Whether it's their more recent films like Elemental and Turning Red, or classic franchise powerhouses like Toy Story and The Incredibles, Pixar has a long list of acclaimed movies that are consistently referred to as some of the best animated films out there One such movie that is about to spawn its own franchise is Pete Doctor's 2015 film Inside Out, which released to an enormous amount of both public and critical fanfare. Beloved by millions for its tender and honest portrayal of the feelings children go through, this feature really struck a chord with families across the world by being both funny and touching, which seems to be Disney and Pixar's ultimate combination. Now, eight years later, fans are even more excited about the upcoming sequel than they seemingly were for the original release, which stands as a testament to just how well-received that original was. So, with all that in mind and news and speculation constantly revealing itself, here is everything we know about Inside Out 2 so far.

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on May 14, 2024.

When Does 'Inside Out 2' Release in Theaters?

Inside Out 2 will receive an exclusive theatrical release on June 14, 2024. This comes almost exactly nine years after the release of the original, with summer a perfect season for some of Disney's biggest hits to drop.

The project was announced back in September 2022 during the D23 Expo's animation showcase, in which lots of exciting new projects were announced. The D23 announcement joined by a confirmation tweet.

When Will 'Inside Out 2' Be on Disney+?

Inside Out 2 will be getting an initial theatrical release before it eventually comes to Disney+ sometime after. This will keep fans of both viewing mediums happy, with the sequel of a smash hit like Inside Out surely deserving its time on the biggest of screens.

Is There a Trailer for 'Inside Out 2'?

A 90-second teaser trailer for Inside Out 2 was released by Pixar on November 9. The trailer, set to Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train," quickly reintroduces us to our favorite emotions before seeing their control center being demolished in the middle of the night and the unwelcome arrival of Anxiety.

The full trailer for Inside Out 2 was released on March 7, 2024.

Who Is Starring in 'Inside Out 2'?

One of the major factors in the success of the original was its talented voice cast, with an enormous variety of celebrated performers turning out some of their best work. For that reason, fans have been desperate to know exactly who will return for the sequel and, possibly, which new faces (or rather voices) will be joining them. Although the full cast list has not yet been revealed, it has been confirmed that the likes of Amy Poehler will be reprising her role as Joy, Phyllis Smith will be returning as Sadness, and Lewis Black will be back in his role as Anger. In regard to the other emotions from the original, unfortunately, both Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader will not be returning for the sequel in their roles as Disgust and Fear respectively. Their absence is due to reported contractual issues, with Kaling saying to The Wrap,

“I had a great time working on Inside Out and am sure Inside Out 2 will be great. But I'm not working on it".

Replacing Kaling and Hader as Disgust and Fear will be Liza Lapira (NCIS) and Tony Hale (Toy Story 4). Riley will also be getting a new voice, with Kengsington Tallman (That Girl Lay Lay) replacing Kaitlyn Dias, the latter having voiced the character in the first movie.

Also confirmed to return from the first film are Academy Award nominee Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley's parents, John Ratzenberger as Fritz, Bobby Moynihan as Forgetter Bobby, Paula Poundstone as Forgetter Paula, Paula Pell as Mom's Anger, Flea as Mind Cop Worker Jake, Dave Goelz as Subconscious Guard Frank, and Frank Oz as Subconscious Guard Dave.

New cast members for the emotions of Inside Out 2 include Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos (Passages), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird) as Embarrassment, and Academy Award nominee June Squibb (Nebraska) as Nostalgia. Additionally, Ron Funches (Harley Quinn) as Bloofy, a character from Riley's favorite childhood TV show, and Yong Yea will be voicing Lance Slashblade, a video game character whom Riley previously had a crush on.

Voicing the humans of Inside Out 2 are Lilimar (Bella and the Bulldogs) as the popular girl Val Ortiz, newcomer Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green as Riley's friend Bree, Grace Lu (Fright Krewe) as Riley's other friend Grace, and Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) as Coach Roberts. Also cast in undisclosed roles Sarayu Blue (Expats), James Austin Johnson (Saturday Night Live), Kirk Thatcher (Werewolf by Night), and Olympic Gold Medalist and professional ice hockey player Kendall Coyne Schofield.

What Is 'Inside Out 2' About?

As Inside Out came to a close and Riley's rollercoaster was coming to a gentle end, Joy spots a button that reads 'puberty' and hesitates to press it. It is that moment that directly influences the plot of Inside Out 2. The official plot synopsis for Inside Out 2 reads:

Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up.

With Inside Out doing such a wonderful job of tackling the emotions of an 11-year-old, it would only be right for Riley to have aged into her next most challenging period as a teenager. It certainly seems as if the mental trials and tribulations associated with our most formative teenage years will be challenged head-on, especially considering the aforementioned new emotions at play. For families across the world, this period in our lives, whether in our past, present, or future, is pivotal to who we are today, and can often come with some of our life's most challenging emotional periods. Disney is likely to do just as wonderful a job at tackling this subject as it did in the first film and, with the current awareness and conversation surrounding mental health at its most positive ever, Inside Out 2 looks like it will be a truly poignant movie.

While attending Disney's CinemaCon 2024 presentation, Collider's Britta DeVore was shown the first 35 minutes of the movie.

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.

Who Is Making 'Inside Out 2'?

Inside Out 2 stands as the full-length feature debut of Kelsey Mann (Onward) who has already plied his trade to numerous other Pixa projects including Lightyear and The Good Dinosaur. Inside Out 2 is written by Meg LeFauve (Captain Marvel) who returns after writing the original, with a producer credit going to Mark Nielsen (Toy Story 4).

Where Can I Watch 'Inside Out'?

Whilst fans wait patiently for Inside Out 2, it may be wise to remind oneself of what happened in the original. Inside Out is currently and unsurprisingly available on Disney+. For those without a subscription, Disney+ can be purchased for $7.99 per month, with a premium no-ad version available for $10.99 per month. Alternatively, an annual subscription can be purchased for $109.99.

Watch on Disney+