The series Dream Productions (Dream Productions), spin-off de Intenselyoffers a fascinating dive into Riley’s mind, a vibrant space where creativity and psychology intertwine to bring her nighttime dreams to life. Set in a studio inspired by the classic Hollywood aesthetic, this visual universe mixes art deco with the whimsical details of Riley’s inner world, such as facades made from childhood memories or elements of her favorite food, such as pizzas and cupcakes. Every corner of this place breathes charm and functionality: bungalows designed for directors, a writers’ room filled with bold ideas, and a bustling cafe where the creative team meets to plan Riley’s nights. This setting, both familiar and fantastical, perfectly captures the essence of how dreams take shape in a balance of professional organization and unbridled magic.
At the heart of the narrative is Paula Persimmon, a talented but insecure director who faces the challenge of reinventing her style to connect with Riley’s ever-evolving interests. Paula, who once dominated the glitter and joy-filled dreams of Riley’s childhood years, now finds herself struggling to stay relevant in the face of the more complex tastes of pre-teenhood. Joining her is Xeni, a director of daydreams with aspirations of nighttime greatness, whose arrogant yet creative approach adds a comical and exciting counterpoint to the teamwork. As the series navigates the challenges of maturity and self-discovery, the dynamics between Paula, Xeni and the rest of the production team reveal not only the process behind each dream, but also how Riley deals with the emotions and decisions that define its growth.
On the occasion of the premiere of the series in Disney+we were able to talk with the producer Jaclyn Simonand the directors Valerie LaPoint y Austin Madison.We invite you to watch our video interview, or read a transcript.
-Hello! I’m Ana Manson from Malditos Nerds in Argentina. Congratulations, guys, on the series. It’s so short, but so effective, funny and moving. Uhm, so, I wanted to ask you, how did you choose this mockumentary style and this Hollywood setting?
Jaclyn Simon: —Well, we were, uhm… Diving into the world of “Inside Out.” His Dream Productions is on the first film and Pete Docter and Mike Jones, who is our series director, had the… idea to go even further. There is so much to explore within that world of study. Uhm, and then because it felt like we were making this comedy in the workplace, the mockumentary style lent itself to further exploring something we haven’t been able to do at Pixar. So we took inspiration from a lot of mockumentary shows that we all know and love. And bringing that sense of humor and trying something new at Pixar really… It was exciting for us.
—Yes, I imagine so. I mean, it’s a very popular style and… They’ve done it so well. I mean, they capture him. And you guys, you are directors directing… A story about directors. I mean… So, what does this mean to you? And were there inside jokes?
Austin Madison: —Oh, gosh, well… It’s funny that you mention the inside jokes because that… It became one of our main notes. “Oh, it’s too Hollywood, or it’s…” You know, we would constantly have to make adjustments to not make so many… Hollywood references and keep it universal and about Riley. But as for the dreams themselves, it was a blast. I think we were able to direct some of our favorite genres. You know, Val loves musicals and she got to do… Our big opening musical number. And I’m kind of a… Sam Raimi horror action fan so I was able to do some of those homages in the third episode. So I think it was fun.
Valerie LaPoint: —Yes, and I think the general idea of the show… You know, they are making films and it is a parallelism of you know, why we tell stories, why we make films. And how we feel, like, you know, “What are we saying with this?” We’re entertaining, but we also, especially at Pixar, want to have a little bit more impact. We want to have an emotional resonance behind our stories. And that’s what Paul and Zinnia are doing. Everyone tries to make a big dream for Riley to help her. Nobody tries to do anything bad for her. Uhm, and they care a lot about her. They want it to be of the best quality and they really want to help you. And I think… There’s definitely an interesting parallel going on there… In our process.
—Yes, do you identify with any of the characters?
Jaclyn Simon: —I think I identify with everyone at some point.
Valerie LaPoint: —Yes, at different times, right?
Jaclyn Simon: —Yes, everyone is there to serve Riley and do what they feel… Which is best for her. And so I think we all play with moments in our heads, “Should we do this or should we do this?” Should we be carefree or…should we be a little more cautious about something?”
Valerie LaPoint: —Yeah, I was thinking about how Paul and Zinnia, it’s kind of funny, they’re like two sides of ourselves. I think a lot of us went to art school or film school and we have this kind of, like, “indie side” of Zinni in us that knows all the obscure film references and… And art references. And then there’s the “Paul side” of us that makes movies, which is like, “I just want to make a movie that’s fun and that everyone can relate to.” And they are always in conflict. So it’s fun to see how the characters parallel many of us… in our own internal sense of self.
-Yeah. I bet so. And… Where…? I mean, they were producing the series at the same time that “Inside Out 2” was being produced. Was there any teamwork with the crew on that film?
Jaclyn Simon: —Yes, in fact we started more or less at the same time as them. So at the beginning, we talked about sharing resources. So we built a lot of the characters and the settings… That are in the studios of “In Dream”, but then we borrowed, uhm… From them, some human characters… So it was an overlay of… Being able to collaborate and share resources from that manner. And so really, we just wanted to make sure that we were telling different stories. So we could watch each other’s shows along the way, and we didn’t want them to overlap.
Valerie LaPoint: —There’s a lot of… I mean, we would build things and then our story would change and we wouldn’t need it and they’re like, “Can we use that?”
Jaclyn Simon: —Yes, they used some of the sets we had.
Valerie LaPoint: —They took advantage of, you know… You know, and they made last-minute additions to the film that were things that we decided not to use. And that was great. And I think it was also fun to see, like… Yeah, when they developed their show, in the movie, Riley is 13 in “Inside Out 2,” and in our show, she’s 12, so… I feel like there’s always a control of , like, “Well, is she…? Are you ready for this? Are you emotionally…? Where is he with his friends? Or, where is she?”… And so, I think I felt like our show, what was cool was that we landed in a good space with her going to a dance and it felt like this little… Little step into pre-teenhood. , and to be a teenager, which is more so when you get to the movie.
—Yes, it is a great turning point. So, thank you guys so much for your time and I hope to see you again soon and… Well, enjoy the show when it airs because… You’re going to get a lot of praise.
Jaclyn Simon: —Oh, thank you.
Austin Madison: -Thank you so much!
