It’s been pretty clear ever since I saw Inside Out 2 earlier in the summer that I was an outlier in my reaction to the film. Sitting at a 91% Tomatometer, it was one of the rare films of the year that I went in with mid-range expectations and left massively disappointed. This was mainly due to the sequel being far too similar to its predecessor in my eyes with little improvements. Luckily for myself Dream Productions delivers a brand new spin on the world of Inside Out - tackling the process of what happens when Riley (in her teenage years) falls asleep. 

 

The series' animation is directed in a mockumentary style and bursts with charm. A Hollywood satire in a lot of ways, the four episode series takes families on a trip through the studio system in the simplest of definitions. 

 

Paula Pell plays the egotistical Paula Persimmon, the Steven Spielberg of the world of dreams. Paula is known as the director of Riley's first big dream that inspired her to move forward in her childhood. She can at times be a little too stuck in the past, a "has-been" to some, but is forced to explore what modern day Riley is truly feeling in order to creatively continue forward. As the lead, she ironically has the know-it-all mentality of Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation), who coincidentally is played by Inside Out’s very own Amy Poehler.

 

Head of the studio, Jean Dewberry (Maya Rudolph) doesn’t appreciate mistakes when it comes to the dreams her studio produces. Having it been quite some time since a hit dream was in sight, Jean puts pressure on Paula to succeed when her assistant director, Janelle (Ally Maki) departs to become a full time director. To replace Janelle, Jean forces Paula to hire her nephew Xeni (Richard Ayoade), who coming from a “daydreams” background is much more arthouse than mainstream. The trials to find what Riley needs in her nightly slumber is met with some chaos and misunderstanding as she is in for some of the worst sleep of her life. 

 

The beings of Dream Productions are drastically different looking than the beings of the main control room (HQ) from the Inside Out films. Some look more like characters straight out of Osmosis Jones and others look like imaginary friends ala Bing Bong. HQ does make cameo appearances throughout the series with an allotment of them on screen - Anger, Sadness, Joy, Fear and Disgust - however noticeably the cast of new characters from the sequel don’t make an appearance. This decision is never clearly explained, but I’d imagine this is set as a possible prequel before Anxiety, Embarrassment and Ennui made their entrance into Riley's psyche. 

 

The mockumentary style truly works well in this world and it’s a cool bonus look into the mind of Riley. The series is less of a sharp comedy like The Office or Parks and Recreation and more adjacent to the family friendly Disney+ original High School Musical The Musical The Series. It’s a fun, breezy 90 minutes of television and a charming entry into this franchise that’ll equally entertain both adults and children. It also dives into a different aspect of Riley’s consciousness, rather than recycling directly from the past with a few new additions - a major success for Disney+.