Just a few months before the release of Inside Out 2, the fans are waiting to get a glimpse of the all-new emotions— Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Envy. Recently, the animated feature’s director Kelsey Mann opened up about Stranger Things star, Maya Hawke’s casting for the voice of Anxiety in the film.
The synopsis reads: Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley 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.
Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann shared, “Here’s a really cool thing about Maya, [she] was awesome, you know. It’s a really fun story. I auditioned Maya from Disney World, believe it or not. So, we went out to like to do an audition with Maya, and Mark [Nielsen] was like, ‘Good news is she said, ‘’Yes.”’ She would love to audition and meet with you. Bad news is it’s during your vacation.’ So, me and my kids, we were all at Disney World. I’m like ‘Ah, man, I’m at Disney World.’ He’s like ‘Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”
Speaking about his interaction with Hawke, he added, “They did. It was awesome. I was with my family, I go, ‘Alright, I’ll be right back,’ and then they took me backstage, and I went back to some random office where they had a computer with Zoom on it. She absolutely crushed it. And my favourite part was, you know, at the end of it, I talked about what I wanted the movie to be about, and she just immediately connected with it. I think I even cried as she was talking. And I walked away and, you know, called you [Mark], and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, she’s perfect.’ And then I went back into the EPCOT and continued my vacation. It was hilarious.”
Earlier, Pixar had announced the six emotions and the artists who will voice them.
Inside Out 2 releases in theaters on 14 June 2024.
