Kelsey Mann

Kelsey Mann (born November 16, 1974) is an American film director and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing the Pixar animated film Inside Out 2, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for the Best Animated Feature.

Career Mann started his career at Cartoon Network, where he worked as a storyboard artist on Duck Dodgers, Megas XLR, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, before joining Pixar in 2009, where he started as a story supervisor for Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur (also co-wrote the story for the film), and Onward. He made his directorial debut with the short film Party Central, which he also wrote, taking place shortly after Monsters University.

In September 2022, during the D23 Expo announcement, Mann was announced to direct the feature film Inside Out 2, which serves as the sequel to the 2015 film Inside Out, taking over for Pete Docter, who is instead the executive producer of the film, which was released on June 14, 2024. In 2025, for Inside Out 2, Mann received an Academy Award nomination for the Best Animated Feature.

Filmography Films

Short films

Television series

Accolades + Award Date Category Nominated work Result Ref(s) Academy Awards March 2, 2025 Best Animated Feature Inside Out 2 Astra Film Awards Best First Feature Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature