Amy Poehler wants to make Inside Out 3 and already has ideas for Riley

The Joy voice actor speaks to Yahoo UK about her hopes for a third film

Joy and Anxiety in Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 has done huge numbers at the box office, and the prospect of making a third film is exciting to Joy voice actor Amy Poeher. (Pixar)

Inside Out's Amy Poehler is excited to see what happens next to Riley following the events of the second film in the Pixar franchise, and she tells Yahoo UK that she'd love to return for Inside Out 3 if she can.

The follow up to the 2015 film returns to Riley's world as she officially becomes a teenager and is hit by puberty, which comes with all the messiness you'd expect and an array of new emotions. Anxiety (Maya Hawke) is the leader of the new group, and she decides to push out Joy (Poehler) and others in order to change Riley and try to ensure her future is the best it can be.

Poehler already has ideas for where Pixar can take the character next, after saying she's "100%" on board with returning to the world of Inside Out in future: "I mean maybe it could be as simple as we meet Riley when she's graduating high school.

Amy Poehler attends the World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2
Amy Poehler told Yahoo UK that she's '100%' interested in returning for a third film, and she'd like to see Riley experience romantic love and go through other life stages. (Getty Images)

"Or she's having her first experience of romantic love. I mean anything I can think of Pixar would think of a much better, more creative version.

"But yes, it would be amazing to keep following her and, in a way, keep tracking us [emotions] because that's really what we're doing."

Read more: Will Inside Out 3 happen?

It's not yet been confirmed if there will be a third film in the franchise, but given the animated sequel has already earned $379m (£298m) in its first five days in cinemas it seems like a strong possibility. Inside Out 2 is the most successful Pixar movie in years, as the studio is still recovering from the impact of the Covid pandemic which led to straight-to-streaming releases and a disappointing return for Lightyear.

Watch: Amy Poehler and the Inside Out 2 team discus the film's approach to anxiety

Recently, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company is "now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels" because "there's a lot of value" in existing franchises. This suggests that it is entirely possible for Inside Out to return in future, much like Toy Story which is set to return with a fifth film in future.

Read more: Pixar is facing a 'ton of change' but studio boss is excited by it

Poehler previously spoke about her hopes for Riley with Empire magazine, saying that she'd like to revisit the character of Joy "every couple of years in Riley's life" and that she could be seen as a "young adult", a "young mother" and even a "middle-aged person" in future.

Inside Out 2 is out in cinemas now.