If you’ve seen Pixar’s Inside Out or the wildly popular sequel, Inside Out 2, you know that things don’t always go smoothly for the title character, Riley. Heck, how could they – growing up is hard.
In the 4-part series Dream Productions, airing exclusively on Disney+, we get a peek into the glitzy Hollywood-style location where Riley’s dreams are crafted. Each episode is approximately 25 minutes, so you’re essentially watching an additional Inside Out film.
You could casually call it Inside Out 1.5 since it occurs between the two films and finds Riley in a bit of a predicament. We will offer our thoughts on the entire series without discussing too many spoilers but share a few plot points throughout this post.
HOW TO WATCH DREAM PRODUCTIONS
You can watch the Dream Productions series (released December 11, 2024) on Disney+.
Before you watch the series, read our review to learn more about the “making of” and watch our interview with Paula Pell and Ally Maki (two of the main vocal actors) below.
Dream Productions Episode List & Synopsis
The mockumentary-style show is broken down into four parts:
- The Dream Team – Directed by Valerie LaPointe
- Paula Persimmon, once the hottest director at Dream Productions, finds herself struggling to keep up and adapt as Riley’s interests change. Watch out – her world is changing as her assistant director, Janelle, is on the rise.
- Out of Body – Directed by Valerie LaPointe
- Xeni, a pretentious daydream director with big dreams of his own, shows up at the worst time and causes nothing but a distraction and nuisance for Paula.
- Romance – Directed by Austin Madison
- A dream highlighting Riley’s imaginary Canadian boyfriend is in the works, and hilarity ensues as Paula and Xeni continue to butt heads.
- A Night to Remember – Directed by Mike Jones
- Everything is falling apart as things are getting worse for Riley in the real world. The Dream Productions team has to try and turn this nightmare into a joyful, confidence-fueled middle school dance for Riley. Be sure to watch out for Jean (voiced by Maya Rudolph) as she tries to save the studio.
DREAM PRODUCTIONS REVIEW & DETAILS
The World
The series starts with an overview of “What is Dream Productions.” As the cameras swirl around, Joy (Amy Poehler) shares, “Dreams seem random, but apparently they take a lot of work. And it turns out there’s a fascinating story behind how dreams are made.”
We enjoyed the setup getting back into the world since Dream Productions is only seen for a few minutes in the first film. Since we know Riley’s dreams are produced on a film studio lot, Pixar’s Sets Art Director Josh Holtsclaw and other employees even toured a few real film studios for research purposes. They visited and took inspiration from the 20th Century studio lot as well as the Disney backlot.
Dream Productions Writer and Director Mike Jones shared additional insights about the sets, “We’re inside a girl’s mind. We couldn’t get too realistic because we’re inside a fantastical mind world. Sometimes, that came down to having stylized wood grain or big, cartoony bolts. Everything is rounded off.”
Blending Old and New
The series perfectly blends Riley’s real-world life with the mind world (featuring the original five emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear) and the Dream Productions world. They overlap seamlessly and don’t feel chaotic because we’re grounded by spending most of our time in the Dream Productions world.
After this series, we can’t help but love Anger even more. The original five emotions don’t play a significant role, but like in Inside Out 2, we see why Anger “can’t always be the rage guy” again!
The Visuals & Music
First, let us say that the visuals feel right at home in the series—the colors are bright and fun without detracting from Riley’s physical or “mind” worlds. You’ll also notice more casual hand-held-style camera movements throughout the series (while in Dream Productions) and see some rack focuses and lens flares, highlighting that this is a looser world than Headquarters.
The music departs more from the scores of Michael Giacchino and Andrea Datzman in the first and second films, respectively. Although it is quite different, the score is wonderful and adds so much adventure and fun to the series.
Mike Jones noted, “We tried to forge our own path because I felt like Dream Productions is its own story. I wanted to insert a bit more of that Hollywood jazz, big-band feel. Nami Melumad, our composer, wanted to create a Hammond B3 jazzy organ feel. The energy at Dream Productions should be different from Headquarters. Nami did a great job finding it.”
As I watched the series and took notes, I wrote down, “Really fun music!” We think you’ll love it, too.
VOCAL CAST INTERVIEW
As part of the lead-up to the series release, we were lucky enough to speak with two of the main characters — Paula Pell (voice of Paula) and Ally Maki (voice of Janelle and previously Giggle McDimples from Toy Story 4). Watch the video embedded below or directly on our YouTube channel.
DREAM PRODUCTIONS EASTER EGGS
You’ll also find your fair share of Easter Eggs hidden throughout the series. To name a few, you’ll spot a mug of Ted’s leg from Monsters, Inc. on Paula’s desk, along with two episodes that feature the music of 4*Town (Turning Red).
Of course, we know Riley is a fan of 4*Town (along with Get Up and Glow) from the poster above her bed in the Inside Out 2.
Keep your eyes peeled and leave a comment below or chat about the Easter Eggs with other fans in the Pixar Post Forum. Also, share your thoughts on the series overall – we loved it as an extension of the excellent Inside Out world, but we want to hear your input, too.
TRAILER
Watch the trailer for the series below or on Pixar’s YouTube channel.
