Riley’s story will likely continue in Inside Out 3but Pixar won’t be able to avoid making this the most controversial film yet. The film franchise followed Riley through his major milestones, with Inside Out 2 exploring your emotional changes during puberty. The sequel was even more successful than its predecessor, which means Pixar will certainly produce more films within the franchise. There has been talk of following Riley through all the major stages of growth, with Inside Out 3 logically seeing the girl become an older teenager.
Part of what made the From the inside out films that are so effective is the way they shamelessly explore the confusion in people’s minds. Pixar has made complex psychological concepts fun and lovable while connecting to the universal experience of emotional growing pains. In the first From the inside out movie, Riley learned to embrace even her most uncomfortable emotions instead of suppressing them, and Inside Out 2 took this even further, exploring how these confusing emotions impact one’s sense of self. If Pixar does Inside Out 3, It’s pretty clear which story should come next..
Riley must fall in love from the inside out 3
It’s the natural next step in Riley’s story
The first two From the inside out the films saw the early stages of Riley exploring the idea of ​​romance. In the 2015 film, Joy came face to face with Riley’s imaginary boyfriend, and the sequel revealed some character crushes she’s established (but locked away) over the years. Of course, like many teenagers, Riley is on her way to falling in love for the first time, and since that’s the trajectory of her story, it only makes sense that this would be a feature of her story. Inside Out 3. Of course, not everyone starts their first relationship as a teenager, but the Pixar franchise has already established that romance is something Riley is interested in.
Since if Riley would start a relationship in Inside Out 3 is a given, The big question would be whether the subject of Riley’s first big crush would be a boy or a girl. There have been hints throughout the first two films that this could go either way. However, regardless of which direction Pixar chooses to Inside Out 3It’s going to be controversial.
Riley falling in love would be controversial, whether she’s gay or not
Pixar is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t
It has long been theorized that Riley would end up being gay. The character’s experiences throughout the first two films were deeply relatable to those in the LGBTQ+ community, especially Riley’s interactions with hockey captain Val in Inside Out 2. If this perception of Riley is correct, then Inside Out 3 that’s when it would be confirmed, making Riley the first openly gay protagonist in a Disney or Pixar film. Of course (and unfortunately), This would be a controversial choice for Inside Out 3and Pixar would certainly receive a huge backlash.
On the other hand, if Pixar chose to avoid this backlash by putting Riley straight Inside Out 3it would still be a controversial choice. Inside Out 2 has already been accused of queer-baiting, as it is heavily implied that Riley is LGBTQ+, but without any confirmation. It seems like Disney is trying to be progressive without putting itself in danger of backlash. If Pixar’s response to this was to back off and straighten out Riley, then those who noticed From the inside outMichael’s strange qualities would be deeply frustrated.
Pixar painted itself into a corner with Riley’s romantic ambiguity
Pixar needs to choose a path and commit to it
THE From the inside out the films were enormously successful. The 2024 sequel stood out among recent Pixar films that underperformed both critically and financially. For this reason, the Disney studio really has no choice but to continue Riley’s story. Inside Out 3 is unavoidable at this point, but that means Pixar must choose whether Riley is gay or not– a decision that has apparently been avoided until now so as not to disappoint one group or another. The character is ambiguous enough that any queer coding could be denied, but overt enough that it would reflect poorly on Pixar.
The character is ambiguous enough that any queer coding could be denied, but overt enough that it would reflect poorly on Pixar.
Ultimately, it’s clear that Pixar didn’t do itself any favors by beating around the bush. Confirmation has to happen one way or another if the studio hopes to continue profiting from Riley’s story. Inside Out 3 go whether a triumph for the LGBTQ+ community or a huge disappointment. If the first is true, then those who oppose the community will be the ones sending the backlash. Regardless, Pixar will have to think long and hard about how it approaches this and other projects.