Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Inside Out 2!

Inside Out 2 writer Meg LeFauve has opened up about the most reluctantly cut new emotions from the movie, explaining why they didn’t make it into the finished product. The movie introduces five new emotions to Riley’s head, the major ones being Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, with another, Nostalgia, briefly showing up a few times too. However, other emotions, such as Shame, were cut from Inside Out 2‘s cast, shaving down the number of new characters introduced as Riley goes through puberty.

Speaking with ComicBook about the cut emotions, LeFauve explained in more detail why Inside Out 2 didn’t include Shame, Guilt, and other emotions considered for the movie. The writer said that, while they could have been part of the film, their inclusion would have ultimately taken away from the focus on Anxiety and how she takes total control of Riley’s mind. Check out what LeFauve had to say below:

We had a fisherman for ideas named Gail, and we went to the Facts and Opinions factory and saw how those were made. And that was super fun. I think in terms of emotionally, we really tried for quite a while to have Shame in the movie, and Guilt. Shame being more self-loathing, that thing that attacks you. And we talked to a lot of experts about it. The difference with shame is really not a great thing for you because it is just about attacking you. Whereas guilt is about taking responsibility and it’s a behavior, not who you are.

But it really just never quite clicked. And for this version, because we really needed to center on Anxiety, it start to bifurcate too much of the storyline. But I do think we all have that self-loathing critic in our head, and we got to go there a little bit with the projections and how Anxiety can start to do that to you. So I think it’s in the movie, but that was one thing we explored that we didn’t ultimately feel was fruitful for this version.

How Shame & Guilt Would Have Changed Inside Out 2

The Focus Would Be Spread Too Thin

The new emotions within Inside Out 2 serve important purposes for Riley as she goes through puberty, showing how negative emotions can overtake someone during such a tumultuous time period. Focusing on Anxiety in particular allows the movie to more readily address the topic of stress, including how it can push someone to their breaking point and induce panic attacks. Because of how singularly-focused the movie became, it allowed the story to progress with every minute serving a purpose. Doing so makes the film’s conflict more memorable and its lesson easy to digest.

Had Shame, Guilt, or other emotions been added to the mix, the film’s focus may have been too scattered to be as impactful. As evidenced by Inside Out 2‘s record-breaking box office and its universal critical acclaim, more emotions could have soured it from being Pixar’s biggest success in years. LeFauve is right, then, to say that adding other emotions would have made the story feel too unfocused, no doubt leading to less favor than the movie currently holds. Since some of these ideas are already in the film through Anxiety, it ended up being the right call.

However, a potential Inside Out 3 could add more emotions to the mix, giving the inside of Riley’s head even more complexity as she grows older. While this wouldn’t guarantee an appearance from either Shame or Guilt, it would allow more complex ideas to be presented as her emotions continue evolving over time. Perhaps other emotions that were considered for Inside Out 2 could be reworked into a future film, progressing the story with ideas that didn’t make it into the latest installment.

Source: ComicBook