Why Pixar Removed 2 Emotions in Inside Out 2

This news contains spoilers, please ignore it if you haven’t watched the film Inside Out 2. Like the sequel film, of course there are new characters presented there. However Pixar chose to remove two new emotional characters that were supposed to be introduced in Inside Out 2 and fortunately that action was felt right by many viewers.

In this film we are presented with several new emotions in Riley as a teenager, namely Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. They make this film more colorful as the young protagonist faces puberty.

However, there are two emotions that were previously presented there, namely Shame and Guilt. Pixar chose to remove it so as not to interfere too much with the portion of Anxiety which is the main focus in this sequel. This was stated by the writer of Inside Out 2, Meg LeFauve.

Guilt should be shown in every wrong decision Riley makes in his life, while Shame will take over when he feels like he hates himself. Shame and Guilt will bring even more important lessons to Inside Out 2.

Shame in particular can cause a person to bury their thoughts and experiences in a destructive way, which will only lead to more bad behavior in the future. Guilt also adds to this, and the version of Inside Out 2 where these emotions are introduced will inevitably result in more painful scenes for Riley that will be even more difficult for the audience to watch.

As powerful as these scenes are, and regardless of what lessons they can be taken away by teenage audiences, Shame and Guilt is believed to make Inside Out 2 too dark. The film is already a little less enjoyable than its predecessor, and adding such painful emotions would throw the balance off balance, resulting in a film that has no fun to watch at all.

Overall, it looks like Pixar made the right decision here, proving that they know where to draw the line. Plus, the sense of self presented in Inside Out 2 manages to show off its work well.

For example, in the scene where Riley is forced to mock his idol band to appear cool like the teenagers older than him, all just to be able to fit into their circle of friends. It is quite common for us to lose our identity just to be able to blend in with the environment.

Of course, Shame and Guilt might give a different color if they were really included in that moment, but once again the film certainly wouldn’t be as interesting and a fun lesson, especially for children to enjoy.