Despite being set in the kid-friendly world of Inside Out, Dream Productions features surprising similarities to an unrelated HBO Max adult comedy series. The Disney+ series centers on the dream production studio inside Riley's head that creates interesting dreams for her while she sleeps. Dream Productions features returning voice cast members from Inside Out who bring Riley's mind to life along with new characters who create both funny and emotional moments. Though the characters may bicker while creating dreams, by Dream Productions's ending, they realize that everyone has Riley's best interests at heart.
Following its release, Dream Productions has been met with positive reviews from audiences and critics for its humorous and heartfelt take on movie making. Likewise, HBO Max's show The Franchise has done similarly well in its first season, garnering a solid 74% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. While The Franchise may seem outwardly quite different to Dream Productions, the two shows' premises and themes actually share some important connections.
Dream Productions Is Surprisingly Similar To The Franchise
Both Create Funny Parodies Of The Film Industry
Though The Franchise may be less suited to younger audiences than Dream Productions is, the two series both center on what happens behind the scenes of movie productions. In Dream Productions, Paula Persimmon hopes to create new dreams for Riley that fit with her interests as she gets older, and Xeni hopes to maintain his artistic vision despite the differing demands of the studio executives. The animated series is cute and funny, but its satire surrounding movie-making fits well with the more mature series.
The Franchise
and
Dream Productions
both showcase the possibility of last-minute changes, disruptions, directors with stubborn visions and those who just go with the flow, and overbearing bosses.
In fact, The Franchise relies on satire in a very similar way as its characters attempt to film a superhero movie despite on-set clashes and differences in the vision of the director and studio executives. Both shows emphasize some of the more ridiculous aspects of filmmaking and the differing goals of people involved in the productions. The Franchise and Dream Productions both showcase the possibility of last-minute changes, disruptions, directors with stubborn visions and those who just go with the flow, and overbearing bosses.
The world of Inside Out was expanded by the series Dream Productions, but will the "inbetweenquel" score a season 2 renewal?
The director, assistant director, and executive characters in The Franchise are very similar both in their goals and their actions to those in the animated Disney series. In particular, Daniel Kumar and his attempts to keep the film on track is a somewhat similar, if not more adult version, of the Paula Persimmon character in Dream Productions, and The Franchise's difficult director, Eric Bouchard, has similarities to Xeni's confidence and style. Likewise, the other characters on set create a similar collection of goals, standards, and actions that move the two shows in similar directions.
Dream Productions & The Franchise Touch On The Same Themes
The Two Shows Deal With Ambition And Conflict Behind The Scenes
Beyond the surface-level similarities of the plots of The Franchise and Dream Productions, the two shows also touch on similar themes. Both shows focus largely on the behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking rather than on the films themselves to showcase some of the difficulties that directors, assistants, and actors can encounter. The Franchise and Dream Productions make movie-making look messy and chaotic, but in a way that is highly entertaining for audiences. Both series also create a very funny play on behind-the-scenes footage that often accompanies Hollywood productions.
The Franchise's take on Martin Scorsese's comments about the MCU goes beyond poking fun at the superhero franchise, targeting the whole film industry.
Also present in each show's behind-the-scenes format are the ambitions of the directors and the conflicts that arise from said ambition. In Dream Productions, this conflict is evident by Paula's differing ideas from Xeni and from her assistant Janelle, who both have their own visions and ambitions to rise in the chain of authority at Dream Productions. Likewise, Daniel's struggle throughout The Franchise to balance Bouchard's vision with the demands of the producers and the ambitions of other individuals on set is strikingly similar, and The Franchise has drawn several real-life comparisons by the cast.
Dream Productions & The Franchise Have The Same Kind Of Villain
In Each Show, The Executives Are The Bad Guys
Even the villains of Dream Productions and The Franchise are remarkably similar, as both shows include very mean and controlling studio executives. The Franchise's Pat Shannon often changes directives for the production at the last minute and is unconcerned about the well-being of those behind and in front of the camera. Likewise, Dream Productions's Jean Dewberry pressures Paula to create dreams that will do well for the studio and puts her under strict deadlines, creating extra tension for Paula and competition with her co-workers.
Disney and Pixar's animated series Dream Productions helps fill in the gaps of the Inside Out franchise after the release of the sequel Inside Out 2.
Though Pat is noticeably harsher and makes more hurtful comments than Jean Dewberry surrounding real issues in Hollywood, this is understandable given The Franchise's more adult themes. In each instance, however, the message is clear. The primary critique of both shows is, as their villains suggest, the impact that uncaring executives have both on the people making the films and on the final films themselves. Luckily, at least Dream Productions sees Jean Dewberry receive some consequences for her actions, though The Franchise's ending is more like the real world.
Dream Productions & The Franchise Both Discuss The Merits Of Art In Film
Despite some of the critiques that both shows make, The Franchise and Dream Productions actually take time to reflect on the importance of creating stories that audiences can enjoy and use as an escape from everyday life, in one case a superhero film and, in the other, Riley's happy dreams. Like dreams, movies can allow their audiences to relax and maybe even think about other events of their lives in a different context. Both series highlight how crews working behind the camera are able to create this art for audiences' enjoyment, despite some of the bumps along the way.
Though superhero movies may not always be taken as seriously as other genres, the
Tecto
team recognizes that their popularity stems from their ability to make superhero fans happy, which means that their work truly is important.
Moreover, Dream Productions and The Franchise each highlight the positive effect that good art can have on countering the troubles of the world. In particular, The Franchise creates a superhero world that fans are invested in, and Tecto's creators strive to create unique aspects to the film to add something new to the superhero franchise. Though superhero movies may not always be taken as seriously as other genres, the Tecto team recognizes that their popularity stems from their ability to make superhero fans happy, which means that their work truly is important.
Similarly, Dream Productions ultimately shows how Riley's dreams have the ability to make her happy both while sleeping and in making decisions during her waking life, leading Paula and Xeni to realize that working together is their best bet. In short, both Dream Productions and The Franchise, though critical of certain aspects of movie making, finally agree on the importance of film in the lives of its viewers, signifying the importance of the hard work that filmmakers and crews do.
Set in the whimsical world of Riley's mind, this Inside Out spin-off series follows the crew at Dream Productions, the studio responsible for creating Riley's dreams and nightmares. As they craft cinematic experiences each night, the team faces unexpected challenges, blending humor and creativity in a vivid exploration of the subconscious.
The Franchise is a Max original comedy television series that follows a film crew as they document their increasingly chaotic and hectic work on a Superhero film franchise. Acting as a satire on the industry, the show looks to lampoon the process and the sometimes unreasonable expectations of keeping a long-standing franchise alive and kicking.
English (US) ·