Inside Out 2 Enlists Acclaimed Toy Story 4 Voice Actor

Disney and Pixar have officially welcomed an acclaimed veteran actor to the cast of its highly-anticipated Inside Out sequel.

According to Variety, June Squibb, who voiced the antique shop owner in Toy Story 4, will be joining Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith for an undisclosed role in Inside Out 2. This marks the 94-year-old actor’s latest collaboration with Disney after voicing minor characters in 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet as Grandma Bertha and 2020’s Soul as Gerel. For her incredible performance in Alexander Payne’s 2013 comedy-drama Nebraska, Squibb earned multiple Best Supporting Actress nominations, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award.

Inside Out 2 hails from director Kelsey Mann in his feature-length directorial debut. The sequel will feature the voices of returning cast members Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger. Besides Squibb, they will be joined by franchise newcomers Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. According to the official synopsis, the sequel will see the old gang deal with the chaotic arrival of new emotions, as Riley becomes a full-fledged teenager.

According to Mann, he’s most excited about introducing Anxiety to the audience. "I’m especially excited about Anxiety …" he teased. "There are a lot of different types of anxiety, but we’re really leaning into social anxiety, wanting to fit in and be part of a group. Wondering, 'Am I good enough?'" In addition to Hawke’s character, Ennui, Embarrassment and Envy are also set to appear in the upcoming animated sequel. At the moment, their respective voice actors have not yet been revealed.

Inside Out 2 Tackles Puberty

At the end of the 2015 movie, Joy and the rest of the crew discovered that their newly-expanded console included a big red button that had the word "PUBERTY" written under it, which gave fans an idea of what to expect in the sequel. In a previous interview, Mann confirmed that he initially wanted to pitch three other ideas for the sequel. However, the idea of activating the Puberty button continued to intrigue him.

"I want to see that thing [the Puberty button] go off. I explored other ideas, but I kept coming back to that. Eventually, I just pitched that to Pete [Docter/ Inside Out director]." Mann said. "This is a gold mine for everything we love at Pixar ... It’s got heart. It’s got emotion. It’s got humor. Puberty is hilarious, but it’s also a hard time in our lives. I want to say something meaningful about ourselves as humans, but told in an imaginative way."

Inside Out 2 arrives in theaters on June 14, 2024.

Source: Variety