INSIDE OUT 2 Director Celebrates Movie’s Recognition Going Into Awards Season
By Movieguide® Contributor
After taking on intense pressure to deliver a sequel to a beloved movie, Kelsey Mann is extremely thankful for the recognition INSIDE OUT 2 has received.
“There’s always high expectations for any film that we do at Pixar, but to do one that’s a follow up to a film that everybody loves so dearly…The first INSIDE OUT taps into a very deep, personal side to people, and to be able to continue that to an even deeper level was quite an honor,” Mann told Deadline.
“When I first started, I thought we could just bring Joy out of the digital box,” Mann continued, explaining how he approached the movie. “[But] the technology had changed so much that we needed to literally start from scratch and start over, which was surprising to me but afforded us the ability to give them a bit of an upgrade.”
READ MORE: HOW INSIDE OUT 2 MADE EMOTIONS FEEL SO REAL
Starting over also allowed Mann and his team to create new characters that speak to the times. Especially with Riley being a young teenager in the sequel, these new emotions were crucial for audiences to continue to connect on a personal level.
“We want[ed] to make a movie that the whole family can enjoy, regardless of your age,” he told Variety. “We all tried to dig into our own experiences.”
“You just workshop the movie over and over,” he continued. “There are movies I love that I never want to see again. Those are great, but they aren’t my favorite movies, and they’re not the ones that made me want to be in this industry. I wanted to make a movie that everybody would want to go see, and that you would want to see again.”
It’s safe to say that Mann was successful in this goal as INSIDE OUT 2 became not only the highest-grossing movie of 2024, grossing $1.698 billion at the global box office, but it also became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Now as the awards season rolls around, it is certainly being recognized for its excellence. Movieguide®, for example, nominated it for a Teddy Award® at this year’s Movieguide® Awards.
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