Pixar continues its film adaptations to the small screen with its latest courtesy of the INSIDE OUT universe. The series has four breezy episodes and utilizes the workplace comedy documentary style to tell another original story inside Riley’s mind. And for the most part, it all works. By the end of the series, I teared up imagining my kid going through the same big decisions that Riley did and how her parents reacted.
The complexities within DREAM PRODUCTIONS work thanks to the insightful writing courtesy of Mike “SOUL/LUCA” Jones. While it’s not as inventive as those stories, it does have a similar theme of a protagonist daring to dream (pun intended). Whether that’s becoming a jazz musician (SOUL), winning a vespa (LUCA), or attending the school dance, each lead has a big dream, and Jones expertly crafts the supporting cast of characters around them to figure it out.
Yet, despite the good that DREAM PRODUCTIONS brings, the crew faces some technical challenges. The main problem is that several TV series have overdone the documentary-style framing. That narrative structure has run stale, bringing my score down since the show doesn’t add anything new to the genre.
Don’t “sleep” on DREAM PRODUCTIONS. It’s a friendly “wake-up” reminder that Pixar is still the best at manipulating grown-ups to cry.
The entire first season is available on Disney+.
