Inside Out 2's Cut Emotion Character Proves That Pixar Has Learned A Much Needed Lesson
Director Kelsey Mann removed a planned emotion character from Inside Out 2, proving that Pixar has learned an important lesson from its past movies. The upcoming sequel to 2015’s Inside Out is introducing four new personified emotions, continuing Riley’s story as she goes through puberty and experiences feelings of anxiety, ennui, embarrassment, and envy. This will undoubtedly mean another of Pixar’s heartfelt (and somewhat heartbreaking) movies, but it seems that Inside Out 2 has already reeled in some of its heavy themes.
2015’s Inside Out introduced the five primary emotions that made up the inner workings of the characters’ minds. Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger were each their own individualized characters, who, in the case of Riley, had to learn to accept one another and work together to find healthy emotional balance. This is a pretty heavy exploration of psychological concepts for a children’s movie, but Pixar managed to find the right balance. Now, Inside Out 2 is bringing in more complex emotion characters, and a similar balance will have to be found all over again.
Inside Out 2 will see the introduction of Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment, but according to director Kelsey Mann, there was initially supposed to be another emotion character: Shame. It certainly would have been interesting to see how this emotion affected Riley in the upcoming sequel. Shame is an emotion that does seem to turn up around puberty, and it can quickly lead a person down a dark spiral if not healthily managed. Some of humanity’s most destructive habits find their roots in shame, and Inside Out 2 exploring this could be an impactful lesson for young (and old) audiences.
However, Mann stated (via Screen Rant) that Shame “was not fun to watch,” noting that the character and themes it brought to Inside Out 2 were “too heavy.” The director wanted the sequel to be something audiences would want to watch again and again (like 2015’s Inside Out), and concepts that are too emotionally tolling get in the way of this. Though Shame might have been an interesting character, the fact that Mann recognized the problem and made a cut is evidence that Pixar has learned its lesson about loading its movies with too much emotional weight.
Part of what has made Pixar so successful is the way it explores emotionally “heavy” concepts. This appeals to children and adults alike, and audiences of all ages can learn from it. In the case of Inside Out, the lessons about emotional balance and the acceptance of uncomfortable feelings are invaluable. These concepts can shape and change the world, but Pixar has to be careful about how far it goes. Recently, the Disney studio has struggled to achieve the same level of success as the first Inside Out movie, which could come down to this emotional weightiness.
2020’s Soul was a beautiful movie filled with intriguing concepts, but it is somewhat overlooked compared to other Pixar movies. It’s possible that a story about death, the afterlife, and regrets was a little too much, leading parents to direct their children toward other movies instead. The same may have been true for Turning Red, which approached puberty and generational trauma in a way that was ultimately divisive. These are excellent subject matter for films, but Pixar has leaned too much into making its movies feel like therapy sessions, and that can be pretty exhausting.
Mann removing Shame from Inside Out 2 is a sign that Pixar is trying to adjust its approach, but that isn’t to say the upcoming sequel won’t be emotionally weighty. After all, part of what made 2015’s Inside Out so successful is the mature psychological concepts it explored. The film saw a child develop the ability to experience multiple emotions simultaneously and embrace the necessity of feelings like sadness for growth. She forgot pieces of her past and childhood like Bing Bong, but in a way that was still entertaining and, overall, positive.
Shame would have tipped the scale of Inside Out2 toward an overly negative place, but the new emotion characters that did make the cut can likely maintain the balance of Riley’s story. Anxiety is still a pretty heavy emotion, as is embarrassment, envy, and ennui. Plus, the fact that these emotions essentially lead a coup and suppress the others is still representative of some deep themes. The difference is that Inside Out 2 can still present this with some comedy, which will help ensure that the upcoming film performs better than some of Pixar’s recent projects.
