'It Was Too Heavy': Inside Out 2 Director On Why 'Shame Emotion' Was Scrapped

Pixar’s animated film Inside Out is all set to return with a sequel, delving deeper into the teenage life of Riley and her ever-evolving emotions. The trailer of the film was recently unveiled, offering a glimpse of how Riley faces new challenges while meeting new people, exploring new hobbies and thus encountering new emotions. While Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust from the original Emotion Headquarters will return, Inside Out 2 will see the introduction of Anxiety, Jealousy, Ennui and Embarrassment. However, another major emotion, i.e., Shame, which was also supposed to be a part of the sequel, has been cut off from the film.

Speaking on the same, director Kelsey Mann explained why Shame was removed from the movie and said that it was “not fun to watch.”

“Shame was not fun to watch. It was too heavy,” he said, further adding that he wanted to make a film that people would want to watch again.

“I want to make a movie that’s really meaningful, and you will want to watch it again. Because those are my favorite movies. And those are the kinds of movies I want to make. And I did not want to return to that movie with that character. It’s not that funny,” he told TheWrap.

Explaining it further, character designer Jason Deamer said that not everyone goes through “shame.” “I think it’s a more important thing to talk about than some kind of message about don’t shame yourself. It was preachy. Anxiety—you need it. It’s not 100% bad,” he continued, as quoted by ComicBook.

More About Inside Out 2

Picking up from the events of the original film, Inside Out 2 will show a significant shift for Riley as her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, showing her how to navigate the complexities of adolescence. With new emotions taking the lead, Riley’s internal world would be seen as getting more complex as she faced the challenges of growing up.

The film will be released on June 14, 2024.

Having worked with the company as a story supervisor and then as a member of the creative team for over a decade, Kelsey Mann steps in as the director for the Pixar film. On the other hand, Kensington Tallman will be the new voice behind Riley after Kaitlyn Dias.

The original 2015 was inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley, with her five main emotions in focus. It was a huge box office hit, grossing more than $850 million globally.