Summary:
- Amy Poehler, who voiced Joy in the original Inside Out movie, will reprise her role in the upcoming sequel.
- Poehler also shared her vision to have Pixar release an Inside Out sequel “every couple of years.”
- The voice actress also holds the first movie in high regards, praising it as “super-emotional.”
The Pixar universe is set to expand once again with a sequel to the beloved 2015 film Inside Out. As Riley grows into adolescence, the emotional landscape becomes richer, with a bunch of new puberty emotions taking over, and setting the stage for Inside Out 2.
Amy Poehler, the voice behind the ever-optimistic Joy, sees vast potential for the franchise to explore different stages of Riley’s life, akin to the classic Seven Up documentary series.
In an interview with Empire, Poehler expressed her vision to have Inside Out as a franchise, with a new sequel released “every couple of years”:
“I just think that they should make these films like Seven Up, every couple of years in Riley’s life. A young adult, a young mother, and I think a middle-aged person. Everyone’s having these very distinct new emotions that are showing up all the time.”
For those who might not know, Seven Up is a documentary series released in 1954, telling the stories of the protagonists at various ages. Therefore, what Poehler suggests is not merely one sequel, but many that come with every stage that Riley will have in life.
Inside Out is widely considered one of Pixar’s best films ever, and Poehler herself also holds it in high regard. “It was super-emotional, and I felt so proud to be in it. I still maintain it’s probably the best film I’ve ever been in.”
Despite the high expectations that naturally accompany a sequel, Poehler is enthusiastic about returning to the voicebooth. “This is where Joy and I dovetail. You can’t let that fear stop you from action. You have to act.”
With Riley now navigating her teenage years, Inside Out 2 delves into her emerging belief system, with a range of new emotions to boot. Director Kelsey Mann elaborated on this new theme:
“Now that Riley’s a teenager, she’s starting to develop her own set of beliefs. What if we actually hear Riley say her beliefs in her own voice? If you hear her say, ‘I’m kind,’ you can hear [in] the performance how she feels about that. Or, ‘My parents are proud of me.’ On the flip side, if there’s a belief that’s not so good, you can really hear the emotion of it.”
Aside from Poehler reprising her role as Joy, the sequel also brings back familiar voices like Phyllis Smith as Sadness and Lewis Black as Anger. Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane will also return as Riley’s parents, alongside new talents like Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Liza Lapira as Disgust, Tony Hale as Fear, Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, and Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui.
Kensington Tallman steps in as the teenage Riley, replacing Kaitlyn Dias from the first film.
The ending of Inside Out already teased what can happen in the sequel – as Joy and Sadness reconciled, there’s a big ‘PUBERTY’ button that appears out of nowhere in the headquarters, waiting to be pressed. Amy Poehler’s Joy looks at the button and then asks a nonchalant question: “After all, Riley’s 12 now. What could happen?”
The trailer for Inside Out 2 has the answer to that, with an influx of new emotions flooding into the headquarters. The four new puberty emotions, led by Anxiety, will seemingly dominate the old ones, and it is Joy’s mission to gain back control and get along with the new uninvited guests.
Inside Out 2 will be premiered worldwide on June 14, promising to delve deeper into the emotional rollercoaster of Riley’s adolescence.
