TV REVIEW: DREAM PRODUCTIONS - Season 1

3/5

The Life Of Riley

4 Episodes. Starring: Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Diane Lane & Kyle MacLachlan. Created By: Mike Jones. On: Disney +.

Dream on, Disney and Pixar. Even with 'Moana 2' hitting shores this fall, like a 'Mufasa' 'Lion King' spin-off clawing it's way to Christmas, summer smash sequel (and the sensational sar-casm) 'Inside Out 2' is still the biggest blockbuster of the year. Take that, steak knives and the chimichanga chopsticks of 'Deadpool and Wolverine'. Not to mention, one of the most successful animations of all-time. So you just know Pixar had to shine a lamplight on it even more, like the seriously sweet short 'Riley's First Date'. In the same vein, or workplace, of the 'Monsters Inc' spin-off 'Monsters At Work', we get the 'Dream Productions' of what happens in Riley's dreams, with no monsters behind the door nightmares, when the emotions take a break like lifeless toys when Andy comes back in the room.

Joy to the world, this Christmastime. Amy Poehler's star of the show shows up, alongside legendary parents Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan, and other emotional cameos for your emoticon responses. Although the Maya Hawke, new teenage dreams of angst are left on the cutting room floor...too many cooks and all that pushing the red button. The main character in Riley's story, apart from her autonomy, is actually Paula Pell's same named Paula Persimmon, a jellybean of a dream director, who wants to turn Riley's R.E.M. into as gold a spectacle as the ones under her Ronald McDonald meets Grimace hair (hey, I'm just jealous). But when her dreams feel flat as an old hat, and her best friend can't take it any more, she finds herself forced to work with the turtleneck of an insufferable auteur director (his glasses probably don't even have lenses) in Kenny "Xeni" Drewberry, played perfectly by 'The IT Crowd' and Disney voice regular, Richard Ayoade.

Life is but a daydream from there on out, from this Mike Jones ("who?" No, not that one) production from the world of 'Inside Out'. Four fantastic episodes streaming on Disney Plus, full of Easter Eggs and unicorn rainbows. The reason we don't have anxiety, worry not, is that this is an interquel (say what now?), set between 'Inside Out' and 'Inside Out 2'. The next big tween-dream from showrunner Jones, who earnt his credit co-writing 'Soul' and 'Luca', watched together runs like a movie in itself at 82 minutes long. Bringing in even more big stars like the boss of Maya Rudolph, who, speaking of this time of year, wowed 'A Very Murray Christmas' with her rendition of 'Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)', not many people knowing she's the daughter of the great Minnie Riperton. Anyway, back to it, will we see more 'Dream Productions' for a season two, like 'Monsters At Work' was given the greenlight? Only in Hollywood. With the biggest animated opening since Marvel's 'What If...?', we can only dream. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Inside Out 2', 'Riley's First Date', 'Monsters At Work'.