Inside Out 2 Director Reveals New Emotion in Deleted Scene (2025)

Inside Out 2's director previously confirmed they planned to add nine new emotions to the sequel. A storyboard for a deleted scene revealed how one of those emotions pushed Riley's panic to the brink.

Director Kelsey Mann discussed an Inside Out 2 deleted scene that would have significantly impacted the emotions' dynamic; the sequel saw four new emotions joining the original five to herald Riley's adolescence. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mann revealed Shame was considered a key player in the film's ending. A storyboard for an alternate scene showed Riley playing a game of "Never Have I Ever" with older teenagers, who take turns asking increasingly personal questions. The tension reaches its breaking point when Grace, Riley's friend, outs her with an embarrassing secret. Shame appears unannounced at headquarters during this scene, overriding other emotions and pushing Riley to panic.

The scene is titled "Shame Spiral," hinting at the emotion's pivotal role in the film. "In this version, you'll see Anxiety and Shame together," Mann explained. "They're kind of a pair in this one. And we got drawn into this idea of Riley's shame getting out of control, causing a storm. There is an element here that is still in the final film, but rather than a shame spiral, we ended up making it really about Anxiety. It just simplified the film and put the focus on one character — the character of Anxiety, versus having this split focus between Anxiety and Shame." Shame is depicted as a beautiful woman with flowing hair, which becomes increasingly unkempt during Riley's ordeal.

Inside Out 2's Ending Had An Alternate Version

"I wanted to explore that feeling that you're not good enough, that feeling that you're really hard on yourself," Mann said. "It really comes out in this scene. This was a scene that's near the end of the film. It's the climax." The director did not clarify if the deleted scene was an addition or replacement to the film's final sequence, which saw Anxiety causing Riley's panic attack during a critical hockey match. Screenwriter Meg LeFauve previously explained that Shame and Guilt "really just never clicked" with the creatives, who wanted to focus on Anxiety. Echoing Mann's statement, LeFauve asserted, "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."

Mann confirmed that Inside Out 2's new emotions were reduced so as not to overwhelm the audience (and Riley). "I overwhelmed her with all these new emotions showing up," he told Entertainment Weekly. "And not only did I overwhelm Joy, I overwhelmed the audience. There were too many. Anxiety was always there. She was one of the nine that showed up. But the first note I got was, 'That's fantastic, but there's so much noise around her that you're losing your focus.' So, I ended up stripping it down to the emotions that we have now in the final film." However, Inside Out 2's box office success promises more sequels, which will hopefully introduce Shame, Guilt, and more emotions into the story.

Inside Out 2 releases on digital on Aug. 20; "Shame Spiral" and other deleted scenes will be included in the bonus content.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Inside Out 2

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

Director

Kelsey Mann

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Cast

Amy Poehler , Phyllis Smith , Lewis Black , Tony Hale , Kaitlyn Dias , Liza Lapira , Maya Hawke

Writers

Meg LeFauve

Main Genre

Animation

Production Company

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures