'Inside Out 2' Previews 30 Anxiety-Ridden Minutes of Footage at CinemaCon

The Big Picture

CinemaCon attendees got a look at the first 30 minutes of
Inside Out 2
.
Inside Out 2
is a highly-anticipated sequel with new big feelings, introducing Anxiety and more challenges for Joy and her team.
The film follows a well-rounded Riley facing adolescence, growth spurts, and new emotions like Envy and Embarrassment, with a theatrical release on June 14, 2024.

We’re feeling a lot of anticipation and, although that won’t be one of the new emotions introduced in Inside Out 2, the movie is helping to quell some of that with a lengthy preview at CinemaCon. While a delightful trailer was released last month introducing audiences to the new big feelings on the block, the new footage reveals a little more of the plot for the sequel that arrives on June 14, 2024. If Joy (Amy Poehler) thought she had her hands full with Anger (Lewis Black) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), she’s in for the biggest challenge of her career when Anxiety (Maya Hawke) marches into the control room. Sure, dealing with a kid’s emotions is one thing, but it’s all hands on deck when Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) enters her teenage years.

Riley is a well-rounded 13-year-old in the first 35 minutes of Inside Out which were shown during Disney’s presentation. The leading character in Disney and Pixar’s highly-anticipated sequel is facing things like growth spurts, braces “with extra rubber bands,” and a strong growing sense of self. The emotions are more than joyful to help Riley carry on with her hockey career and keep all of those unpleasant memories shoved way down deep where they’ll never see the light of day again. But, when the puberty alarm sounds off, the emotions find themselves in the middle of a control room demolition that they can’t stop. With huge changes happening in her social life and inside of her body, Riley steps into adolescence with her new emotions — Anxiety, Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) — and makes some new pals along the way.

The sequel is a long time coming for Disney and Pixar after the original movie left a hefty dent in the box office almost a full decade ago. There’s no doubt that the studios are hoping that Inside Out 2 will do the same and continue the upward trajectory that Elemental started after having low turnouts for other post-COVID titles like Lightyear. Just like Riley will be going through some changes in the sequel, so will the cast and creative team behind the project. While Poehler, Smith, and Black will all be reprising their roles, Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling had to bid farewell to their characters, Fear and Disgust, respectively, due to other commitments. Still, the voice cast won’t hurt for talent, with Arrested Development and Veep star Tony Hale feeling his fear, while NCIS and Dollhouse alum, Liza Lapira will voice her disgust.

The feature will also be under a new director’s vision with Kelsey Mann picking up the torch originally carried by Pete Docter. Inside Out 2 may serve as Mann’s feature-length directorial debut, but the screenwriter and artist has long been affiliated with Pixar and its wide array of content. Included in Mann’s list of credits are the Monsters, Inc. short, Party Central (which he penned and directed), as well as The Good Dinosaur, Onward, Luca, and Turning Red. After writing the heartfelt and highly relatable script for the first film, Meg LeFauve (Captain America) is back to bring our emotions out yet again, while Mark Nielsen (Toy Story 4) reteams with the studio as a producer.

Will ‘Inside Out 2’ Be Available On Disney+?

Image via Britta DeVore

The short answer is that yes, we can expect Inside Out 2 to eventually arrive on Disney’s streamer as it’s a Pixar and Disney-backed flick. However, unlike other titles including Turning Red and Soul, which were straight-to-streamer releases, the upcoming project will definitely seek to gain those box office numbers with a theatrical run first. The sequel hits the big screen on June 14, 2024.

Learn everything we know about the movie in our handy guide and stay tuned at Collider for more news out of CinemaCon. The first movie is streaming now on Disney+