Pixar’s Dream Productions is a return of the world of Inside Out and the mind of Riley, a newly minted teenager. The new four-episode series takes a look at what happens when Riley’s memories need some extra processing and how Joy and the core emotions send those memories to Dream Productions.

We got to talk to series producer Jaclyn Simon, episode directors Valerie LaPoint and Austin Madison, and voice talents Paula Pell and Ally Maki about the mockumentary series.

Riley is growing up and when her memories need some extra processing, Joy and the rest of the Core Emotions send them to Dream Productions. Set in between the events of Inside Out and Inside Out 2, Dream Productions is a four episode series that follows acclaimed director Paula Persimmon (voice of Paula Pell) who faces a nightmare of her own: Trying to create the next hit dream after being paired up with Xeni (voice of Richard Ayoade), a smug daydream director looking to step up into the big leagues of night dreams. The duo must navigate the rapidly changing dream industry, with the looming decision of whether or not Riley should go to the school dance.

During our interview with Pell who voices acclaimed dream director Paula Persimmon and Maki who voices Janelle, Paula’s assistant with dreams of becoming a dream director, we talk about their characters and some of the dreams they’ve had that could be movies. There may or may not have been a Pinhead name drop for all you Hellraiser fans.

With Simon, LaPoint, and Madison, we talk about the process of making sure all the real-world dream research fit into the story that they wanted to tell, how the mocumentary style through the lens of filmmaking reflected their own office culture, and finding the humor of in all of it to make it accessible while staying informative.

Dream Productions also features the voices of Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, and Phyllis Smith.

All four episodes of Dream Productions debut on Disney+ on December 11, 2024.