Could Inside Out Be Pixar’s Next Big Franchise?

While the official word from Pixar is that there’s no plans to make a sequel to ‘Inside Out’, it’s not stopped its director Pete Docter teasing us with, “Never say never,” in response to being asked about ‘Inside Out 2′ at some point in the future.

Pixar’s Past

When ‘Finding Nemo’ or ‘The Incredibles’ were conceived, it was unlikely Pixar’s immediate thought to go forth with a follow up, but they’re happening over a decade later. Similarly, it’s highly probable that John Lasseter didn’t foreshadow that, over 20 years since the first, he’d be working on ‘Toy Story 4′.

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So what’s to stop ‘Inside Out’ from expanding on its accessible, successful debut? It’s already set up Riley’s mind as a setting - one we can conceivably stick with for years to come. When you consider it, there’s a lot of options when thinking about how expansive the ‘Inside Out’ universe could be.

The Life of Riley

Firstly, Riley is only 11, so there’s scope for creating stories around her teenage years, which can include, high school, college, university, turning 16 and 18, as well as going beyond that and into her 20s: turning 21 and becoming a full-on adult could perhaps be a third part of a trilogy, with the teenage years sandwiched between that the current film. The possibilities are enormous, especially if we get to see Riley grow up at various interesting stages.

In fact, it could mirror the joy audiences experienced seeing ‘Toy Story’s’ Andy grown up from kid, to teen, to college-bound adult, and that’s a rather appealing aspect to the overall arc of the character. And with that the emotions could themselves age - that way we’re growing older with both Riley as well as Joy, Sadness et al.

Let’s, for a minute, consider the franchise still very much focuses on Riley but as an infant - what would her emotions be like and how would they form and contextualise things for the first time? Similarly, seeing her in her latter years as an 80-something, could offer a completely different angle and continue to resonate with the existing story and the adult it has already amassed.

Great Minds Think Alike

If you consider, for the moment, the brief, excellent insight we get into the minds of other characters such as Riley’s mum and dad, then we’ve got ourselves a near endless story expansion that could extend to numerous other characters going through different stages of their lives. A sweet, heart-breaking look into the mind of a grandparent could stir echoes of ‘Up’, but in truth there’s such a variety of scenarios available that there’s almost too much to explore. Structure and knowing its own boundaries would be essential from a filmmaking point of view.

Fans may not be sold on a franchise just yet - and yes, that even includes myself to a degree - but in time, when the yearning for further ‘Inside Out’ narrative is in demand or the final box office takings make greenlighting a sequel a no-brainer, we might just be ready for another adventure into the mind of Riley and beyond.

There really are a number of intriguing possibilities when you think about expanding on the ‘Inside Out’ universe, but only time (and final box office numbers) will tell if Pixar go ahead with any further stories.

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Picture credit: Disney Pixar