"Part 1: The Dream Team" is the first episode in the Disney+/Pixar series Dream Productions.
Synopsis[]
Now that Riley is a teenager, dream director Paula needs to age up her glitter-filled production.
Plot[]
In a movie titled Farewell My Paci, young Riley approaches a sentient pacifier which she nicknamed "Paci", asking her if she will miss her, which she reveals to her that she and her friends are going to Happy Mountain, which then fades to a scene of Paula Persimmon and the Dream Productions crew filming a scene of Riley letting go of her pacifier. Paula then reacts to the scene being filmed as she tells the Mind Worker playing Paci that the camera they are using represents Riley, which Paula calls in Rainbow Unicorn to do her part while Janelle commands the Mind Workers to add glitter effects, baby accessory characters, and the part where the train moves to the scene. Paula reacts to Riley acting in the scene she and her crew filmed. Having wrapped up the scene, the Dream Productions crew celebrates their success of their film. Paula tells the Dream Productions crew that they add magical effects to Riley's dreams, hoping that she never changes until nine years later.
At Emotion Headquarters, Joy narrates that the Headquarters she is at is where Riley's emotions work, just as she narrates that the Emotions help Riley navigate her day, showing the viewers the memories she had, just as she continues narrating that there are lots of memories that need extra processing, which is why they are sent to Dream Productions, a movie studio inside Riley's mind. Joy then narrates that while dreams seem random, they take a lot of work with a fascinating story behind how these dreams are made as done by Paula Persimmon. Paula passes by various Mind Workers bustling at the studio. Paula then arrives at a studio where the crew is rehearsing for a scene where she encounters Naseem while asking her fellow worker Janelle if she has latte for her. The crew then builds a set depicting a cardboard cutout of the Golden Gate Bridge and some life-sized school lockers during a montage of movies being filmed at Dream Productions.
Later, Paula's pet dog, Melatonin, licks the camera just before a janitor cleans the camera with their mop which Paula tells the janitor not to pet her dog for too long, due to her tendency to put people to sleep - except her. Paula comments in an interview that she has been directing dreams in Riley's mind ever since she was two years old while talking to her assistant director Janelle, explaining that their first movie Farewell My Paci was a success at Dream Productions, which Paula shows the audience a picture of her and Rainbow Unicorn celebrating the success of their first movie. Joy then comments that Riley's first dream changed the world. Paula then comments that the success of her first film put her star on the map, commenting that a Dream Productions employee gets their own sandwich in the commissary if they connect to Riley which is what she does. She then comments that she loves making magical dreams which can help Riley escape reality from all the hard work she needs. Paula then talks to the audience, telling them that Dream Productions has some of its best directors, such as Marco (a sport director), Sheng (an action director), Gigi (a nightmare director), and Zack (a comedy director). Paula continues telling the audience that she is Riley's fun director. She then shows the audience a faded Memory Orb that it's been a while since Riley recalled her dream and as she could not find a current dream, she then decides to take the audience behind the scenes of how the crew makes a successful dream.
Janelle narrates that Paula has a unique style who serves as her assistant director while being in charge of making a dream come true by making the crew do anything, except for Fink who appears to do nothing. Paula then comments that Janelle is more of an assistant director, being her best friend on the set in an interview as she completes each other's sentences on the same page. Janelle then comments that she always wanted to direct her own dreams, so she submitted her résumé and had a great interview which might happen soon, just as she hears Paula doing a task she should do. Meanwhile, Paula looks into a cart of unprocessed memories and amongst one of them that Janelle shows is a memory of Bree asking Riley who has mixed feelings of going to a dance event, which Paula finds a joyful memory of Riley finding a Mermaid Unicorn toy, planning to use it. Janelle thinks that the Mermaid Unicorn prop is possibly lost in the Archives.
As Paula and Janelle arrive at the Archives area, Paula shows Janelle the sets used in past movies, suggesting to her to use these sets to make Riley happy in the past - one of them being the Shining Star Express train prop, the Snowman Butler prop, and later the Mermaid Unicorn prop. Paula and Janelle take the Mermaid Unicorn walking past Xeni who is filming a scene for a movie, which Paula tells him that she and Janelle need to get through. However, Xeni reminds Paula that the scene he is filming live, which he continues filming the scene of two Mind Workers wearing tree costumes. However, an impatient Paula tells him that she has no time to waste, which Xeni warns her that she woke up Riley. Xeni then questions Paula about why she is worrying about Mermaid Unicorn, which the two directors get into an argument. Xeni then comments in an interview, introducing himself and explaining that he is a professional daydream maker - some of the films that he directed by him being Does That Cloud Look Like a Hockey Puck?, Everyone's a Robot But Me, and My Secret Sister Lives Across the Street, which Paula interrupts his interview. Later, Paula is discussing with the Dream Productions production team that they received another pop quiz script from the writers and that they are doing it, planning a school dance dream starring Mermaid Unicorn. As the production team plans to film, a manager tells Paula and Janelle that Jean Dewberry is calling an emergency directors' meeting at a Dream Productions.
During a meeting at Dream Productions organized by Jean who is the head of the studio, she asks Sheng if Riley forgot about her hit dream, which he realizes that he forgot about it. She then discusses that there were a few wakeup incidents in the middle of the night at Dream Productions, telling them to add more successful films, planning to optimizing the directing department. Jean then reminds Paula that her dream will open tonight as she plans to hire a new director who would add vitality and fresh ideas, which she selects Janelle, much to Jean giving Paula her surprise. Jean suggests Paula to if she wants to regroup with her team, which she tells her that she is ready to open without having Janelle to make her movie a success, as well as suggesting her to create a completely new, original story for Riley.
Later, Paula approaches Janelle who suggests Riley to have better dreams, fearing that glittering cupcakes and snowmen would not work. She then questions in her thoughts that all she needs is herself, thinking that Janelle is not experienced, fearing of what would happen if she gets a wakeup call interruption in her first film so that she would become her assistant director again. Xeni then comments that Paula lost her assistant director, thinking of what would happen to her later. Meanwhile at the studio, Paula approaches Noriko who is discussing with the team, asking them of what Janelle did that they couldn't handle as a team. Noriko suggests to Paula that she and the team give the opening night dream to someone else, which the latter denies - explaining that it would be easier than she thinks and suggesting that one thing Janelle did was keep an eye on the sleep monitor to make sure Riley is awake or asleep. As the Mind Workers notice that Riley is watching the TV show Little Cabin in the Valley, everyone begins to panic but Riley later falls asleep.
Later, Paula commands the Dream Productions crew to film the dream recreating the events of Riley attending a dance party while commanding a group of Mind Workers wearing star costumes to do their act to add visual effects to the scene, impressing Jean who is in her office and Disgust, Anger, Sadness, Joy, and Fear who are at Emotion Headquarters. After filming the scene of Bree and Grace congratulating Riley for giving them the best dance ever, Noriko congratulates Paula for good directing, just as she commands the Dream Productions team to add the clamshell prop. As Noriko thinks that Dream Productions already has a hit using this prop, Paula explains to her that Sheng had a hit earlier this morning that Riley forgot by lunchtime planning to make one scene that she would never forget. The Dreams Productions crew adds the clamshell prop to the scene, showing Rainbow Unicorn playing the Mermaid Unicorn character on the scene. However, the prop lands on the scene where the movie was being shot due to the prop landing on the set and causing the Dream Productions team to panic.
Cast[]
- Paula Pell as Paula Persimmon
- Ally Maki as Janelle Johnson
- Kensington Tallman as Riley Andersen
- Quinn Minichino Eakin as Young Riley
- Amy Poehler as Joy
- Maya Rudolph as Jean Dewberry
- Ace Gibson as Ziggy
- Nicolas Cantu as Rubin
- Richard Ayoade as Xeni
- Grey DeLisle as Pilar
- Giancarlo Sabogal as Naseem
- Maya Aoki Tuttle as Noriko
- Grace Lu as Grace Hsieh
- Liza Lapira as Disgust
- Matthew Yang King as Sheng
- Carlos Alazraqui as Marco
- Tony Hale as Fear
- Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green as Bree Young
- Kimberly Woods as Gigi
- Lewis Black as Anger
- Diane Lane as Mrs. Andersen
- Kyle MacLachlan as Mr. Andersen
- Phyllis Smith as Sadness
Song[]
- "I Won't Let You Down" by OK GO
Trivia[]
- As Paula and Janelle are wheeling the Mermaid Unicorn prop to the set, a cutout prop of the Pizza Planet Truck can be seen in the background.
- A statue of Billy, Goat, and Gruff (Bo Peep's sheep) can be seen on one of the water fountains near the commissary.
- This episode shows that memories can turn to dust outside of the Memory Dump.
- The shadow of Jangles the Clown can be seen in one of Riley's nightmares.
