Later this year, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios will once more bring all the emotions in the hugely-anticipated sequel to Inside Out (2015). Nine years after the first movie debuted–and netted $858 million at the global box office–Inside Out 2 (2024) will see the return of Riley as she enters teenagehood and faces her newfound feelings.
After Disney and Pixar dropped new imagery earlier this week, Inside Out 2 has gone viral, with claims that the animated sequel is seemingly about sexuality and coming out.
Inside Out was a big hit for Disney and Pixar. Stacked with a stellar cast including Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Bill Hader as Fear, and Lewis Black as Anger, Inside Out fully embodied the emotion audiences expect from a Pixar movie–literally. Directed by Pete Docter, from a screenplay by Docter, Meg LaFauve, and Josh Cooley, Inside Out‘s success eventually spawned a sequel coming in summer 2024.
First announced at D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim, California, Docter–now Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios– was joined by Amy Poehler to reveal that Inside Out 2 would be coming to movie theaters in 2024. It remained relatively quiet on the sequel development front until recently when the movie studios shared the first teaser trailer, introducing Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as a new emotion: Anxiety.
And Anxiety isn’t the only newcomer as Riley enters the teenage unknown. The original five will also be joined by Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour) as Ennui, and Paul Walter Hauser (Cruella) as Embarrassment. Tony Hale and Liza Lapira will replace Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust, respectively.
The fact that Inside Out 2 is focusing on teenage Riley–played in the sequel by Kensington Tallman–could be a source of debate when the movie finally releases. As we saw in early 2022, fans had a divided response to the story of Mei in Turning Red, and that period scene caused quite a stir. With Riley navigating high school as a teenager, just how much will Disney and Pixar lean into the themes of adolescence and growing up? It’s no secret that Disney has faced criticism in recent years over so-called “woke” stories, and Inside Out 2 may just be another feather in the angry arrows some have aimed at the House of Mouse.
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In response to new updates from Disney and Pixar in the form of never-before-scene imagery, some have commented on how Inside Out 2 looks to deal with Riley’s sexuality. The update includes a new character, Valentina “Val” Ortiz, played by Lilimar, and a viral tweet from @art_retr0), which gained 4.5 million views, reads:
Her new emotion is lesbianism
Her new emotion is lesbianism https://t.co/dboc8ZEH37
— Retr0 ✦ Nkechi (@art_retr0) March 7, 2024
The four images show Riley at high school, seemingly transfixed by an unknown female character. The tweet has 169,000 likes and over 13,000 retweets. However, as expected, the analysis garnered a mixed response. Some commented on how the movie would be trailblazing if it included Riley’s queer identity and showed her coming out to her parents, while others stated that it is yet another sign that Disney is going “woke.”
Another tweet from @faithsbuffy reads:
i can’t believe we’re getting hom*osexuality island in inside out 2
i can’t believe we’re getting hom*osexuality island in inside out 2 pic.twitter.com/O4W7xzkmx9
— charlie (@faithsbuffy) March 7, 2024
It won’t be the first time Disney or Pixar have introduced gay characters. In 2022, Pixar’s Lightyear became massively banned and boycotted in various territories around the world after including a same-sex kiss. Then, just a few months later, Disney’s Strange World featured the company’s first openly gay main character in the form of Jaboukie Young-White’s Ethan Clade.
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After facing increasing backlash for their “woke” ideologies, it’s uncertain if Disney and Pixar would go down the route of making Riley a queer character. But as the company continues to block out the noise and pour energy into diversity and inclusion, it may be the direction they pursue–even if CEO Bob Iger said films should focus on story and not messaging in a recent interview.
Inside Out 2 will drop into movie theaters on June 14, 2024. The first movie can be streamed on Disney+. Watch the trailer for the upcoming animated film here:
What do you think Disney and Pixar will do with Riley in Inside Out 2? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
