Inside Out 2 was a roaring success for Disney and Pixar. It was the highest-grossing film of 2024 and an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature. So a "threequel" is almost guaranteed, right? Well, star Paul Walter Hauser, who voiced the emotion Embarrassment, certainly thinks so.
"I heard we might be doing another one," Hauser told Comicbook.com. "I don’t know when or how or where, but the movie just resonated with people of all ages and it really, I think what’s different about the Inside Out movies from other animated films is it doesn’t really treat children as less intellectual beings.”
He's right there. The Inside Out franchise treats children like people with their own thoughts and emotions - emotions that function as individual beings, even. The central character we follow in the franchise is a young girl called Riley, who is adjusting to being a teenager in Inside Out 2. Riley starts off with a handful of simple emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. But when she gets a little older, those emotions are joined by some new and more complex ones, including Anxiety, who proceeds to accidentally wreak havoc on Riley's mind.
The movie is a great demonstration to children (and adults) about how to process anxiety. It resonated with a great many people, and a third movie is sure to do exactly the same thing.
Other actors have also spoken about where Inside Out 3 might go
Kensingon Tallman, the teenager who voices Riley, has also spoken to Comicbook.com about Inside Out 3 and potential plotlines. She wants to see Riley grow up and face new challenges.
"
In a potential sequel, she wants Riley to be, “Definitely college age, going into adulthood because that is a really scary time sometimes, but it’s also really exciting." She went on, "So I feel like balancing the excitement and the fear a little bit, and anxiety with that would be really cool. I’m 16 so I’m not quite there yet, but I’m getting close. I feel like that would be a really unique storyline to explore. I’ll get there before you know it.”
There could be a lot to explore with Riley as she reaches college age. All adults know how difficult that age is and how many new things activate your emotions. However, there could also be new stories to explore with Riley in high school before we get to that point. Two movies (and one very good TV show, Dream Productions) have only just scratched the surface of what the Inside Out concept has to offer.
Little else is known about Inside Out 3 - it doesn't have a director, a script, a release date or indeed anything! But Disney and Pixar are almost certainly going to capitalize on the success of the last two movies and make another one. Hopefully, it'll be just as good!