Though the majority of Pixar’s new film, Inside Out, takes place within the mind of an 11 year-old girl named Riley, her parents are also important characters and we definitely get glimpses within their brains. Now we know who will be giving voice at least to the outer part of the characters, with Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane announced as Riley’s mum and dad.
The story finds Riley affected when her father’s job leads the family to uproot from the Midwest to San Francisco. Her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) all react differently to the changing situation and Joy and Fear end up separated from the group, necessitating a quest to get back as the others try to keep Riley centred.
And her parents bear the brunt of these shifting emptions, according to writer/director Pete Docter. "These guys are the pillars on both sides," Docter tells USA Today. "They are pivotal parts, knowing how joyful this kid Riley used to be and the young woman she's changing into." And for Docter, it’s a personal story. "I started out doing a film about growing up, but it turned out it's a film about me watching my kids grow up,” he says. "These parents are realising that their kid is changing. That's difficult. But it is a part of life." For more from the director, head to USA Today.
MacLachlan was last seen in Breathe In and has been appearing in Season 2 of Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s also attached to reprise his role as Agent Dale Cooper in the new planned series of Twin Peaks, due in 2016. Lane will be seen in Trumbo next year and returns to the DC universe as Martha Kent in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, also in 2016. Inside Out arrives here on July 24, but the trailer will go online on Wednesday.