After sitting 2014 on the sidelines, the animation powerhouse Pixar will make up for lost time next year, as they have two original works scheduled for release: Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur. The former is the first one that will hit theaters (in June), so Pixar is starting to gear up the marketing machine for the emotional, mind-trip of a tale.
We’ve already seen a teaser trailer that gives viewers glimpses of the overall concept and clips and posters offering us looks at the five new characters, who represent the various emotions that live inside a young girl’s mind. That’s an intriguing enough hook to get moviegoers interested, but now we know a little more about how everything will fit together.
The primary focus will be on the 11-year-old Riley and her emotions Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger adjusting to life after a move from the Midwest to San Francisco, but her parents are going to play a prominent role in the proceedings as well. Director Pete Docter spoke with USA Today about how the direction of the narrative evolved as he developed the film:
“I started out doing a film about growing up, but it turned out it’s a film about me watching my kids grow up. These parents are realizing that their kid is changing. That’s difficult. But it is a part of life.”
In the interview, Docter revealed that the parents (who will be voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) will have their emotions portrayed as well, with Dad’s operating in a military-base type of location and Mom’s working together like a talk show a la The View. While the inside of the adults’ heads probably won’t get a ton of screen time, they will still provide an interesting juxtaposition to the emotions of a child and have their own trademark Pixar comedic beats.
The knowledge that all three viewpoints will be heard from is a positive development for fans of Pixar. One of their most well-known calling cards is being able to create entertaining films that have something for the entire family.
From the sound of it, Inside Out is going to offer thematic material that both kids and adults can relate to, which will make it a throwback to their earlier projects. Docter’s comments that the movie is really about the parents gives us reason to believe that the headiness that gave Pixar’s first films their heart and soul will return next June.
In addition to showing off their creativity with original movies, Pixar is also busy developing sequels to some of their most famous films. Chief among those is Finding Dory, which is the followup to the 2003 smash hit Finding Nemo, the studio’s second highest-grossing film of all time. We know that the plot will involve the titular lovable blue tang going on an adventure to find her family, but now Pixar has revealed further details.
While speaking at The Comic-Con Experience in Brazil (hat tip Slash Film), Pixar President Jim Morris spoke about the main setting for the new film. Instead of the ocean, most of the action will take place in the Marine Biology Institute of California, which is called “a huge rehabilitation for marine and aquarium life.” As the story progresses, Dory will learn that she was born and raised at the facility, before being released into the wild.
As is the case with the expanded Inside Out narrative, this announcement should please long-time viewers. While Pixar is still beloved, the general consensus is that their post-Toy Story 3 output hasn’t quite lived up to the outrageously high expectations they have set for themselves. Fueling that belief is their (apparent) reliance on sequels, with some wondering what new ground there is to cover in some of these properties.
It is refreshing to hear that Finding Dory is going to provide a change of pace of sorts from the first installment’s ocean-bound road trip. We did get a chance to see fish live in containment with the humorous tank gang, but the inclusion of a large-scale marine institute will provide plenty of opportunities to not only introduce viewers to new characters, but also to show a different side in the life of an aquatic being. Given Pixar’s pedigree, that world-building should be a fascinating and funny addition to the series.
What do you think, Screen Rant readers? Are you looking forward to these Pixar films?
Inside Out will be in theaters on June 19, 2015. Finding Dory will come out on June 17, 2016.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisAgar90.
Sources: USA Today and Slash Film
