Kelsey Mann Reveals the Piece of Advice That Helped Him Create ‘Inside Out 2’
While Kelsey Mann was no stranger to the world of Pixar, he had never directed a feature film when he was called into a meeting with the studio’s president, Jim Morris, and its chief creative officer, Pete Docter.
“I had no idea what the meeting was about,” Mann told IndieWire. “I knew it was either going to be the worst meeting in the world or the best.”
Photo: Pixar
Thankfully, it was the best. Morris and Docter had a simple question for Mann, would he be interested in directing the next Inside Out story?
Advice From Andrew Stanton
After Mann lept at the opportunity, he began to think about his favorite sequels. At the top of the list was Pixar’s Toy Story 2.
“I remember sitting there watching the credits rolling, and I felt this incredible sense of envy,” he reflected.
Looking for advice, Mann reached out to Andrew Stanton, who had not only written Toy Story 2 but later directed Finding Dory. The Pixar veteran had practical advice for the new director.
Photo: Arkansas Online
“He said ‘the sooner you start thinking of this film as an original, the better off you’re going to be,’” Mann recalled.
Riley’s Crew
Inspired by his conversation with Stanton, Mann and writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein began to brainstorm ideas for the film that would become Inside Out 2. The group settled on a story that saw Riley entering puberty, which created new challenges for her previous Emotions and allowed the team to introduce Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.
Image: Pixar
As production on Inside Out 2 continued, Mann and his writers got advice from a unique source, a group of teenage girls who were brought in to give feedback on the film’s story.
“We created a teenage girl trust,” Mann recalled. “And we ended up calling them ‘Riley’s Crew.’ We got nine girls between 13 and 18 and showed them every version of the movie and met with them afterward to get their thoughts.”
According to the director, the feedback given by the teenagers was acute and helpful.
Image: Pixar
“They gave great notes,” he said. “Actually, they almost gave better notes than some people at Pixar. They took it seriously — they took detailed notes and sometimes they watched it twice, and if we weren’t able to get to everything they would send us their notes through email the next day. It was amazing.”
‘Inside Out 2’ Was a Historic Success
Eventually, Pixar’s faith in Mann and the director’s hard work would pay off. Inside Out 2 was not only a satisfactory follow-up to the beloved Inside Out but a massive hit in and of itself.
Image: Pixar
Eventually, the film would gross nearly $1.7 billion at the box office, on its way to becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Perhaps more importantly, Inside Out 2 also put Pixar back on the right track after a couple of years lost in the wilderness.
Through trial, error, and hard work, Mann made movie magic happen. And to think, it all started with one fateful meeting.
Photo: Disney
Inside Out 2 is streaming on Disney+.
