All The Feels: ‘Inside Out 2’ Introduces New Emotions and Characters

Make way for some new emotions!

Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the big screen this summer with some exciting new characters, adventures and … emotions.

HipHollywood got a sneak peak at the upcoming animated film during a press trip to the Pixar campus. All we can say is — we’ve got all the feels. Pixar director Kelsey Mann introduced the first 35 minutes revealing it was inspired by his own teenage angst. “I hated everyone looking at me,” Mann said, “and I think it’s about the new emotions that come up at this age.”

The highly anticipated sequel returns to the mind of Riley — a newly minted teenager — just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.

According to Mann, the new character promises to stir things up within headquarters. “Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, might be new to the crew, but she’s not really the type to take a back seat,” said Mann. “That makes a lot of sense if you think about it in terms of what goes on inside all our minds.”

Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust.

Mann (alongside producer Mark Nielsen) also dished on what it was like taking the helm some twelve years after the original nabbed a pair of Academy Awards including Best Animated Feature.

What emotions are you feeling now? Now that this is finally coming out?

Mark Nielsen: It’s hard not to be emotional about it because it’s a long road. And I definitely I feel like anxiety has been at my console, and now she’s stepping away and joy is stepping forward because I’m finally at this point and finally able to share all the wonderful work that our cast and crew have been working on, so hard for so many years. And I see it up on the screen. I’m just so proud of it.”

How does it feel working together, and having a partner on this so you don’t have to do this alone?

Mark Nielsen: That’s been great. I haven’t had the chance to work with Kelsey before this film.

Kelsey Mann: Yes, the first time that we’ve ever partnered up on anything.

Mark Nielsen: But for the last few years, we’ve had the chance to work together a lot and solve a lot of problems … So it’s been an absolute honor to partner with Kelsey and with this just incredibly talented team of people.

Kelsey you mentioned you’ve been following Pete Doctor’s footsteps for some time. Was it always a dream to work at Pixar and direct a film?

Kelsey Mann: Growing up I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I loved the Muppets. I loved Disney. I loved film. And I wanted to get in animation. And I wanted to work at Disney. But then, Pixar came onto the scene and started releasing movies, and I’m like, Whoa. They’re making some really good movies. Not only good animated movies, but just good movies. And it wasn’t really until seeing Toy Story 2, and I remember watching the credits … I wanted to be one of those names up on that in those credits. And here I am now. I’m in the credits. And not only that, but I’m able to direct this movie.

How would you describe Inside Out 2 for fans who loved the first one? 

Mark Nielsen: It’s a great expansion of the world, and it’s a great continuation of Riley and Joy’s story. Introducing new emotions when she’s becoming a teenager is just such a rich tapestry for exploring the drama and humor and adventure that you can have in an inside-out film. So I think it’s got everything that audiences are going to want. And I hope everybody comes out to see it in theaters when it releases in June, because it’s going to be great on the big screen.

“Inside Out 2” releases in theaters June 14, 2024.