In 2015, Pixar's film of the year seemed to set out to answer the question “what if feelings had feelings?” And with that, they delivered Inside Out, arguably one of the best Pixar films in years that not only connected with kids, but adults as well. The movie was critically acclaimed, and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
As has been the case with some of the most successful Pixar films, a sequel is usually not that far behind. And now, Inside Out is joining the list. While it’s not the first, it’ll most certainly not be the last. Even so, it’s exciting to see one of Pixar’s most beloved movies get another story told.
However, who is going to star in this film? And when is it going to be released? For all of your Inside Out 2 worries and queries, we know some things that you should keep in mind while we wait for this movie to come to theaters.
When Is The Inside Out 2 Release Date?
It’s been confirmed that Inside Out 2 is going to release on June 14, 2024, so expect to see this on our 2024 movie release schedule.
Announced originally at the 2022 D23 Expo and posted to the official Pixar Twitter page, it was confirmed that Inside Out 2 is expected to arrive in 2024. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has set June 14, 2024 as the release date for the film.
Amy Poehler Will Be Back As Joy
Oh, Joy! This is a joyous day indeed because Amy Poehler is going to be back to play Joy, the main emotion that we followed a good amount of in the first Inside Out. It was confirmed at the time of the announcement at D23 that she’s going to be around for the sequel, which is so fun to hear. Poehler has done plenty of great character roles, but her voice performance as Joy has always been one of my favorites.
Mindy Kaling Won’t Be Back – And Other Cast Members Have Not Been Confirmed
Unfortunately, we already know that one star of the original film will not be returning, and that is Mindy Kaling.
In an interview that the star did with The Wrap, she confirmed that she will not be in the upcoming sequel.
I had a great time working on ‘Inside Out’ and am sure ‘Inside Out 2’ will be great. But I’m not working on it.
During the interview, Kaling also stressed that she wasn’t working on the film “right now,” as of January 2023, so her involvement in the show could potentially change, but for now, we can safely presume that she won’t be back for the sequel.
It hasn’t been confirmed yet if anyone else from the line-up of the previous emotions would be returning either. For a refresher, these stars included Bill Hader, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black. There were also some rumors back in September 2022 that some stars from the original film might not be returning at all. Hopefully we'll have more information on who's in the cast in the coming months, but for now, all we can do is hope.
Inside Out 2 Will Take Place While Riley Is A Teenager
Bring on the boy bands and “it’s not a phase, mom!” because this is something that I am so excited to see. At the D23 Expo, Amy Poehler said that Inside Out 2 is going to take place inside Riley’s head as a teenager.
Poehler even spoke to People in September 2022 about the upcoming film, and how it’s going to explore the “madness” of a teenager’s brain during puberty in.
We're going to have what it feels like to be a teenager, the new emotions that live inside a young person's brain. In many ways, it was really exciting. We knew exactly where we were. We go to the teen brain and we see the madness that lives inside there.
While I may be 24 (soon to be 25), I still remember very vividly what it was like to be a teenager and all the craziness that was happening at the time, so it’s going to be adventurous to see Riley’s head during her teenage years. And I always love a good coming of age story.
There Will Be New Emotions Introduced
I don’t know why this idea scares me and yet excites me at the same time. Also at the D23 Expo, it was confirmed that there would be new emotions in Riley’s head during Inside Out 2. What type of emotions she’ll have haven’t been announced, but I can only imagine what on earth they are going to include.
Pete Docter, who is the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, spoke with The Wrap in February 2023 about the upcoming movie, and that the reason they wanted to make a sequel was “explore new emotions,” and broaden the scope of Riley’s mind.
Will it be the typical emotions teenagers usually face in those years like love? Or are we going to get into deeper emotions, such as anxiety? I’m so curious to see where this is going to take us.
Kelsey Mann Is Set To Direct
Kelsey Mann is set to direct Inside Out 2.
While Mann has not directed a Pixar feature film previously, he has worked on the team behind many of them, including working on the story for The Good Dinosaur, as well as working as a creative consultant for the fun Disney+ original series, Monsters at Work. He also was a part of the creative team for Lightyear, and worked on the story for Onward.
The previous film, as said before, was directed by Pete Docter, who to me has to be considered Pixar royalty at this point. Docter directed three of my favorite Pixar films - Monsters, Inc., Up, and Soul, so he’s most certainly proved himself in the world of animation. But I’m eager to see what a fresh perspective will do for a sequel to a movie as beloved as Inside Out is.
Meg LeFauve Will Return To Pen The Script
While the director for the original movie won’t be returning, one of the original screenplay writers will be coming back for a second round. Pixar's announcement confirmed that Meg LeFauve, who co-wrote the screenplay for Inside Out, would be returning to pen the script for the sequel.
This is super exciting news, considering I loved the story of Riley learning to adapt in this new environment and trying to process her emotions to properly deal with it, while also watching the journey of Joy learning to accept sadness as a part of Riley’s life. It was beautiful and heartwarming -- oh, and let’s not forget about my favorite scene-stealer, Bing Bong (yup, already crying).
To hear that LeFauve will be returning to write has me even more excited for what’s to come, and I can’t wait to see what story she creates for this wonderful world of emotions again.
What are you the most excited for with Inside Out? I can feel the joy jumping up and down inside of me...while fear is slowly rocking back and forth in a fetal position hoping that they end up doing this sequel right. But now I just need to wait patiently for 2024 to come. Ugh, can time go by quicker?
