage years, we think there’s real potential for further exploration.
For more from the world of Pixar movies, check out our Lightyear review and find out about a surprising Finding Nemo fan theory. You can also find out how Elemental got too close to a scary Lord of the Rings character.
You can also explore some of the best family movies coming to multiplexes in 2023, with our detailed guides to The Marvels release date and the Wonka release date.