When it comes to 2024 movies, there’s no greater success than Pixar’s Inside Out 2. It made nearly $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office along with being a critically-acclaimed animated hit. As detailed in my Inside Out 2 review, I loved the long-awaited sequel about the inner workings of Riley’s mind a few years after the events of the first movie. But the experience I had with Inside Out 2 also feels like one that hasn’t come around for Pixar since 2019’s Toy Story 4, which was the last movie that came out from the animation studio before the arrival of Disney+. I want to talk about the unique experience we got with Pixar this year that was beautifully capped off for me with the new Inside Out Disney+ TV show.
Following Inside Out 2’ becoming the biggest hit of the year, and what certainly seems like a cultural phenomenon of a movie we’ll look back on for decades to come (especially for how cathartic it has been for those who have dealt with loud anxiety), Pixar has just released a spinoff from another side of Riley’s mind outside of the control center. Dream Productions is a four-episode miniseries that delves into the making of dreams in Riley’s head. I want to share my thoughts on the show and how its release has me thinking about what I want going forward when it comes to the relationship between Disney+ and Pixar.
I Watched The Disney+ Inside Out Spinoff, And It Had Me Channelling Joy
I’ve anticipated Dream Productions ever since I heard about it, but I definitely wasn’t expecting it to come so soon after Inside Out 2. It ended up being perfect because there’s still some recency to the franchise for me, and I literally binged it the day it came out. (Which is honestly unlike me as a Disney+ subscriber.) I really enjoyed it because it felt like an expansion of the ideas in Inside Out 2. It provided me with supplemental entertainment that is not necessary to being an Inside Out fan, but allowed me to dive deeper into the world the animators created and spend more time with it.
The series follows Paula Persimmon, who is a longtime director of Riley’s dreams in her head, but is dealing with some pressure from upper management to create more memorable dreams. Her longtime assistant Janelle gets promoted to having the same role as her, and shows some real promise that places Paula’s job in jeopardy. Outside of Riley’s brain, the young girl is dealing with mixed emotions on what to do about her first school dance coming up. Her mother offers her a dress she absolutely doesn’t like, and the event therein becoming the prime focus Dream Productions is workshopping dreams about.
While Dream Productions is operating on a smaller scale than Inside Out 2, I found the animation quality and storytelling to be up to par with the movie, and all around appreciated the Pixar animators using the concept of Inside Out to bring their own take on how dreams work. I’d totally watch more Pixar shows like this that accompany big films, especially because the worlds they create is always more vast than can be brought to a single movie.
In The Early Days Of Disney+, I Was Bummed About How Pixar Was Treated
The complete arc of Inside Out over the course of the year has especially warmed my heart, because since Disney+ launched in late 2019, Pixar movies were pretty much relegated to original Disney+ content rather than the big-screen events they should have been. (Of course, there’s the factor of the COVID-19 pandemic occurring months after the launch of the streaming service, but hey, that didn’t stop the Walt Disney Company from putting out movies like Jungle Cruise or Encanto in theaters first.)
While some people might tell you their pandemic era films have not been as good, I argue that Soul is one of the best Pixar movies ever made, and both Turning Red and Luca are very much underrated. I enjoyed watching them at home, but I’m happy Inside Out 2 got a chance to be an outing for moviegoers.
I Also Often Get Overwhelmed With Disney+ Content
Another reason why I was overjoyed about my experience with the Inside Out 2 movie and TV show release strategy comes down to being someone who pays monthly for Disney+ and regularly gets overwhelmed about keeping up to date with all the content the streaming service puts out. I think in the case of Dream Productions, it was really smart for Disney+ to step back from Inside Out 2 being a Disney+ exclusive, but later had the chance to profit from the title when it became available as a streaming service and with its tie-in series.
This is exactly the kind of thing I’ve wanted from Disney+. It makes me feel like I get the best of both worlds. Because on one hand, I had a fantastic theatrical experience with Inside Out 2 before it was then available to me on Disney+, but now I get to celebrate it further with Dream Productions, which most definitely didn’t need to be in theaters.
After Loving How Disney+ Handled Inside Out, Here's How I Hope It Affects Its Future With Pixar
So basically, I want to see this happen again and again with upcoming Pixar movies. I’d like the studio’s feature films to remain a part of the theatrical experience, with those who don’t want to shell out the cash having the option to catch it on streaming later. And I’d love to see Pixar create more originals for Disney+ that directly go with these releases. For example, when the Toy Story 5 release date rolls around in 2026 and it’s a big hit, I would be so pleased to see a supplemental Disney+ series about an aspect of the film on the streaming service months later.
I’m more invested in Disney+ content when its not taking away from experiences I wanted in theaters, and it ties into something I’m already passionate about! I really hope Dream Productions is all kinds of successful so that more of what happened with Inside Out 2 continues for years to come.
