The beloved original movie follows five personified emotions in the mind of a middle schooler.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Seven years after the debut of “Inside Out,” Disney’s Pixar has made its plans for a sequel official.
The studio said on Twitter Friday that Amy Poehler will once again star as Joy — the personification of happiness in middle schooler Riley’s head. Kelsey Mann will direct, Mark Nielsen will produce and Meg LeFauvre will return to write.
“Inside Out 2” will release in summer 2024, Pixar said. No title has been announced yet, and casting and plot details are limited.
Poehler, however, shared some tidbits at Disney fan expo D23 Friday. The comedian and actor said the sequel will keep following Riley and her emotions — with some new twists.
“We’re going to be back in our hero Riley’s head, but she’s going to be a teenager now,” Poehler told The Hollywood Reporter after the announcement. “We all know when we become a teenager, our head starts to be filled with new emotions that are very tricky, complicated and hard to understand. I think Joy is going to be very confused about how to handle these new intruders into her girl’s head.”
Poehler said the sequel will embrace the “mayhem” of puberty as Riley grows up and figures out who she is as a person. She didn’t reveal what the new emotions will be but hinted that “I bet you could guess some of them.”
Pete Docter, who directed the original computer-animated film, said the sequel is in early production.
The original “Inside Out” follows Poehler’s character Joy along with Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) as Riley adjusts to her family’s move from Minnesota to San Francisco.
Pixar did not confirm whether any stars besides Poehler will return for the sequel.
‘Inside Out 2’ wasn’t the only upcoming film revealed by Pixar Friday. The studio shared a first look at “Elio,” the adventure of a boy who “finds himself transported across the galaxy & mistaken for the intergalactic Ambassador for our planet Earth.”
Pixar said “Elio” will release in spring 2024.