‘Inside Out 2’ Filmmakers Kelsey Mann & Mark Nielsen On “Opening New Doors In The World” Of Riley’s Mind For The Pixar Sequel

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The ongoing struggle to elevate animated features to the same level of best-picture recognition as live-action films will undoubtedly resurface by year’s end. This time, the spotlight will be on Pixar‘s highly successful sequel, “Inside Out 2,” a film that could bring joy and success amid a dark cloud hovering around Hollywood studios. With debut director Kelsey Mann taking over from Pete Docter, the second installment follows Riley (Kensington Tallman) during her teenage years.

Alicia Keys performed at the 2024 Tony Awards and was joined by Jay-Z to sing “Empire State of Mind.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” leaped to a crushing first place debut at the South Korean box office on its opening weekend. The American animation film earned $12.3 million from 1.75 million ticket sales between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over the five days since its Wednesday debut, it accumulated $14.7 million and 2.08 million ticket sales.

Jack Dunn SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “Inside Out 2” now playing in theaters. “Inside Out 2” director Kelsey Mann and producer Mark Nielsen held “a good 25 meetings” in preparation for the film’s climactic scene — when Riley, the movie’s teenage protagonist, suffers an anxiety attack. But these weren’t any average production discussions, they were “the gatherings of the mind council,” which summoned all the department heads together to strategize the execution of the scene. “Simulation, effects, lighting and animation all together like, “‘How are we going to do this?'” Neilsen tells Variety.

J. Kim Murphy Don’t be afraid to catch feelings. Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” just scored the biggest box office opening day of the year so far, earning a spectacular $62 million across Friday and preview screenings from 4,440 locations.

EXCLUSIVE: The award-winning documentary Union, about the first successful unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse, has been making the rounds of film festivals – it just held its U.K. premiere at Sheffield DocFest, and on Saturday it plays at DC/DOX in the nation’s capital. In a matter of months, the film will reach its widest audience yet, through a self-distribution plan announced today.

Karen Idelson First-time feature film director Kelsey Mann dug deep into his own emotions while making “Inside Out 2.” As he imagined a story about the confusing journey we all go on through puberty, he knew he would need to add new emotions to the ones from the first animated hit — so Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment join the fray in main character Riley’s developing mind. At the Annecy Animation Festival, Mann will appear at a special screening of the Pixar film June 14 and will serve as Disney Art Challenge jury president. The theme of this year’s event will be “Adolescence: So many emotions.” He spoke to Variety about the new film.

Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 had its first full day of play at the international box office on Wednesday with No. 1 starts in each of its eight material markets, including strong debuts in majors Korea and Germany as well as the Philippines. The total through day one overseas is $4.9M. Majors joining through Friday include Australia, Mexico and the UK.

It’s been nearly a decade since the original film came out, so the animation required some updates before Inside Out 2 would be ready to go. For this, Pixar had a team of both new and returning craftspeople working tirelessly to rework the world and introduce a new set of emotions to tell a new story for the sequel.

The stars of the new Disney and Pixar movie Inside Out 2 stepped out for the L.A. premiere!

Prince Harry is facing a difficult Father's Day as 'the world is watching to see if he's big enough', according to a royal expert. It has been suggested that all eyes will be on the Duke of Sussex to see if he reaches out to his father, King Charles for the occasion on Sunday, 16 June.

Described by The Times as the “most royal non-royal wedding of the year”, Hugh Grosvenor, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, is due to marry Olivia Henson today, Friday, 7 June, at Chester Cathedral in a spectacle reminiscent of a modern-day episode of Bridgerton.The 33 year old Duke of Westminster inherited his title - and the immense family fortune - when he was just 25 following the death of his father, the sixth Duke, in 2016. Hugh benefitted from the ancient rule of primogeniture, meaning that he took priority over his older sisters because he was the male heir. At the time of his succession, he inherited an estimated wealth of £9 billion and gained several new estates.

The seventh Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, is marrying Olivia Henson at what has been so far dubbed the society wedding of the year. However, two people that won't be on the guest list are his old pal, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle.

Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, is set to tie the knot with his fiancee, Olivia Henson, today in a very lavish wedding at Chester Cathedral. He is famously known for being Prince George's godparent and is Britain’s richest man under 40. Hugh, 33, will say 'I do' to his long-term girlfriend, 31, on Friday, 7 June at a secretive, yet grand wedding in Chester Cathedral.

Angelina Jolie and her 15-year-old daughter, Vivienne, are deepening their involvement in the world of theater, showcasing their passion for the performing arts. On Thursday, May 30, the Oscar-winning actress and her daughter attended the opening night of “Reefer Madness: The Musical” in Los Angeles, making a striking appearance on the red carpet.The mother-daughter duo, known for their elegant yet understated fashion, posed for photos alongside Kristen Bell.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off the Cannes Film Festival where it won several awards, Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “The Seed of The Sacred Fig” has been acquired by a flurry of high profile distributors in major international territories. Films Boutique, which represents the critically acclaimed political drama globally, has sold it to Lionsgate for the U.K.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Glen Powell told some of his best Tom Cruise stories as part of a cover story interview with GQ UK magazine. The two actors became close friends during the production of “Top Gun: Maverick.” Powell originally auditioned for the role of Rooster, but he was beat out by Miles Teller. Cruise liked Powell and offered him the role of Hangman, but Powell had some notes.

Lana Del Rey has spoken to NME about the “music business going country”, what to expect from her new album ‘Lasso’, and feeling “playful” rather than “vindicated” after proving naysayers wrong. Watch our interview above.Speaking to NME in the winners’ room of the Ivor Novellos yesterday (Thursday May 23) after picking up the Special International Award, the ‘Video Games’ icon was in a jubilant mood as she reflected on her career.“Because I met my managers 15 years ago, they spoke about this award since the minute I met them,” Del Rey told NME.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Dystopian thriller “Leave the World Behind” was the most-watched film — and title overall — on Netflix globally in the second half of 2023, while anime-inspired live action series “One Piece” led on the TV side. The data comes from Netflix’s second edition of “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” reflecting viewership on the streamer from July-December 2023 covering 99% of all viewing on Netflix. Subscribers across the world watched about 90 billion hours of Netflix in the second half of 2023, compared with 93 billion hours in the first half of the year.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Steven Spielberg has lined up his next feature film, which will be released in 2026. Universal Pictures is backing the movie, which will open in theaters on May 15, 2026. It’s unclear what the untitled project — which the studio described as a “new original event film” — is about, though Variety previously reported that Spielberg is working on a UFO story.