Inside Out 2 director addresses why we had to wait nine years for the sequel

The wait is very nearly over for Inside Out 2.

Devoted fans of the well-loved Pixar film have been waiting for the best part of a decade for Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger to return to the big screen - and this time they'll be back with some new friends.

Alongside the five original emotions is Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui who will take up space in now-teenage Riley's mind as well.

Pixar fans have had to wait nearly 10 years for Inside Out 2. (Disney/Pixar)

The first Inside Out movie hit cinemas in 2015, with it's sequel set for release in June of this year.

And it's safe to say the original deserved follow up as it still boasts a very impressive 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

While there was a quick turn around between the likes of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 with just four years between the two, we've had to wait a long, gruelling nine years for Inside Out 2 - and director Kelsey Mann has explained why.

"It's usually [because of] the idea," he explained to UNILAD.

"Pete Docter, chief creative officer of Pixar and the director on the original film, came to me and he said to me, 'I think they're might be an opportunity there [for a sequel]. I don't have an idea, but I think you might be a good person to go off and think if there is a good idea.'"

"If there isn't one, we won't do it," Mann continued. "That's what I love about Pixar. It always starts with a good story, you know, and it's just where it began."

Mann, who has also worked on Pixar movies such as Lightyear, Onward, and The Good Dinosaur, added that he doesn't know what prompted Docter to think that there might be something in a second Inside Out movie, but it could be down the the huge impact on viewers that the original had.

"If I had to guess it's probably the impact that the first film had on the world," he speculated.

"We always start to try to tell a really fun and entertaining story that has some sort of purpose behind it."

Kelsey Mann (L) and Mark Neilsen (R) spoke to UNILAD about Inside Out 2. (Supplied)

Mann went on: "[Inside Out 1] wasn't intended to have this greater of an impact as it did. And I think over the years, that's just grown. That's probably where Pete [Docter] was like, 'You know what, there might be something else here that we could do'."

So far critics have only been privy to the first 30 minutes of Inside Out 2, but the snippet seems to have been well received.

One reviewer went as far as saying that it 'looks like the best Pixar movie in about a decade'.

And UNILAD have also been lucky enough to see the first part of the film - and we can confirm that it's bloody brilliant.

Inside Out 2 hits cinemas June 14, 2024.