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Dream Productions
Pixar animated series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dream Productions is an American animated television miniseries produced by Pixar Animation Studios for the streaming service Disney+. Developed and created by Mike Jones, it is set between the events of Inside Out (2015) and Inside Out 2 (2024), serving as an interquel. Dream Productions follows Paula Persimmon (Paula Pell) who teams with Xeni (Richard Ayoade) to create the next big tween-dream. Jones served as the series' showrunner.
Jones was announced to be creating a series based on Inside Out at Pixar in June 2023. The series was being produced concurrently with the sequel film Inside Out 2. Its title was unveiled in May 2024. Nami Melumad provided the score for all four episodes. The series run approximately 82 minutes long in total.[1]
Dream Productions premiered on Disney+ on December 11, 2024.[2] It received generally positive reviews from critics.
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Voice cast
- Paula Pell as Paula Persimmon, a former acclaimed dream director and the current head of Dream Productions[2]
- Richard Ayoade as Kenny "Xeni" Dewberry, an overly confident daydream director, Jean's nephew, and Paula's new A.D.[2]
- Kensington Tallman as Riley Andersen, a girl appearing in different moments from childhood to pre-teen in whose mind the emotions live[2]
- Maya Rudolph[2] as Jean Dewberry, the former head of Dream Productions, Xeni's aunt and Paula's boss[3]
- Ally Maki[2] as Janelle Johnson, Paula's former A.D. who dreams of making her very own dreams and becomes a successful director herself[3]
- Amy Poehler as Joy, a yellow emotion who often takes the lead in Riley's emotional life and is in charge of giving her assurance in her everyday life and helping her enjoy it to the fullest[2]
- Phyllis Smith as Sadness, a blue emotion who helps Riley process upsetting experiences and seek help from others when she needs it[2]
- Liza Lapira as Disgust, a green emotion who uses Riley's likes and dislikes to discern whether something could poison her physically or socially[2]
- Lewis Black as Anger, a red emotion who is in charge of fighting to keep things fair for Riley[2]
- Tony Hale as Fear, a purple emotion responsible for protecting Riley from threats in the physical world[2]
- Lauren Holt as "Teen Riley",[4] a manifestation of Riley's teenage self that she drew when she was younger represented by a traditionally animated doodle on loose-leaf paper who works as a barista but later cast in a dream
- Kimberly Woods as Gigi, a director who creates scary nightmares for Riley
- Carlos Alazraqui as Marco, a director who creates sports (especially hockey) dreams for Riley
- Matthew Yang King as Sheng, a director who creates Riley's thrilling, action-packed dreams
- Diane Lane as Mrs. Andersen, Riley's mother
- Kyle MacLachlan as Mr. Andersen, Riley's father
- Grace Lu as Grace, one of Riley's best friends
- Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green as Bree, also one of Riley's best friends
- Noah Bentley as C.B. ("Canadian Boyfriend"), the representation of Riley's ideal boyfriend
- Maya Aoki Tuttle as Noriko, one of the production assistants in Paula's team
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Episodes
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Production
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Development
On June 16, 2023, it was reported that an Inside Out television series was being developed by Pixar for Disney+; the series was reportedly being developed as part of an effort by Disney to increase Pixar's output. Mike Jones, who previously wrote Soul (2020) and Luca (2021) for the studio, was set to develop the series.[5] The series was being developed simultaneously with a sequel to the original film, titled Inside Out 2 (2024).[6] By May 2024, the series had been titled Dream Productions.[7]
In August 2024, Jones revealed he would executively produce the series, as well as serve as director alongside Valerie LaPointe (associate executive producer of Inside Out 2) and Austin Madison, with Jaclyn Simon (characters and rendering manager of Inside Out) as producer,[8][9] and Jones as showrunner.[10] Paula Pell was also confirmed to reprise her role as Paula Persimmon from the first film to star as the main protagonist in the series.[11][12] The series was produced under a smaller budget than most Pixar productions, which Jones compared to making an independent film within Pixar.[1] The series was originally set to be seven episodes long, but the episode count was reduced to four due to budget cuts.[10]
Writing
The series is set between the events of Inside Out and Inside Out 2.[13] Executive producer and Inside Out director Pete Docter said the series would explore "the power of dreams and how they affect us in our waking life".[14] Jones said the relationship between Paula and Riley was inspired by his relationship with his sons, and how he had to "find a different way of talking to them" as they grew up.[15] The producers consulted with the group of nine teens Pixar assembled to consult for Inside Out 2 (dubbed "Riley's Crew") to provide feedback for the show; their feedback led the filmmakers to increase the Hollywood-esque aspect of the show after they reacted positively to it.[9]
Animation
Bert Berry (shading art director of Inside Out) served as the production designer for the series.[10] Assets from the first film were reused for Dream Productions, in addition to collaborating with the team for Inside Out 2, who shared new assets created for that film for the series as both productions shared a Perforce server as a cost-cutting measure; visual effects supervisor Bill Wise noted the assets sharing was required due to the series lacking the budget to create new assets. He also noted this allowed the series' team to reuse several character models from the film.[10] Multiple teams, such as the assets and art teams, were also combined to streamline production and allow for the directors to review the material.[10] The set design team, led by Josh Holtsclaw (graphics art director of Luca), traveled to multiple studio lots, including the 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Studios backlots, to study them and draw inspiration for the design of the Dream Productions studio, while also incorporating elements from San Francisco.[9]
Music
On September 24, 2024, Nami Melumad was revealed to be composing for the series.[16] Melumad joined the series after being asked to present musical reels by Disney's music department, who hired her as composer after she presented said reels, in which she combined different music styles to fit the tone for the series.[17] Jones also gave a few ideas for the series' score.[17] For the dream sequences, Melumad made use of several types of music, including 80s rock music and children's music, in order to reflect how dreams were different every time, while the score for the series itself draws inspiration from "early 70s funk, rock, [and] jazz" due to its humorous tone, while also ultimately aiming for the music to make the setting feel like an actual Hollywood studio.[17] A soundtrack featuring Melumad's score was released on December 20, 2024.[18]
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Release
All four episodes of Dream Productions were released on Disney+ on December 11, 2024.[2] The series was originally scheduled to be released by the spring of 2025 but was moved forward, having swapped its release date with the Pixar television series Win or Lose.[7][19]
Reception
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Viewership
Disney+, which calculates its "Top 10" list by considering daily views for episodes and movies alongside the growing popularity of newly released titles, announced that Dream Productions was the most popular title in the U.S. upon its debut.[20] The Walt Disney Company revealed that the first episode garnered 5.6 million views worldwide in its first five days, marking the biggest premiere for an animated series on Disney+ since What If...? in 2021.[21][22] The series maintained the top position on Disney+'s "Top 10" list until December 29.[23] Dream Productions later moved to fifth place on December 30.[24] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that Dream Productions garnered 6.3 million viewers in the U.S. over its first 35 days, making it one of the most popular shows of the 2024–2025 season.[25]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 78% approval rating with an average rating of 6.5/10, based on 20 critic reviews.[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[27]
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian found Dream Productions to be a joyful and delightful spin-off of Inside Out, describing it as a "Christmas miracle". She highlighted the series' wit, wisdom, and family-friendly humor, noting that it stays true to the spirit of the original films. Mangan appreciated the show's exploration of Riley as she enters adolescence, with Paula struggling to adapt to her evolving dreams. She found the addition of new characters like Xeni to be a fun and satirical touch. Mangan also noted that the series feels generous and full of heart, created out of a genuine desire to entertain rather than capitalize on the franchise.[28] Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe appreciated Dream Productions for its mix of energetic storytelling, mockumentary style, and inside jokes related to filmmaking. He praised the voice cast, including Maya Rudolph and Richard Ayoade, and highlighted the high-quality animation and score. Feeney noted that although the show may appeal more to adults, it remains enjoyable for viewers of all ages, offering a mix of humor and creativity.[29]
Joel Keller of Decider complimented Dream Productions for maintaining a connection to the Inside Out franchise, with several of the original voice actors returning and visual cues linking the series to the films. He appreciated the series' exploration of Riley's transition into preadolescence, noting how Paula struggles to adapt her dreams to Riley's changing needs. Keller found the show to have a good balance of humor and sentiment. He stated that while some references might go over younger children's heads, the physical comedy makes it enjoyable for all ages.[30] John Nugent of Empire praised Dream Productions as one of Pixar's most ambitious small-screen projects, noting its satisfying narrative that expands on the Inside Out universe. He found the series to be witty, bright, and visually appealing, maintaining the tone of the original films. Nugent highlighted the mockumentary-style format, with Paula's character adding humor. He noted that while the series is not as emotional or profound as the films, it remains funny, with clever visual gags and a light-hearted yet chaotic atmosphere.[31] Ed Potton of The Times gave it three stars, described the series as a mockumentary, and stated "as ever with Pixar, it works on multiple levels. Your kids might not get all the jokes, but they'll love the pacing, the comedy, the emotion, and the characters. Adults, meanwhile, will be reminded that Hollywood is rarely more entertaining and madcap than when it's navel-gazing."[32]
Accolades
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References
External links
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