'Inside Out 2': Everything to Know About the Pixar Sequel

Disney/Pixar

Get ready Pixar fans — Inside Out 2 is set to explore an entirely new landscape: the teenage mind.

Disney and Pixar announced the production of a sequel to 2015's Oscar-winning Inside Out during the D23 Expo in September 2022. Amy Poehler, who will be reprising her role as fun-loving, blue-haired Joy in the new movie, joined Inside Out director Pete Docter on stage during the convention.

"Pixar is making Inside Out 2!" Poehler told the crowd. "Yes, Joy and the emotions are back for an all-new adventure inside Riley's head."

Docter shared that Inside Out script writer Meg LaFauve and producer Mark Nielsen will be returning for the sequel. Meanwhile, Docter announced that he would not be directing the new film, instead passing the torch to Onward story supervisor Kelsey Mann.

The presentation ended with Docter explaining, "It's still very early in production so we're gonna keep a lid on all the details."

Still, Poehler revealed that she had read the script and called it "amazing."

Poehler later spoke more about the film during an interview with PEOPLE. "We're going to have what it feels like to be a teenager, the new emotions that live inside a young person's brain," she said. "In many ways, it was really exciting. We knew exactly where we were. We go to the teen brain and we see the madness that lives inside there."

The actress also said the movie will go "deeper," explaining, "A lot has happened since the first film in terms of the emotional intelligence and how we think about mental health and how our emotions can affect us physically, and what's really going on inside our head."

From the plot to the release date, here's everything to know about Inside Out 2.

How did Inside Out leave off?

Disney/Pixar

The original film focused on 11-year-old Riley and her emotions after her family's move to a new city. At the end of the movie, Joy and Sadness work together to help Riley confess to her parents that she misses her old life and cope with the change. They create a new "core memory" and begin restoring the girl's personality. The emotions also hint at another big change when they spot a new button on their control panel labeled "Puberty."

What is Inside Out 2 about?

Disney/Pixar Animation Studios

The new movie will focus on Riley as a teenager, featuring new emotions and new adventures.

Poehler talked about the film's plot in an interview with PEOPLE. "At the very end of the original, Joy has that great moment where she's like, 'Finally, everything the way it's supposed to be.' Then we see that big puberty button, 'Should we press this?' We do press it in the second movie," explained Poehler. "In some ways, Inside Out set itself up for a sequel and we're going there."

Who is in the cast?

Kevin Winter/Getty

While the entire cast has not yet been announced, Poehler is returning as Joy, Phyllis Smith is slated to reprise her role of Sadness and Lewis Black is set to return as Anger.

Poehler talked about returning to her character in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "She's a really physical character to play. You have to really stand up and you cannot sit down and record her," she said. "So it took a minute to just remember how she moved through the world."

Who is directing Inside Out 2?

The Walt Disney Company

Kelsey Mann, who previously served as the story supervisor for Onward and The Good Dinosaur, will direct Inside Out 2. The original film was directed by Pete Docter, who also directed Soul and Up.

While Docter told Entertainment Weekly in June 2015 that he wasn't working on any sequel plans at the time, he didn't completely close the door, either: "Never say never." That same year, Poehler praised the director and the film's message during an interview with The Guardian.

"Pete did a beautiful job of not only reminding everyone of how difficult it is and emotionally treacherous it is to grow up and to leave childhood behind, but that our constant pursuit of happiness as human beings and as parents sometimes gets in the way of real growth," she said.

When will Inside Out 2 be released?

Inside Out 2 will be released in theaters on June 14, 2024.