Pixar is finally ready to open up about Riley’s secret crush on Val in Inside Out 2. While the original movie focused on an 11-year-old Riley (Kensington Tallman), the $1.7 billion sequel instead elected for a two-year time jump. New emotions also joined the Inside Out universe, including Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrᴀssment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). With so much change, Riley has to prepare for life as a high school student. All the while, she wrestles with a need to earn respect for her teammate, Val (Lilimar Hernandez).
In an interview with ScreenRant at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Pixar co-writer Dave Holstein explored the true nature of Riley’s crush on Val in Inside Out 2. Because the story required Riley to develop anxiety, Holstein and the other writers wanted to “give her someone to look up to“, which eventually meant including the ever-confident Val. Check out his explanation below:
I think that the discussion throughout the entire film is just to give her someone to look up to, the way a freshman looks up to a senior. I mean, [it’s a] girl crush in that way, but it’s like there’s someone who… I always had this in school too, where you see someone who seems way older. They’re probably 18 months older, but they just found a confidence in themselves that speaks to where people want to be at that age in life. Frankly, it’s not even age, it’s confidence, and we wanted to give her that character to then give her anxiety, to then give us a movie.
What Val Meant For Riley In Inside Out 2
She Was More Than Just Another Crush
The transition between middle school and high school can be incredibly difficult. For Riley, who only moved to the area two years prior, it posed even more of a challenge going into Inside Out 2. She was going to move from being among the oldest students in her school to being the absolute youngest. Riley was also becoming a teenager, which meant new hormones, emotions, and responsibilities. All the while, she was forced to balance her love for hockey, and with so much changing in her life, Riley’s “girl crush” on Val was another stage for growth.
Pixar workers reportedly decided to make Riley “less gay” after the failure of Lightyear (2022).
While there was speculation that Riley could have been developing a romantic interest in Val, it is unlikely to develop into much more in future movies. Pixar workers reportedly decided to make Riley “less gay” after the failure of Lightyear (2022), which earned backlash after Alisha kissed her wife, Kiko. With alleged orders against introducing Riley as an LGBTQ+ character, it does make some sense that Holstein would describe the relationship as a “girl crush“. By Pixar’s explanation, Riley was still adjusting to her new life, and as such felt nothing more than a need to impress a confident friend.
Our Take On Riley’s Crush On Val
It Works As It Is For Now
A relationship could have offered further avenues to explore Riley’s sense of self. Anxiety, embarrᴀssment, and ennui all could have had deeper responses from an actual romantic relationship. However, just because it was one potential avenue does not make it the sole potential storyline. The story resonated with countless viewers, and there was no reason to include an arc that may not have worked quite as well.
While Inside Out 3 is not confirmed, it is almost certainly on the way, and leaving the romantic storyline for a future movie, in which Riley can be older, simply makes sense. It gives more space to explore that element of her life. It is disappointing that Pixar allegedly refused to confirm Riley as an LGBTQ+ character, but it could still be an ongoing storyline. Val was nothing but a role model and “girl crush” in Inside Out 2, but in future movies, Riley could very well find other characters to catch her heart.
