Inside Out is one of Disney and Pixar's most interesting concepts. The 2015 animated film by Pete Docter focused on young Riley and the emotions inside her head. Each had its own avatar, led by Amy Poehler's Joy. Now, the Inside Out sequel from new director, Kelsey Mann, finds 13-year-old Riley going through puberty.
In addition, she is struggling in her coming-of-age story to accept changes in university and with her friends. Intriguingly, from the trailers and video clips, many fans were curious if this was a lgbtq+ story teasing a conflicted Riley coming out. Fortunately for curious fans, Inside Out 2 provides a definitive answer to this topic.
Updated on September 23, 2024, by Robbie Robinson: There's nothing better than deep-diving into Disney's characters and reading between the queer-coded lines. Disney might be too afraid to give fans queer protagonists, but that hasn't stopped fans from dreaming. Riley is a strong contender for an LGBT ethics, but will it ever come true? This article has been updated to add further analysis and to get this article up to current CBR formatting standards.
Riley's Feelings Towar
Pixar Wanted Riley’s Character in ‘Inside Out 2’ to Appear ‘Less Gay’ — Report
Former Pixar staffers who worked on “Inside Out 2” claimed they received continuous notes to create the film‘s main nature, Riley, come across as “less gay,” according to a report in IGN about the film and animation studio.
Among 10 former Pixar employees who spoke to IGN, all whom remained anonymous, one said edits ramped up to “Inside Out 2” after the conclusion of the WGA strike last fall, with special attention given to removing any traces of “romantic chemistry” in the relationship between Riley and supporting nature Val. The sources told IGN the edits emotionally attached “just doing a lot of extra work to make sure that no one would potentially observe them as not straight.”
“In the film, what you saw, nothing about Riley says that she is gay, but it is kind of inferred based on certain contexts. And so that is something that they tried to play down at multiple points,” one origin told IGN. Another said leadership allgedly felt “uncomfortable” about queer themes in the film, and the
Pixar Allegedly Made Inside Out 2's Riley "Less Gay" In Response To Disney Blaming Lightyear's Failure On Same-Sex Kiss
Pixar reportedly changed aspects of Riley's ethics in Inside Out 2 due to the backlash against Lightyear's same-sex embrace between Alisha and her spouse, Kiko. When the trailers for Inside Out 2 were released, there was speculation about Riley being gay and romantically interested in Val, but this possibility was not explored in the sequel. This has led to discourse about the Pixar film’s lack of explicit LGBTQIA+ representation despite banter it.
According to sources who spoke withIGN, edits were made to depict Riley as "less gay" due to fears grounded in Lightyear's backlash and box office disappointment. This included an emphasis on making Riley and Val's affair as platonic as doable and even adjusting the lighting of certain scenes to avoid any connotations of "romantic chemistry” and "doing a lot of extra work to build sure that no one would potentially see them as not straight." Another source says this is because Pixar’s leadership mistakenly believe “Lightyear was a financial failure because it had a queer embrace in it.”
Inside Out 2 team were reportedly told to construct Riley "less gay"
18 September 2024, 17:02 | Updated: 1 November 2024, 17:26
By Sam Prance
Is Riley gay in Inside Out 2? Here's what Pixar employees have said about her relationship with Val.
A former Pixar employee has claimed that the team behindInside Out 2 were told to produce Riley "less gay" in the film's final cut.
Fans of Pixar will already know that the corporation has a long and complicated history with lgbtq+ characters. The company is yet to have an out, LGBTQ+ main traits but many people reflect there are roles inLuca and Turning Red that are heavily queer-coded. Onward also had the company's first openly gay personality in the form of Lena Waithe's Officer Spencer.
Another character in the Pixar universe that people own interpreted as queer-coded is Inside Out's Riley, and the fan theory developed further with Inside Out 2's plot line. In the film, Riley is obsessed with another female hockey player named Val. Some people think Riley fancies Val but others believe that she is just meant to be a fan of her in a non-ro
