Summary
Pixarhas been making movies that adults and kids love for several decades now, and2014’sInside Outis one of the most thoughtful, impressive, and fun. While fans wait to see ifInside Out 3will be confirmed, they have a lot of ideas aboutwhat could happen in Riley’s life. InInside Out, Riley is a little kid making a big and scary move, and inInside Out 2, she’s an adolescent wondering how she can feel so many intense emotions at once.
Riley will likely feel a new emotionifInside Out 3gets made, and there are so many plotlines that the Pixar franchise can explore. There are a lot of smart fan theories on Reddit, but one stands out since it’s particularly clever. IfInside Out 3dove into this part of Riley’s life, it would be heartbreaking, but it would also make for a strong story.
I Love This Inside Out 3 Fan Theory About Riley’s Grief
In aReddit thread, Redditor @UnderCoverDonuts wonderedif Riley could be grieving her mom or dad. The fan wrote:
“Put Riley in her early college years, and have her deal with the death of one of her parents. There are a lot of emotions that complicate the process, and honestly from that perspective, it could make a very entertaining story with a huge message about mental health.”
Redditor @ProperCash4497 agreed:
“Grief is a subject that I think is important for kids and adults to understand. It’s pretty heavy for a kids movie but important for mental health.”
Since it would be a good idea forInside Out 3to feature Riley in therapy, it would make sense if she was speaking to a counselor because her mom or dad passed away. While it’s true thatthis would be a dark, deep, and heavy storyline,Inside Out 3could be even more thoughtful and complex than the previous two movies. If Riley is a college-aged student or an adult who has experienced a horrible and tragic loss, this would allowInside Out 3to be a more grown-up movie. SincePixar movies appeal to kids, pre-teens, teens, and adults alike, this storyline would work seamlessly.
It’s easy to imaginethe control center in Riley’s brain figuring out how to deal with her loss. Several different emotions could fight with each other as they would each want to help Riley through this sad life change. It would also be interesting to see ifAnxiety, the new emotion inInside Out 2, could come back for a third movie. Riley would definitely feel anxious while grieving her mom or dad. Audience members who have lost someone close to them would be able to relate to her struggles.
SinceInside OutandInside Out 2prove that no one should be ashamed of how they feel,Inside Out 3should also have a positive and hopeful tone. IfInside Out 3followedRiley’s self-esteem journeyand explained how she gets through the loss of a parent, it would be an interesting storyline. This would definitely be tragic to watch, but it would help a lot of people, too.
What Did Inside Out 2 Director Kelsey Mann Say About Making A Sequel?
In June 2024, director Kelsey Mann was interviewed byA FrameaboutInside Out 2, andMann talked about advice she got about working onthe beloved Pixar sequel. She said that when she has been a fan of a sequel, it’s because there is “originality.” This is something that she thought about when working on the second part of RiIey’s story. Mann said:
“You have a lot of rules that are already figured out, and you’re able to’t break those rules. You have to stay true to them. One thing that was really important to me very early on was the sense of doing something that expands the world. I got some really great advice early on. One of the directors at Pixar told me, ‘The sooner you start thinking of this film as an original, the better off you’re going to be.'”
It would make sense toapproachInside Out 3as its own movieand not just a third entry in the popular franchise. As long as the movie hasthe same heartwarming charactersthat Pixar is known for, fans would be satisfied with the next part of Riley’s story.
