[4] In 2015, Cooley worked as a screenwriter and storyboard supervisor on the film Inside Out, which was released to critical acclaim.

[6][5] Following the success of Inside Out, Cooley was tapped by John Lasseter and screenwriter Andrew Stanton to co-direct Toy Story 4.

Upon release, the film received critical acclaim, and Cooley took home his first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

[10] The film is set on the Transformers home planet of Cybertron and focuses on the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

[11] On June 23, 2021, Cooley was set to write a film based on the Disney Parks attraction Tower of Terror, with Scarlett Johansson starring and producing the project, after previously working together on Transformers One.