Pixar mostly steered clear of sequels in the first decade of its existence, aside from Toy Story 2, which is a rare instance where the sequel is on par with the original. But somewhere in the 2010’s, the animators realized that all of those teens who saw the early Pixar flicks with their parents are now adults with wallets (presumably) so they started making more and more sequels, mostly of the Cars variety.
Now, it’s time for Inside Out to have its second wave of attention, and it seems to be working. The sequel, Inside Out 2, has already scored the biggest box office debut of the year, all thanks to our friend Anxiety. That seems to imply that another installment could be in the works, as long as the fans are on board.
Director Kelsey Mann told USA Today that they have a plethora of ideas lines up if a sequel is ordered.
“There’s something about the Inside Out world where it’s met with open arms. Everybody’s like, ‘What age is she? I can’t wait to hear where she is in her life’. [We have] a whole stockpile of ideas. They’re too good, they’re too funny, they’re too interesting for them not to be tapped into,” he said. Doesn’t everyone want to see what it’s like when Riley gets her first job rejection email, or how her brain will handle the complexity of jury duty?
Mann concluded that if the fans want it, a third one isn’t off the table. “So I have no idea where the future will go, (but) it should continue because I think it’s something that the audience really wants.” All the audience really wants is a Bing Bong redemption arc. Until then, we will have to settle for a TV series.
Inside Out 2 is now playing in theaters.