Inside Out 2 Director Kelsey Mann Signs With UTA
Kelsey Mann, the director behind Pixar's Inside Out 2, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas. The deal was reported by The Hollywood Reporter on 8 October 2026.
The move follows a huge debut. Inside Out 2 earned $1.7 billion worldwide, as reported on 8 October 2026. It holds a 98 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the site that aggregates press reviews, brought Mann an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, and set the record for the highest-grossing directorial debut in film history.
Mann knows Pixar from the inside. He joined the studio in 2009 and served as story supervisor, the job that guides plot and visual storytelling, on Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur and Onward. He also co-wrote The Good Dinosaur and made his directorial debut with Party Central, the theatrical short shown with Monsters University.
He is now focusing on his next chapter as an independent director and creator. UTA, a talent agency that handles work across film, television and other fields, will represent him in all areas.
What makes this stand out is the timing. A first-time feature director rarely arrives with a $1.7 billion result. That puts attention on what Mann chooses to direct and create next.
He is not the only animation filmmaker to change agencies. UTA also signed Januel Mercado, the longtime DreamWorks animator and co-director of Forgotten Island. Minions creator and Despicable Me filmmaker Pierre Coffin signed with rival agency WME.
For audiences who met Mann through Inside Out 2, the sequel returned to Riley's mind as new emotions arrived. Maya Hawke voiced Anxiety, a role revealed in November 2023, while Paul Walter Hauser and Ayo Edebiri joined the voice cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mark Nielsen produced the film, which was slated for theatres in summer 2024.
