It was only a couple of days ago that we learned Pixar would be soon bringing us back to the world of Inside Out. A brand new short film titled Riley’s First Date?, which further expands on one of the threads that was only lightly pulled in the feature, is going to be included with the Blu-ray and DVD release of the movie. This means that most people won’t get their chance to see it until November, but that group doesn’t include attendees at the animation presentation at the D23 Expo this afternoon.
While Pixar filmmakers behind titles like The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory merely showed off clips from their upcoming titles, Inside Out director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera both came out to show Riley’s First Date? in its entirety. The story is set after the events we’ve seen, and was some of the best stuff featured during the entire presentation.
I won’t spoil all of the surprises here - as the short is worth checking out when it becomes available – but I will say that it’s a fairly simple premise: the skater boy who Riley meets at the end of Inside Out shows up at her house for a get-together at the skate park, and Riley’s parents (Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Lane) have individual reactions to his presence. Dad, for example, immediately finds his emotions go into high alert, as he wants to be super protective of his young daughter. Meanwhile, Mom wants to get the skinny on what’s happening with Riley by acting hip and trying to relate to her – but it just comes across as cringe-worthy. As you probably guessed, the short has movie-goers traveling in and out of the minds of all the characters, and all of the voice actors return to their wonderful roles. The good news is that it’s all just as clever as this summer’s big blockbuster, and really hilarious at times.
At the end of the day, Riley’s First Date? will only serve to improve the legacy of Inside Out - which is already insanely positive as it is. With a 98 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s not only one of the best reviewed Pixar movies, but one of the best reviewed movies of all time. It’s also worth noting that the film is just a little more than $2 million away from becoming the animation studio’s second biggest domestic hit (beating out Finding Nemo and trailing just Toy Story 3).
Inside Out is still in theaters across the world, but the wait until the home video release isn’t too long. Walt Disney Home Entertainment has dated the Blu-ray and DVD for November 3rd. It will be worth picking up just for the film, but the short is a fantastic bonus.
