One Inside Out star has a great idea for a third movie!
Inside Out 2 is shattering box office records for Pixar, which makes a third movie likely. As it happens, Amy Poehler has an idea of just what the new film can be about!
There was a lot riding on Inside Out 2. Pixar's track record for the last few years hasn't been the best, with flops like Lightyear, the letdown of Elemental and Turning Red, and Luca banished to Disney+. Given that Disney itself has endured several box office flops in the last year, folks were concerned if the movie could succeed.
Thankfully, those worries are for naught. Inside Out 2 has outdone all expectations, opening with a stunning $155 million domestically and closing in on $300 million on its first weekend. It's the second-highest opening weekend ever for an animated movie and juicing the box office, which was rough in 2024.
It's wonderful news for Pixar and Disney as fans loved the story of the return of the emotions inside teenager Riley and new ones brought in, too. The movie revolves around Joy (Amy Poehler) clashing with Anxiety (Maya Hawke) on what's best for Riley. The movie's themes are wonderful to showcase how emotions have to flow together to help a person out.
With such monster success, it's likely a third Inside Out movie will follow, even as there are plans for a Disney+ series. As it happens, Joy herself, Amy Poehler, has an idea for it!
How Inside Out 3 can introduce new emotions
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly with the rest of the cast, Amy Poehler brought up her pitch for Inside Out 3, which can play on new emotions.
"There's a place separate from headquarters where these more complicated emotions hang out. Like a lounge where they're kind of waiting to go on. It's almost like an emotional batting cage, and they're just getting ready."
The second film plays on this with a running gag of Nostalgia (shown as an old woman voiced by June Squibb) popping in only to be told, "We're not old enough for you yet." As it happens, director Kelsey Mann confirmed that her original sequel plan called for a whopping nine new emotions to be brought in but decided it was better to whittle them down to Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui.
Mann hasn't said which emotions there could have been but it makes sense more are added as Riley grows older and brings in further conflict. It's possible the planned DIsney+ series has its own plans to bring in emotions yet a third movie can touch on it with Riley perhaps ready for college. It can also show maturity for the original emotions to play on how folks handle things better (or worse) as they hit adulthood.
So far, Pixar is too busy being happy about the success of Inside Out 2 to consider a sequel but Poehler's idea may come to fruition to continue this hit franchise.
Inside Out 2 now in theaters.