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Pixar's boss gives some intriguing hints to what's next for the company

Pixar content chief Pete Doctor is sharing plans for the company which mixes franchises with some fun original tales!

By Michael Weyer

AMBASSADOR ELIO? – When Elio (voice of Yonas Kibreab), an underdog with an active imagination, is inadvertently beamed up to an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, he’s mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Elio” is directed by Adrian Molina (screenwriter and co-director of “Coco”) and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of “Coco”)—the intergalactic misadventure launches in
AMBASSADOR ELIO? – When Elio (voice of Yonas Kibreab), an underdog with an active imagination, is inadvertently beamed up to an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, he’s mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Elio” is directed by Adrian Molina (screenwriter and co-director of “Coco”) and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of “Coco”)—the intergalactic misadventure launches in /
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As Inside Out 2 is poised to restore Pixar's past glory, their boss has opened up on a TV series based on the hit films and what's next for the company!

After a rough few years marked with its biggest box office flop (Lightyear) and several films banished right to Disney+, Pixar is hoping that Inside Out 2 restores its reputation as a fantastic animated studio. The original film was one of Pixar's biggest hits, looking at the emotions inside a young girl's mind with Joy (Amy Poehler) going a bit too far trying to make Riley happy above all else.

The sequel has Riley now a teenager, leading to a new mix of emotions entering and a conflict on what's right for Riley.

So far, the movie is tracking for a great opening weekend and Pixar chief content officer Pete Doctor (who directed the original Inside Out) spoke to Entertainment Weekly on the future of the company. 

As he discussed the sequel's progress, Doctor shared that an Inside Out TV show is coming that will delve further into things like the dream world.

"We have finished. It's coming out next spring. I'm not sure that there's been a specific release date, but in the first film, remember we go to Dream Production to see how Riley's dreams are made? It semi-explains why they're so weird. We've continued the exploration of the power of dreams and how they affect us in our waking life, as well. So it's pretty cool."

Doctor also discussed Elemental, which had a bad box office opening in 2023 but managed to succeed with long-term word of mouth. As he put it, "Again, it's the Wild West. Everybody's trying to figure out: How do we make money?"

That will include future Pixar projects, which may be different from what folks expect.

What big movies can Pixar put out next?

Doctor had earlier made it clear he's against the idea of live-action adaptations of Pixar movies. He also acknowledged plans for sequels to Monsters Inc. and even the possibility of a TV show based on The Incredibles. 

There are plans for a fifth Toy Story movie as well as Elio, which was to premiere this March but delayed until next year. The trailer does show the Pixar flavor from animation to the fun tale of a boy taken by aliens who mistakenly believe he's Earth's leader. 

Doctor assured fans that there are plans for original stories as that's always what Pixar wants more than relying on franchises. 

"Even in sequels, the worry is that you're going to end up just repeating either plot lines or themes that we've dealt with before. We had early versions of Inside Out 2 where they're going after the core memories again, and we gotta shake this up. So we made a lot of decisions based on the desire not to repeat ourselves."

Doctor acknowledges the "turmoil" of the last few years for Pixar but also is quite excited on what the future holds. 

"Every project we have is exciting to me for multiple reasons — both from new looks and technology, but more importantly, original stories and storytellers. It's a very exciting place to be, but we're trying to hold back some of the surprises for the future. I've been at Pixar for 33 years, and I don't think we've ever been in a period of more turmoil and uncertainty than right now, which is kind of exciting."

So as fans await Inside Out 2, Doctor's words give hope that Pixar may return to the glory days of the best animated movies out there which is great news for Disney fans.

Inside Out 2 premieres in theaters June 14.

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