How Dream Productions fits into the Inside Out and Inside Out 2 timeline

Disney and Pixar are presenting another deep dive into the world of Riley's mind with their animated spin-off of From the inside out, Dream Productions. Exclusive to Disney+, this four-episode miniseries leaves headquarters to explore the titular Hollywood film studio inside Riley's head. There, the show follows the cast and crew as they attempt to produce high-quality, memorable dreams while Riley sleeps at night.

Combined with the record success of Inside Out 2 in 2024, by Pixar Dream Productions continues to expand the world and the success of From the inside out franchise with a unique and hilarious parody of the film industry. Considering the many imaginative possibilities of From the inside outconcept ofgreen light Dream Productions gave Pixar an excellent opportunity to write a new creative story. Although this spinoff does not focus Riley's main emotions like From the inside out does, develops the story of Riley's growth and highlights previously forgotten characters who work tirelessly inside his mind.

Dream Productions takes place between Inside Out 1 and 2

Dream Productions' story bridges the gap between films

However Inside Out 2 left the door open for more stories with its ending, Dream Productions takes the franchise back in time instead of moving forward to tell its story. In an unusual move, the series takes place before the second film, but after the events of the first. From the inside out. This is stated in one of the trailers for Dream Productionswith the narrator saying that the story takes place before the Headquarters team meets Riley's new emotions in Inside Out 2.

Dream ProductionsThe place in the franchise's timeline is evident based on the absence of Riley's new emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Boredom. The headquarters also looks like it did before it was remodeled. when Riley first experienced puberty in the second film. Additionally, Riley was shown to have had braces on her teeth at the time. Inside Out 2 started, while Dream Productions portrays her without braces. It will be interesting to go back to that time in Riley's life, considering she has grown up and matured.

Dream Productions brings back headquarters in style

Although the show is about Dream Productions, the headquarters will also play a considerable role

Given that Riley's central emotions are the faces of the From the inside out franchise, it's no surprise that the Headquarters gang would appear in some form in Dream Productions. The program features interviews with Joy and the other four emotions at Headquarters, explaining their work and the impact Dream Productions had on Riley's mind. While bringing those emotions back to the spinoff might have risked taking the spotlight away from the Dream Productions team, their conversations with the camera about the studio fit into the story's documentary-style structure.

In this show-within-a-show, Joy explains to her audience that Dream Productions helps Headquarters process some of Riley's memories that require more effort. As a result, the latter works closely with the film studio and gives feedback on the dreams it realizes. One scene even shows Anger unleashing his signature fire over the phone as he shares his critique of the studio's latest dream.

Dream Productions brings back the rainbow unicorn

An inside-out secondary character will receive the prominence she deserves at Dream Productions

Along with Riley's central emotions, the miniseries brings back a notable secondary character from From the inside out: Rainbow Unicorn. This colorful character is the star of one of Riley's dreams, Fairy's Dream Adventure VII, in which she gave Joy's favorite performance as an actress. Rainbow Unicorn was yet another source of humor in the film, with her hilariously shown failing to escape with a plate of cookies from the craft table. She was last seen in the film, failing to impress the audience on the studio set before Jangles the Clown invaded the set.

Given that Rainbow Unicorn is a major actor working at Dream Productions, it's only natural that the new miniseries brought the character back as it shows more of what goes on at the studio inside Riley's mind. Dream Productions reveals that Rainbow Unicorn has existed in Riley's mind since she was at least two years old. Dream director Paula still has a photo of herself with Rainbow Unicorn and baby Riley from her first big dream. Unfortunately, the show shows Rainbow Unicorn storming out of the studio, furious that her latest dream about Paula received terrible reviews.

Dream Productions Brings Back Riley's Imaginary Boyfriend

Rainbow Unicorn is one of the many returning supporting characters in Dream Productions

Dream Productions also brings back Riley's imaginary Canadian boyfriend, another memorable secondary character who first appeared in From the inside out. This supporting character was technically last seen near the end of the first film. During the film's climax, Joy creates several clones of him with a machine in Imagination Landusing them as a human ladder to help her cross the Memory Well, return to Headquarters, and fix Riley's mind. Since the character is an imaginary construct within Riley's mind that can be easily replicated, it's not hard to see how he could return. Dream Productions.

Riley's imaginary crush on From the inside out reappears in the miniseries as he stars in the new dreams filmed in his mind. Its biggest presence is due to the head of the dream studio Jean Dewberry wishing Paula and her co-workers would produce more romantic and dramatic dreams to better appeal to Riley's mature teenage mind. As a result, Imaginary Boyfriend parodies the teen heartthrobs that Hollywood typically markets to appeal to younger audiences, fitting perfectly into the show's premise.

However, Dream Productions fills the gap that divided the first two From the inside out films as a “betweenquel”, highlighting the titular studio, its main actors and their relationship with Headquarters. With characters like Rainbow Unicorn and Riley's Imaginary Boyfriend getting more screen time at Dream Productions, this miniseries expands on the franchise's lore and offers a familiar yet unique story set in the world of From the inside out. Although it may take several years before Inside Out 3 is released, Dream Productions should help fill the void with another whimsical exploration of the inner workings of Riley's brain.