Inside Out ‘Dream Productions’ release date, cast, plot, and more

The Inside Out franchise, which focuses on the emotions and inner workings of a young girl’s mind, has been a huge hit for Disney and Pixar. The second movie, Inside Out 2, smashed box office records this year and became the highest-grossing animated feature of all time to date, as well as the highest grossing movie of 2024 so far. So, unsurprisingly, Disney now has a spinoff four-episode limited series all ready to go!

This is Dream Productions, which focuses on the “Dream Production” zone of Riley’s mind from the first Inside Out. It’s a great idea for a spinoff. Who among us hasn’t pondered the nature of our dreams?

Here’s what we know so far about Dream Productions, including the cast, plot, and release date.

Who’s in the cast of Dream Productions?

Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Liza Lapira, Lewis Black and Tony Hale will be back as the emotions Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear. Kensington Tallman will play Riley, as she did in Inside Out 2. And inside Dream Productions itself, Paula Pell will play Paula Persimmon and Richard Ayoade will play Xeni.

Maya Rudolph and Ally Maki are also in the cast, but we don’t know who they’re playing yet.

What’s the plot of Dream Productions?

Disney released an official synopsis for the show that says:

Riley is growing up and when her memories need some extra processing, Joy and the rest of the Core Emotions send them to Dream Productions. Acclaimed director Paula Persimmon (voice of Paula Pell) faces a nightmare of her own: Trying to create the next hit dream after being paired up with Xeni (voice of Richard Ayoade), a smug daydream director looking to step up into the big leagues of night dreams.

So it’s a show all about the process of making movies! Well, no-one’s better positioned to do that than Disney. The story will be written by Mike Jones, the man who brought us Pixar’s Soul and Luca.

Interestingly, the show isn’t a sequel to Inside Out 2—it’s actually set between the first and second movies. So Riley isn’t a teenager yet, and thus her new emotions Anxiety, Ennui, Envy and Embarrassment haven’t shown up. Sorry if you were hoping to see more of Maya Hawke’s Anxiety, she’s not here!

Is there a trailer for Dream Productions?

There’s currently a joint trailer out there for Dream Productions and the new Pixar show Win or Lose. Win or Lose stars Will Forte as a softball coach and that looks well worth checking out as well.

The Dream Productions trailer is short, but it shows us some clips of the Inside Out emotions explaining the nature of Dream Productions and then a look inside the area itself. Presumably, another trailer will drop before too long and give us a closer look at the new characters.

Is there a release date for Dream Productions?

Dream Productions is hitting Disney+ sooner than you might think. It’ll be out on December 11, 2024, making it a perfect show to watch over holidays.