Disney-Pixar animated movie "Inside Out 2" was brave to discuss a teen's anxiety and puberty process, director Kelsey Mann said.

According to a recent interview, Mann said that he knew he would need to come up with new emotions to add to the sequel about the internal struggle of a child.

In the first film, emotions like joy, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust all took the form of characters inside the mind of a child named Riley in order to help her navigate her feelings and experiences.

For the sequel and his directorial debut, Mann decided to add characters that represented anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment.

'A man who finds himself impassioned by adolescence is a man that should steer clear of children and creating children's content.'

"I know you're going through a lot at that age. And a lot of the time you think it's only you that's going through it, that no one else is going through it. I knew that was a big opportunity with this movie," he told Variety

Mann said that he originally pitched the idea to Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter, but wasn't sure if the studio would make a film of such a nature.

Fortunately for Mann, the executive "understood what [he] wanted to do from the very beginning."

With a focus on anxiety, adolescence, and the main character becoming a teenager and going through puberty, Mann claimed that the studio was being very courageous in putting the movie out.

"I think it’s incredibly brave and bold what we're able to put out into the world."

The filmmaker also noted that he wished he had "a movie like this" when he was growing up.

Entertainment writer Natasha Biase saw the director's approach differently.

"A man who finds himself impassioned by adolescence is a man that should steer clear of children and creating children's content," she told Blaze News. "It's one thing to care about and advocate for a child's well-being, but being as invested as he is is creepy."

According to Deadline, the movie is expected to be a big hit for Disney, which is sorely needed given the studio's recent struggles.

Disney is riding high off of a stellar opening and domestic performance by "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," which took in almost $60 million in its first weekend. At the same time though, Disney+ has struggled to please audiences with an original series, resulting in CEO Bob Iger pushing the studio to increasingly focus on remakes and sequels, hence "Inside Out 2."

The animated film is apparently trending with teen girls and moms, with a bounty of outlets predicting it to be the biggest opening of 2024. According to several outlets including the Hollywood Reporter, somewhere between $80-$90 million is the targeted opening.

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