Is Riley from Inside Out 2 Gay? (2024)

Inside Out is one of Disney and Pixar's most interesting concepts. The 2015 animated movie by Pete Docter focused on young Riley and the emotions inside her head. Each had its own avatar, led by Amy Poehler's Joy. Now, the Inside Out sequel from new director, Kelsey Mann, finds 13-year-old Riley going through puberty.

In addition, she is struggling in her coming-of-age story to accept changes in school and with her friends. Intriguingly, from the trailers and video clips, many fans were curious if this was a queer story teasing a conflicted Riley coming out. Fortunately for curious fans, Inside Out 2 provides a definitive answer to this topic.

Inside Out 2's Riley Is Not In Love With Val

Fans wondered if Riley was queer in the first movie after her emotions were of mixed genders. Her father had male emotions and her mother, female ones. Thus, some fans thought that Riley might be gender-fluid or non-binary. However, it's established in Inside Out 2 that Riley isn't queer, despite what seems like a crush on a fellow hockey player, Val. This story finds Riley excelling with the Foghorns' hockey team, but she has a shot at moving up to the middle-school team, the Firehawks. Riley and her best friends, Grace and Bree, take part in a three-day hockey camp in the Bay Area, where Riley keeps fawning over an older player, Val.

Val was the youngest player to make the junior varsity team. When Riley meets her on the steps, Riley rattles off her stats and basically fangirls Val. She geeks out and even admires Val's red hair streak. It's a bit weird, but Val doesn't mind. She was once that over-exuberant teenager herself. The reason Riley has followed her career so much is because Riley wants to imitate it and use it as a road map. Once she breaks Val's records, she thinks she can shoot to fame and be universally loved like Val.

Riley simply idolizes Val. The wide-eyed stares are due to Riley admitting Val's superstardom and loving how Val carries about herself. She isn't arrogant, she's a role model. This is exactly who Riley wants to be like, hence why she is glad to play under Val. This makes Val a mentor, not a crush. The second reason why Riley worships Val's team is that Bree and Grace will be going to a different school. Thus, Riley wants to adapt to new friends. Part of her feels betrayed, reflecting her immature side, but it's understandable and sympathetic.

Riley just wants to prepare for the future by finding a new clique. Admittedly, it leads to Riley making rash, selfish decisions on and off the court, hurting both groups of her peers. In the end, she wins over Val, but there's nothing romantic about it -- it's all about social mobility and that ambition to feel accepted. The proof comes with Riley's emotions. None of them picks up a spark or a sign of love. Instead, they all realize Riley wants new friends and to shine at the sport. This is what allows Maya Hawke's Anxiety to take over the mind control room.

Inside Out 2's Riley Has Had Some Notable Male Crushes

Another piece of confirmation over Riley's sexuality comes after Joy and Riley's other emotions get kicked out of headquarters by Anxiety and her emotions. The old emotions want to find Riley's Sense of Self that will remind her of her worth and that she is, in fact, good enough for the world. In the process, they meet Lance Slashblade in the vault, a place where some old memories are stored away. He is a heroic video game character whom Riley had a crush on when she was younger.

Lance is similar to the character Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. However, because he didn't have an epic fighting style, Riley locked him away. When he's freed, he does help the heroes out. Notably, the female Disgust adores him. It shows that Riley's love for Lance never died and that love is bubbling in her emotions. Riley's Nostalgia emotion is also spotted in the control room at intervals, which affirms she won't let go of the past. Lance is just that: her first crush and a suave, dashing figure who will always stick with her.

Lastly, when Joy and her team roam around more, they find other islands and theme parks like Imagination Land. They find Mount Crushmore, which mimics Mount Rushmore. But instead of the US Presidents, Riley's crushes are all carved into the iconic mountain. Lance is there, as chiseled and handsome as ever. The other rocky structures are all men. There isn't any female presence to hint Riley might be queer. All Riley wants to do, amid all the blushing and nervous words, is just be cool, and Val is her gateway to that world of popularity.

The Inside Out Franchise Could Still Make Riley Queer

There is potential for an Inside Out 2 sequel to possibly explore Riley being queer as she shifts from her preteen years. Firstly, Riley has a giant known as the Deep Dark Secret. He was locked away in the vault too, but now he's free. He tells Joy one secret: Riley once burned her mother's rug and lied. The franchise could tweak Deep Dark Secret and have him hiding another secret down the line: Riley being queer.

The fact that the Embarrassment avatar is Pink can lend credence to this. It may be Riley has been embarrassed by her sexuality, wrongfully thinking being different is a bad thing. It would even help to evolve her mindscape, leaving her emotions wondering what else she might have hidden away. Inside Out 2 shows a lot more uncharted territory in Riley's head, so a third chapter can find both Anxiety's team and Joy's team exploring those regions now that they are united.

They do want to help find the best identity for Riley, which can work in the rest of her current emotions (Fear, Sadness, Anger, and Ennui) to figure out Riley's best self. It could be she is hiding a crush on Grace or Bree. Disney and Pixar could also still rework the story so that Riley likes Val, or someone new she meets after enrolling in high school after Inside Out 2's ending.

Would Disney and Pixar Be Willing to Make Riley Queer?

Given Disney's troubling track record on queer visibility, the chances of Riley being queer down the line are slim to none. Outside of Eternals' Phastos and his husband, even the Marvel Cinematic Universe has pared down LGBTQ representation. Pixar also reduced the queer presence in Lightyear and Onward with quick mentions or scenes of gay couples. Additionally, a queer scene was cut from the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake in 2017. While the Star Wars series The Acolyte is exploring queerness through Mother Aniseya and Koril, that may well be a rarity. The backlash online has been present over this in any case.

While it's easy to think Disney would ignore this backlash, CEO Bob Iger has also gone on record to say the company must get back to making entertainment and not "send messages." That suggests the company wants to ensure its films are in all markets. They may take a chance of more progressive stories on Disney+, but the real money is in theaters. Inside Out 2's box office performance is great, so it's unlikely Disney will want to endanger that. In the 2020s, Disney hasn't been making the billions the company is accustomed to, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company is working to retool the MCU brand and get Star Wars back on track after the sequel trilogy did not live up to financial expectations. Therefore, taking risks won't be on the cards. Iger would want the Pixar arm to keep churning out stories that everyone can see. Inside Out 2 proves it is a property they can count on, so it's unlikely fans will see Riley's character changed. Maybe one of her friends or teammates can end up being queer, but it feels like Disney will keep playing it safe with Inside Out's Riley and not jeopardize a flagship character that many business segments love.

Inside Out 2 is now playing in theaters.

Inside Out 2

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

Director

Kelsey Mann

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Cast

Amy Poehler , Phyllis Smith , Lewis Black , Tony Hale , Kaitlyn Dias , Liza Lapira , Maya Hawke

Writers

Meg LeFauve

Main Genre

Animation

Production Company

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures