Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animated sequel, Inside Out 2, will not feature a new emotion character named Shame. Director Kelsey Mann revealed that the character was ultimately removed from the film as it was considered “not fun” and “too heavy” to watch.
Speaking to Insider, Mann explained, “[Shame] was not fun to watch. 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. 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.”
Dr. Dacher Keltner, who assisted the Inside Out 2 creative team, added, “It was like, ‘What are we trying to say?’ 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.”
Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley, where headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
The voice cast of Inside Out 2 includes Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, Liza Lapira as Disgust, Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui, Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment, and Kensington Tallman as Riley.
Inside Out 2 releases in United States theaters on June 14, 2024.
