Inside Out 2 Book Teases Plot Details About Pixar's Next Big Sequel

We're less than a year out from the release of Inside Out 2, the movie everyone is hoping will break Pixar's recent box-office slump. Very little information is available yet, but a loose synopsis has emerged as part of an Amazon listing for a middle-grade book adapting the movie. The book is due out in May, about a month before Inside Out 2's June release and roughly in line with Disney's long-running strategy of putting the middle-grade adaptations of big blockbusters in Targets and Barnes & Nobles before the movie makes it to the multiplex.

The big thing that's exciting for fans is that Riley will seemingly be developing some new emotions in the new movie, with new characters teased on a "deep dive into Riley's mind." That makes sense, given that we're assuming Riley has aged a little bit, and her brain is maybe at a slightly different developmental stage, this time around.

Here's what the listing has to say:

Get ready for another emotional rollercoaster with Riley and all her Emotions! This story takes a deep dive into Riley's mind, exploring characters-both familiar and new-along with their exciting adventures.

This marks the sixth Pixar franchise to earn a sequel, following in the footsteps of Cars, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and Monsters, Inc. It isn't the first time Pixar has returned to the world of Inside Out, though; there are a half-dozen shorts featuring Riley and her emotions which have been released since the movie originally hit theaters. Pixar tends to play things pretty close to the vest, though, so it isn't clear yet what the story of the sequel will be, or which cast members from the original Inside Out might be back.

The original Inside Out starred Phyllis Smith, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, and Bill Hader -- among many others -- in a story that centered on anthropomorphic emotions jockeying for control of the brain of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who is struggling to adjust to a move. The film earned more than $850 million globally, making it one of Pixar's top-grossing films of all time. And considering that movies like Toy Story and The Incredibles ended up earning more for their sequels than for their initial installments, that has to make Disney feel pretty good about Inside Out 2's prospects.

The studio has suffered since the pandemic; Disney elected to push a few Pixar movies straight to Disney+, bypassing the limited theatrical marketplace and helping to bolster audience interest in the then-new streaming platform. While Elemental, out on digital today, has been a softer performer than Pixar would like, it has pulled out of a disastrous opening weekend and bounced back, now outgrossing The Flash, which opened on the same day.