Inside Out star Amy Poehler has recently shared her clever idea for future sequels in the animated series, and if another successful Pixar franchise is anything to go by, she may be on to something. Poehler voiced the character of Joy in 2015’s Inside Out and is one of several stars who have returned for the sequel, which is set to be released in theaters on June 14, 2024. The actress has shown enthusiasm for further installments, and, indeed, Poehler’s ideas for more Inside Out sequels demonstrate how this could work.

The first Inside Out movie centered around the personified emotions of an 11-year-old girl named Riley following her family’s relocation from Minnesota to San Francisco. Meanwhile, Inside Out 2‘s story will revolve around a teenage Riley learning to deal with a host of new emotions. 2015’s Inside Out was a hit with both critics and audiences, and there’s certainly hope for the franchise to continue beyond the second film. Poehler’s proposed plan for the series certainly shows promise, mainly because it mirrors the approach of another Pixar franchise worth $3.3 billion.

Amy Poehler’s Inside Out Sequel Pitch Mirrors Toy Story’s Franchise Approach

It Would Keep The Movies Going For Years To Come

In an interview with Empire, Amy Poehler detailed her hopes for the future of the Inside Out franchise, saying, “I just think that they should make these films like Seven Up every couple of years in Riley’s life. A young adult, and a young mother, and I think a middle-aged person – everyone’s having these very distinct new emotions that are showing up all the time.” The idea of following Riley at different stages of her life as she grapples with new emotional challenges is a brilliant one and something that Toy Story has already proven can work.

The first three Toy Story movies depict the relationship between Andy Davis and his collection of toys. He starts out as a young boy with a big imagination and a love of playing with toys and grows up to be a 17-year-old college student who has outgrown the action figures, stuffed toys, and games that once brought him such joy. Across the Toy Story films, Andy goes through the many different emotional stages associated with growing up, as seen from the perspective of Woody and the rest of his toys.

Poehler’s pitch for Inside Out is essentially the same, but instead of Andy, it’s Riley, and instead of toys, it’s Riley’s own emotions. The success of the Toy Story approach lay in the fact that it allowed audiences to grow up alongside Andy, meaning they not only became attached to him as a character but could relate to the things he was going through. Inside Out 2‘s premise indicates the series is already following this strategy, and there is no reason why it can’t continue to do so for future installments.

Toy Story’s $3.3 Billion Success Proves That This Inside Out Strategy Can Work

There’s No Reason It Can’t Be Just As Much Of A Hit

Ultimately, Toy Story‘s method turned out to be incredibly successful. The four movies in the Toy Story franchise have a combined worldwide box office total of just under $3.3 billion (via The Numbers), and with Toy Story 5 currently in development, that number is only set to increase. Additionally, the animated franchise has garnered critical acclaim, with each of the Toy Story movies achieving high Rotten Tomatoes scores. As Poehler suggests, Inside Out already has the constituent parts to replicate the Toy Story model, meaning there’s no reason it can’t succeed as Pixar’s Toy Story replacement franchise.

In some ways, Inside Out actually has the advantage. Toy Story‘s focus on toys means that it can only follow its protagonists for so much of their lives. After all, most people don’t tend to keep their toys into adulthood. As such, the end of Toy Story 3 introduced a new human protagonist to overcome this problem. In contrast, emotions are something that people have for their entire lives, and, therefore, Riley can continue being the focus of the Inside Out movies for years to come.

Sources: Empire, The Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes