Inside Out 3's New Potential Emotion Would Be Perfect For Riley (2024)

Although Inside Out 3 hasn’t been confirmed by Pixar (yet), there are various emotions it could introduce, and one, in particular, would be perfect for the next chapter in Riley’s life. Pixar is home to some of the most successful and beloved animated movies of all time, with some of them spawning franchises thanks to their success. Among them is Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter and released in 2015. Inside Out was a huge success with critics and general audiences, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of 2015 and regarded as one of the best-animated movies ever made.

Inside Out took viewers into the mind of 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) to meet the emotions that influence her actions: Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness. The success of Inside Out made way for a sequel, simply titled Inside Out 2, which caught up with Riley two years later. Now older and entering puberty, Riley’s emotions welcome a new group into their HQs: Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, led by Anxiety. The older Riley gets, the more complex her emotions get, but there’s one that can be greatly beneficial and fitting for Inside Out 3.

Inside Out 3 Could Be A Bit More Light-Hearted By Introducing Goofy

Inside Out 3 Can Benefit From A Lighter Emotion

Inside Out addresses many complex concepts but manages to visually represent them in ways that fit with the story and are easy to understand for viewers of all ages. Anxiety’s arrival in Inside Out 2 added another layer of difficulty as Riley went through new emotions and experiences, such as a panic attack. Inside Out 2 ended with Riley starting high school with the friends she made at hockey camp while staying true to herself and keeping in touch with her best friends, who moved to another school. Meanwhile, inside her mind, the emotions find a way to work together for Riley’s benefit and protection.

Although Inside Out 3 hasn’t been confirmed, it’s very likely it will happen as there’s a lot more to explore now that Riley has entered high school – and because of that, the next installment in Inside Out is expected to bring more complex emotions and explore other situations and problems in all areas of Riley’s life. This can make Inside Out 3 quite heavy, but it can be more light-hearted with the addition of a “goofy” emotion.

Speaking to Screen Rant during 2024’s D23 event, Kensington Tallman, Riley’s voice in Inside Out 2, shared what she would like to see for Riley in Inside Out 3, suggesting an emotion that personifies “goofiness”. A goofy emotion would bring balance in Inside Out 3 with all the upcoming complexity and potential drama, while also honoring an often ignored part in a teenager’s personality.

Inside Out Already Showed Why Goofy Should Be One Of Riley's Emotions

Inside Out Has Already Set the Path For Goofy

Riley’s personality has shone through in both Inside Out movies, and even Joy took a lot of pride in Riley’s lighter, goofier side. Among Riley’s Islands of Personality, which are areas in her mind that form her personality and are created when a Core Memory is formed, is Goofball Island. This was created when baby Riley danced around the house naked with underwear on her head, and was activated every time she did something goofy. In Inside Out, Goofball Island collapsed into the Memory Dump, but it was restored before Inside Out 2, which showed it active and intact.

Goofiness is almost natural in Riley’s personality, so it would make sense that it got its own emotion in Inside Out 3. Every person is a lot more than surface emotions, and both Inside Out movies have shown the complexity of the mind of a young girl and teenager, so goofiness feels like a natural next step in the development of Riley’s emotions, personality, and more.

How Goofy's Introduction In Inside Out 3 Can Connect To Riley's Inside Out 2 Story

Goofy In Inside Out 3 Continues The Movies’ Core Themes

A goofy emotion properly introduced in Inside Out 3 would also serve as a smooth link to Inside Out 2’s story. Riley’s experience at hockey camp and with her new emotions allowed her to learn more about herself and gave her a new sense of self, but she also has more emotions working at the HQs. Goofy’s arrival will shake up the emotions’ dynamics again, and given its nature, it would be a challenge for the other emotions to coexist with it, especially as Riley goes through the inevitable social pressure of high school.

Goofy’s presence would push the old and new emotions to grow along with Riley and be more accepting of other sides of her, such as her naturally goofy self. There are many emotions that Inside Out 3 can introduce, but Goofy would be greatly beneficial to Riley, the other emotions, and the story.

Inside Out

The Inside Out franchise explores the inner workings of a young girl named Riley Anderson, focusing on her five primary emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust—that personify her thoughts and actions. Created by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen, the franchise is praised for its innovative portrayal of emotions and mental processes. It began with the 2015 film Inside Out, which became a critical and commercial success, leading to sequels, a short film, video games, and theme park attractions.

Upcoming TV Shows

Dream Productions (2025)

Cast

Amy Poehler , Phyllis Smith , Bill Hader , Tony Hale , Lewis Black , Mindy Kaling , Liza Lapira , Kaitlyn Dias , Richard Kind , Maya Hawke , Adèle Exarchopoulos , Paul Walter Hauser , Ayo Edebiri

Summary

The Inside Out franchise explores the inner workings of a young girl named Riley Anderson, focusing on her five primary emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust—that personify her thoughts and actions. Created by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen, the franchise is praised for its innovative portrayal of emotions and mental processes. It began with the 2015 film Inside Out, which became a critical and commercial success, leading to sequels, a short film, video games, and theme park attractions.