‘Inside Out 2′ director dishes on the blockbuster’s Twin Cities roots

Riley Andersen, the lead character in “Inside Out 2,” is a Minnesota native still adjusting to her family’s move to San Francisco. That’s not the film’s only connection to the state. The hit, which just began streaming on Disney+, was directed by Kelsey Mann, who was born in Hopkins and spent his teenage years in Burnsville. The 2015 original was helmed by Bloomington native Pete Docter.

The film, which revisits Riley’s inner emotions as they react to a newcomer named Anxiety, has connected with audiences. It recently surpassed ”Frozen 2″ to become the most successful animated movie ever in global box office sales.

Mann, 50, chatted via Zoom from a New York hotel room earlier this month about how his childhood influenced Riley’s struggle to control anxiety.

Q: How do you explain the film’s massive success?

A: When I started, it was January 2020. Anxiety was on the rise among teenagers before that, but the pandemic made it worse. I felt like we were really onto something that could speak to a lot of people.

Q: How is your childhood, and own struggles, reflected in the story?

A: A few years ago, we were having a lot of fires up in Sonoma County, where I live. I decided I should scan all my photos so I had copies. As I was dating them, I notice something about my birthday pictures. When I was 5, I’m sitting in front of my cake with the biggest smile on my face. Then when I was 13, I’m just staring at my cake. The smile went away. I had to think about why. Deep, deep down, I was probably wondering if I was worth celebrating. Science shows that you become incredibly self-conscious when you become a teenager. So when you talk about seeing myself in the film, that’s where I go to.

Q: Why is Riley from Minnesota?