The world of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out continues to grow, much like its main character Riley. With all the new emotions in Riley’s mind come new stories and characters. The smashing success of Inside Out 2 earlier this year, which made nearly $1.7 billion worldwide, showed that fans of the feels franchise can’t get enough of the cute, hilarious and relatable emotions from Pixar.
Enter Dream Productions, a four-episode series which explores what happens to Riley’s emotions that need a little extra processing time. Appropriately structured like a Hollywood set inside Riley’s mind, Dream Productions boasts an incredible voice cast, which includes Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ally Maki, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith.
Senior Writer Jorgie Rodriguez recently had the chance to chat with several of the show’s cast and filmmakers, including:
- Paula Pell (Voice of “Paula”)
- Ally Maki (Voice of “Janelle”)
- Jaclyn Simon (Series Producer)
- Valerie LaPointe (Director, Episodes 1 & 2)
- Austin Madison (Director, Episode 3)
Maki, who voices a character who is trying to spread her creative wings, talked about the thrill of joining a franchise that means so much to her.
“I mean just thrilled, ecstatic. Just, it feel like a dream where you’re like, ‘Is this really real?’ Similarly like, ‘Is this a prank? Is this real?’ Maki said. “I mean, I have just such incredible memories about this movie. Just, you know, the Goofball Island of it all. It’s like there’re so many emotional moments to this that just stick with you. It kind of like, this movie like raised me in a sense, it raised so many people, so it just it feels like a dream and we’re still in it!”
Pell, who voices a mentor of sorts, shared who has played that role in her life and gave her the support that she needed to boost her career.
“One of my Paulas was probably Lorne Michaels, because he hired me on SNL many, many, many years ago. And I came in and just really didn’t know what I was doing, and he said, ‘You’ll figure it out.’ Like that was his, he trusted, he saw something in me and trusted it and took me on to work at this iconic place that I was obsessed with growing up,” Pell said.
For Austin Madison, who directed episode 3 of the series, he talked about how the creative freedom they get at Pixar brings him joy.
“I think we have a dream job. Like, we have a very…it’s such a privilege to be able to make art that people see. I think, whether it’s a movie or anything, if you can express yourself and work with great collaborators, and people see it, and to hear responses, like that is joy,” Madison said.
Watch our full conversations below and watch Dream Productions streaming on Disney+!
About Dream Productions:
Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new series “Dream Productions” returns to Riley’s mind, where dreams really do come true—every night, on time and on budget. Check out the new trailer, images and key art, which are available to download and share. Taking place in between the events of “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2,” all four episodes of the limited series come to the streamer beginning Dec. 11, 2024. 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.
Also featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ally Maki, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith, the hilarious, mockumentary-style series is written and directed by Mike Jones and produced by Jaclyn Simon. Featuring score by composer Nami Melumad, the soundtrack for “Dream Productions” will be available on all streaming services beginning Dec. 20.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. Â He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
