Back in March, we were invited to Pixar Animation Studios, where the team was hard at work on the final touches of Inside Out 2. Visiting the studio on my very first press trip, I was assigned to the “Anxiety” group (how fitting!), joining other journalists for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the highly anticipated sequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar’s Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen Talk ‘Inside Out 2,’ New Emotions, and Crushing Joy’s Confidence (VIDEO)
ยฉ 2024 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Ifย Inside Outย sent you on an emotional rollercoaster,ย then the sequel is guaranteed toย throw you for a loop.
Leading up to the filmโs summer release, we visited Pixar Animation Studios to discuss Inside Out 2ย with director Kelsey Mann and producer Mark Nielsen, who also worked onย Inside Out.
The day before, weย were treatedย to an early sneak peek of the first thirty minutes of the sequel. As a longtime Pixar enthusiast, I was thrilledโthough perhaps not as excited as Mann was to push theย big red button.
Kelsey Mann, who sawย Inside Outย as an audience member in 2015 while working on Pixarโsย The Good Dinosaur, described his reaction to the first filmโs ending as he pointed to Mark Nielsen. โYou guys set up [the puberty button] on the consoleย andย I’mย like,ย โI want that thing to go off. If youย don’tย set off,ย I’mย gonnaย be upset!โ
He finally gets the chance to do just that as the director of Inside Out 2.ย He went on to explain that he also set out to cause more chaos than just a blaring puberty alarm.
โ[The first movie] ends in a great way whereย sheโsย like,ย โweโveย got new friends, a great new house, after all,ย sheโsย 12, what could happen?โโย he says,ย โShe has such confidence in herselfย andย I wanted toย crush that.โ
Mann also detailed how they explored challenging Joyโs traditional ideas of who Riley is in this new phase of her life. โThat’s where the new emotions come in,โ he said, โbecause they’re like, โwe understand this teenage world and we know how to play this game better than you do. So you know what? We need you to step aside because we need to take over.โ
Once again, filmgoers will see some push and pull at the controls in this new storyโjustย in a different way.ย โJoy, in the beginning of [Inside Out] learned that lesson that all emotions are valuable, she learned to let Sadness go to the console.โ Mark Nielsen says, โAnd now in this film, sheโs like, โmaybe not ALL of them.โโ
ยฉ 2024 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
The new movie features new additions to the cast, including Maya Hawke (Anxiety), Ayo Edebiri (Envy), Paul Walter Hauser (Embarrassment), and Adรจle Exarchopoulos (Ennui). During a press conference session earlier that day, Mark Nielsen had nothing but praise for what they brought to the film. โTheyโre all very funny,โ he said, โSome of them are actual straight-up comedians.โ
โ[Envy] wasnโt as developed as some of the other emotions,โ Mann jumped in to say, โAyo really helped flesh out who that character was in a positive way.โ
Nielsen was also wowed by Maya Hawkeโs performance as Anxiety, describing her as the โfastest talker Iโve ever met.โ
โShe brought an element of humanity to the character,โย Mann added.
During those first thirty minutes of the film, weย didnโtย get the chance to become well-acquainted with Embarrassment, but Mark Nielsen gave us an idea of what to expect from the character.
โPaul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment was amazingโwhat a gem of a human being,โ he said, โWe met with him beforehand to talk about the role. On the script, it doesnโt look like much because heโs too scared to talk and barely has any lines, but heโs a really important character in the film. Itโs actually a really big role, which is a beautiful relationship he ends up having with Sadness.โ
You can check out our interview with Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen at Pixar Animation Studios in the video below. “Inside Out 2” will be hitting theaters on June 14th, 2024!
“Julia Mazza?”ย
I was eating lunch in a room off of the main atrium when I heard my name called by a member of Disneyโs publicity team.
The toys are back in townโฆ..again!
After waiting 14 years for a sequel…there’s a lot of ground to cover.
With my head still spinning after the screenings and my stomach still stuffed from the Chinese feast prepared after “Bao” the next day came sooner than expected at a 7:00 AM meetup time.
After an exciting introduction to the Pixar life, I’m ready for the reason why we’re all there in the first place.
I know the Weinsteinโs fingerprints when I see them!
‘Cars 3’ Set Visit Diary: We Visit Pixar Animation Studios & Sonoma Raceway [Part I]
This is part one in our coverage of a very special press event for the new film Cars 3 outย June 16, 2017.