Inside Out stars Amy Poehler and Lewis Black agreed that it was “essential” to bring new emotions to the sequel to the hit film.

In the original 2015 film, 11-year-old Riley Andersen had to cope with five central emotions while struggling to adjust to a move from Minnesota to San Francisco.

Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Black reprise the roles of Joy, Sorrow and Anger in the sequel, while Tony Hale replaces Bill Hader in the role of Fear and Liza Lapira replaces Mindy Kaling in the role of Disgust.

In the sequel, five new emotions will enter Riley’s brain as he becomes a teenager.

Fear, envy, embarrassment, boredom and nostalgia are voiced by Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Paul Walter Hauser, Adele Exarchopoulos and June Squibb.

Speaking at the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles, Black told the PA news agency it was “the right time and place” for a sequel – almost a decade after the original was released to great acclaim.

“The fear is really huge, it’s important,” he said on the purple carpet of the El Capitan Theater.

“We live in an age of fear and everyone is worried about something.

“I think it was really important to bring in those other emotions, starting with the fear, as Paul (Walter Hauser), who plays Embarrassment, said it was like spice. It made the (Inside Out) world better.”

Poehler agreed, telling PA: “I think it’s great that Pixar waited until they felt like they had a really good idea and were really ready to make another movie.”

“…I believe that we should use this moment, this teenage moment, to remind ourselves that our emotions have a way of surprising us when we think we have it under control, but then a wrecking ball literally comes along and changes everything.

“I think this is a really tense time, there’s a lot going on in our heads, and Pixar does a really good job of not being condescending about what people are going through.”

Of her new colleagues, Poehler added: “Ayo, Tony Hale, who I’ve known and loved forever, Lisa, they’re all so great and bring so much to this franchise.

“And I’m happy that Phyllis (Smith) and Lewis (Black) are back as the old guard.”

The sequel was directed by Pete Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen filmmaker Kelsey Mann.

Mann told PA about the significance of the teenage story: “It was a really difficult time in my life and I think a lot of our lives.

“We really remember when we were teenagers and I really could have used a film like this, I felt really insecure back then.

“And you think you’re the only one who thinks and feels what you think and feel. That’s why we really wanted to make a film that tells people they’re not alone.”

While Hale talked about following in the footsteps of American actor and comedian Hader as Fear.

“I was and am a huge fan of Bill Hader. You can’t compete with that genius. I just know that I have a lot of fear in my own life and a lot of different kinds of it, so I just tried to bring that in,” he told PA.

“I wish I could act like Fear. We all try to hold ourselves together when we want to freak out. I had the opportunity to go into the sound booth and freak out.”

In the film, Kensington Tallman replaces Kaitlyn Dias as the teenage version of Riley.

The young actress, who will soon turn 16, said the application process was a “long road” after she first auditioned at 13.

“I started recording when I was 14 and was going through puberty at the exact same time as Riley, so we were experiencing the same emotions,” Tallman told PA.

“Riley is such a fun character. She is happy, loves her friends and is friendly.

“But as she goes through puberty, she faces challenges and with that come these new emotions. So she’s really trying to deal with these new emotions.

“As you’ll see, her personality and self-esteem will really change and she’ll have to deal with that somehow.”

Tallman added that the film “teaches us that we don’t have to be anyone but ourselves. We are beautiful inside and out.”

“Inside Out 2” will be released in the UK on June 14th.