Inside Out 2 Star Reveals She Pushed Pixar for a Sequel

Inside Out 2 became the biggest film of the year last week, surpassing Dune: Part 2 at the box office with a staggering $835 million dollars earned worldwide in its first two weeks, and it’s a sequel that star Amy Poehler says she constantly pushed Pixar to make. Released in 2015, the first Inside Out film took in $857 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest grossing movie of the year. With Inside Out 2 still in its theatrical infancy, there’s no doubt the sequel, which stars Poehler as Joy, will easily surpass its predecessor.

Speaking with People, Poehler says that despite the success of Inside Out in 2015, the 52-year-old actress was constantly bugging Pixar to make a sequel. Development on the story for Inside Out 2 didn’t get started until 2020, with Pixar waiting until 2022 to officially confirm it. Poehler says that when she finally heard what the approach to the sequel would look like, she “thought it was genius.”

“I’ve been bugging Pete Docter [the Chief Creative Officer of studio Pixar] and the team and just saying,
‘When are you guys going to make another one?
When’s that happening?’ When they told me their idea of how to approach the second one,
I thought it was just genius
.”

Inside Out 2

3.5/5

Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. – literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Director

Kelsey Mann

Inside Out tells the story of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), and the various emotions inside of her at age 11 as she moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. Those emotions were brought to life by way of Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Harder), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).

Now 13-years-old, Inside Out 2 follows Riley (portrayed in the sequel by Kensington Tallman) as she enters high school, with a few new emotions being added to the mix, including Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Nostalgia (June Squibb).

Amy Poehler Says Inside Out 2 Asks Universal Questions

While being an 11-year-old is tough, especially when you’re uprooted from your surroundings and friends only to be plopped down in an entirely new location, entering high school around age 13 is perhaps one of the scariest times in a young person’s life. Not to mention there’s the onset of puberty, which brings with it its own set of problems and emotions, as depicted in Inside Out 2 as Riley snaps at her parents, and pushes new boundaries as she tries to make sense of her experiences.

For Amy Poehler, she says that the sequel explores questions that are universal to all kids at that time in their life, which has definitely been a contributing factor to the film’s success, and will undoubtedly find audiences exploring more of Riley’s life in future installments as she grows older.

Related

Inside Out 2 Review: A Creative Journey Through Puberty’s Travails

Riley (Kensington Tallman) turns 13 and experiences new emotions while attending a hockey camp.

While Inside Out 3 hasn’t been given the official green light just yet, as Inside Out 2‘s theatrical run continues to smash records, it’s a sequel that Pixar will find hard to ignore, and one that Amy Poehler has some big ideas for.