Meet the “Arch Villain” Emotion That Was Removed From ‘Inside Out 2’
When Pixar’s Inside Out 2 premieres later this year, the film will see the return of the emotions inside Riley’s head that fans have come to love — Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. This time, however, they will be joined by new feelings as Riley’s teenage mind gets increasingly complicated. Joining the original cast of emotions will be Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.
As it turns out, however, originally, the Inside Out 2 team planned on prominently featuring another new emotion — Shame.
In a recent interview with TheWrap, the team, which includes director Kelsey Mann and director Mike Nielsen, explained what happened to Riley’s lost emotion.
Introducing Shame
According to early Inside Out 2 concept art, Shame would have been a grey, sulky-looking character.
“She was always part of it,” Mann said.
The problem, however, was that Shame was bringing the movie down.
“It was not fun to watch. And it was not fun. It was too heavy. You know when you see a good movie and you’re like, ‘Man that was a great movie.’ You want to see it again? ‘No, not really.’ There are movies like that,” Mann explained.
“I don’t want to make that movie. I want to make a movie that’s really meaningful and when you’re asked, ‘Do you want to see that movie again?’ You say, ‘Yes!’ 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.”
“She was a tough character to redeem,” Nielsen added.
Shame Was Deemed Non-Universal
According to Pixar’s longtime art director and character designer, Jason Deamer, the other problem with Shame is that she was not a universal emotion.
“It was like, ‘What are we trying to say?’” Deamer said. “Shame is a real thing in life but not everybody goes through that. But anxiety is in all of us. It’s just better. 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.”
Riley’s Other Lost Emotions
Interestingly, according to Deamer, originally, nine new emotions would have popped up in Riley’s mind. These included Guilt, who was always hiding behind stacks of baggage.
“I didn’t miss Shame,” Deamer said. “But I did like the design of it.
While Shame may not have made the final cut of Inside Out 2, according to the art director, her legacy lives on in the film.
“There’s elements that are still there. This movie has always been about dealing with the feeling that you’re not good enough,” Deamer said. “And we still have that element, that shame element in there.”
Inside Out 2 will hit theaters on June 14.
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