The honest headline first


Inside Out 3 does not exist yet as an announced film. Pixar has not given it a date. Pixar has not released a poster. Pixar has not confirmed a cast. If you see a trailer for Inside Out 3 online, it is not real. One recent video even says so in its own description. It warns viewers that the trailers online are fake and that Pixar has said nothing official so far. That warning is worth repeating, because fake trailers get millions of views.
So why write about Inside Out 3 at all? Because Pixar staff keep talking about it, and fans keep asking. The people who made Inside Out 2 have said, in public interviews, that a third film feels likely. Those comments are real. They are not an announcement. There is a gap between likely and confirmed. This article stays in that gap. It reports what staff said, and it labels the rest as talk.
Inside Out 2 was a huge hit. It opened in June 2024. It passed Frozen 2 to become the highest grossing animated film of all time at that point, with about 1.7 billion dollars worldwide in reports at the time. A sequel to a hit that big is almost always discussed. The question is not if Pixar wants one. The question is when Pixar will make it, and what story it will tell.

What Pixar staff actually said


Dave Holstein co-wrote Inside Out 2. At the 2025 Saturn Awards, he was asked about a third film. He said talks were minimal. He said the team was still enjoying the success of the second film. Then he added that he has no doubt a third film will happen at some point, and that Inside Out could run for several more films. That is a personal view, not a studio plan. It shows confidence, not a green light.
Kelsey Mann directed Inside Out 2. He has said he loves the world of Inside Out. He said ideas keep coming from playing in that world. He also said he has unused ideas from Inside Out 2 that he would love to use in a future film. One idea was Procrastination Land, a place in Riley's mind with a sign that said Coming Soon. Anger asks when they will start building it. The joke was cut because it did not fit Inside Out 2. Mann wants to use it someday. That someday could be Inside Out 3, or it could be another project. Mann did not promise it.
Amy Poehler voices Joy. She has said a third film is something that could and should happen. Paul Walter Hauser voiced Embarrassment in Inside Out 2. He told reporters he heard a third film might be in the pipeline. He added that he does not know when or how or where. That is the most honest version of the rumor. Someone heard something. Nobody knows the details.
Taken together, those comments paint a clear picture. Pixar is thinking about Inside Out 3. Pixar has not started it in a public, official way. The studio's slate is full. Toy Story 5 and other Pixar films come first. Incredibles 3 is dated for 2028. A new Pixar film, Hopper, is also on the slate. Inside Out 3 would have to wait behind those films. Some reports suggest the 2030s as a realistic window, given how early talks are.

What a third film could cover


Riley is the key to any sequel. The first film followed Riley at age 11, moving to a new city. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust ran her mind. The second film followed Riley at 13, starting high school. Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui joined headquarters. Each film moves Riley to a new stage of life. That pattern points to the next stage.
A third film could follow Riley as a young adult. College, work, first serious relationships, and leaving home are all rich ground for new emotions. Fans guess at new emotions for adult life. Some guess at love, ambition, or grief in new forms. Those guesses are fan ideas, not Pixar plans. Pixar has not confirmed any new emotion for a third film. It has not confirmed Riley's age in a third film. It has not confirmed if the story stays with Riley at all. A third film could follow a new character's mind. That is possible, but unconfirmed.
Leak claims online about a college story and a green light come from a single low authority site, with no studio confirmation. Do not share them as news.

What to watch for next


Watch for a Pixar announcement at D23 or in a Disney earnings call. That is how Pixar usually confirms sequels. Incredibles 3 was confirmed at D23 in 2024. Toy Story 5 and other sequels followed the same path. Inside Out 3 will likely get the same treatment, if it happens. A trade report from Variety, Deadline, or The Hollywood Reporter would also count as strong evidence. A YouTube thumbnail does not.
If Docter says Inside Out 3 is in production, that is news. If a voice actor says they heard something, that is talk.
For now, rewatch the first two films. Each ends with Riley more whole, not less, after learning a hard emotion has a purpose.

Sources and reporting

  1. The Flagship Eclipse, via ComicBook.com and The Direct — 1 Mar 2025 · Verifies Holstein minimal talks quote, expectation of a third film, full Pixar slate, no official announcement.
  2. Landmark Cinemas — 2026 · Verifies Hauser heard a third film may happen, no official announcement, Inside Out 2 gross context, Mann interest.
  3. Viewing Trends, via ComicBook.com — 2024 · Verifies Mann interest in returning, Procrastination Land cut idea, Poehler support for a third film.
Unconfirmed or reported, not stated as confirmed fact: Inside Out 3 itself is unconfirmed, with no date, cast, plot, or new emotions confirmed by Pixar. Leak claims about a college story and a green light are unverified and are not treated as fact here. Any 2030s timing is a reported estimate based on Pixar's full slate, not a studio date.