Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Inside Out 2!Inside Out 2reveals that Riley has a deep dark secret, and while it is a neat story beat in the sequel, it makes one popularInside Outtheory far less likely. In the lead-up toInside Out 2, it was clear that several years of Riley’s life had passed, leading to many different theories regarding what had happened to Riley in the years that had elapsed between the twoInside Outmovies. One theory stood out above all the rest as being the most popular, and whileInside Out 2didn’t explicitly de-confirm it, it’s now far less likely.
Inside Out 2has finally been released, with the highly anticipated sequel to Pixar’s beloved 2015 film now out for viewers to see.Inside Out 2takes the basic premise of the critically acclaimed original film and expands on it,adding to Riley’s original 5 emotions five new emotions, with those beingAnxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Nostalgia. These exciting new characters make up the bulk ofInside Out 2’s new story, but they aren’t the only major arc in the sequel, as one storyline has to do with a deep dark secret that Riley has been hiding.
Riley’s Deep Dark Secret In Inside Out 2 Isn’t That She’s LGBTQ+
It’s That She… Burned A Rug?
In the time leading up toInside Out 2,it was highly theorized that the sequel would reveal that she is LGBTQ+, something that many fans were really hoping would occur. The trailers made it seem as if Riley had feelings for an older female player on her hockey team, implying thatRiley may be LGBTQ+ inInside Out 2. Although many viewers fully expected to see this revelation occur inInside Out 2, it didn’t end up happening, even though one story thread in the film teased that it would by the end of the movie.
Inside Out 2 includes a post-credits scene… preparing audience members for the big reveal that Riley is gay.
Early in the film, the main five emotions get locked away in a vault where Riley’s biggest secrets are kept. While there, Joy meets the manifestation of Riley’s deep dark secret, and while she tries to get him to admit what the secret is, he doesn’t. Upon this reveal,many fans thought that Riley’s deep dark secret would be that she is queer, as it felt like the perfect setup to show that Riley was repressing these feelings and would only come out with the help of her other emotions.
Inside Out 2’s Post-Credits Scene Explained
Inside Out 2 includes some post-credits scenes, showing more of Riley’s life, mind, and emotions, which could all factor into setting up Inside Out 3.
Inside Out 2includes a post-credits scene in which Joy returns to Riley’s vault of secrets, preparing audience members for the big reveal that Riley is gay. However, this didn’t end up happening, with it jokingly being revealed that Riley burned a hole in a rug once. This being her deep dark secret was a hugedisappointing part ofInside Out 2for some who hoped to see some proper queer representation in a Pixar movie, with the film missing its chance to confirm this RileyInside Outtheory.
Riley Not Being Openly LGBTQ+ In Inside Out 2 Complicates The Theory
It Now Has To Be Inside Her Mind
Although some fans are still holding onto the idea that Riley is LGBTQ+ in the world ofInside Out, Riley not being openly gay makes it even more complicated. Despite the film implying that Riley may have a crush on Val, she never openly says that she is LGBTQ+ to any of her friends, meaning that if she is gay, she hasn’t come out yet.
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Because of this,the only way to reveal that she is LGBTQ+ would have been to have an aspect of her mind reveal it to her emotions. It would be expected that Riley’s sexuality would have manifested in some way in her mind, butInside Out 2doesn’t include any hint at this. It is never shown that Riley is suppressing her sexuality, and all of her crushes are boys, meaning that Riley still seems to be straight inInside Out 2.
How Inside Out 3 Can Still Reveal Riley Is LGBTQ+
It Needs A Time Jump
Although it hasn’t happened yet,Inside Out 3can still reveal that Riley is LGBTQ+. Much likeInside Out 2,Inside Out 3could take place after a time jump, focusing on a version of Riley that is a few years older. This version of Riley could have had the time to realize that she is LGBTQ+, with this becoming part of the third film’s story. It could simply be that Riley hasn’t realized that she is LGBTQ+ in the timeline ofInside Out 2yet, with Pixar saving this storyline for a sequel.
Did Disney Change Riley’s Dark Secret In Inside Out 2?
Disney Reportedly Pressured Pixar To Make Riley “Less Gay” In Inside Out 2
Ahead of theInside Outsequel’s release on streaming, there were reports of The Walt Disney Company pressuring Pixar intomakingInside Out 2’s Riley “less gay"in the wake of backlash against the studio’s other queer characters. Allegedly, Disney execs blamedLightyear’s box-office failure on the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it same-sex kiss between Alisha (Uzo Aduba) and her spouse, Kiko.Employees at Pixar have come forward to address Disney’s attitude toward Riley’s perceived queerness, sharing that they were asked to adjust lighting in certain scenes to downplay any hint of romantic chemistry between Riley and Val.
For the most part, the queer elements of Pixar’s films can be edited out.
Prior toLightyear, Pixar’s movies featured a handful of queer characters, including Lake, Wade’s nonbinary sibling inElemental, and the Lena Waithe-voiced cyclops, Officer Specter, inOnward.What unifies all of Pixar’s LGBTQ+ characters is that none of them declare or act on their queernessin any meaningful way. For the most part, the queer elements of Pixar’s films can be edited out. Many fans hoped thatInside Out 2would take a different approach by integrating Riley’s queer identity into her story. Instead,Inside Out 2made Pixar’s lack of LGBTQ+ representationeven more frustrating.
Inside Out 2garnered $1.673 billion worldwide, making it 2024’s highest-grossing movie.
With many signs hinting at Riley’s queerness, including some ofRiley’s crushes inInside Out 2, some viewers believe that Riley’s deep, dark secret was originally going to revolve around her identity.It’s possible that the pressure from Disney pushed Pixar to nix its original deep, dark secret plan, opting for something more humorous and benign. If that is how things played out, it would be an even bigger disappointment for Pixar’s LGBTQ+ fans. Of course, none of the reports surrounding the changes made toInside Out 2delve specifically into the content of Riley’s secret, so this remains speculation.
Disney’s Changes To Inside Out 2 Make The Riley LGBTQ+ Theory Less Likely
Inside Out 2 Was A Huge Hit, So Disney Will Continue To “Play It Safe”
If Disney executives truly believe thatLightyear’s one-second-long same-sex kiss tanked an already poorly received movie, the company will probably continue to exclude queer characters from future films. WhileInside Out 2’s success is certainly worth celebrating, the reports of Disney wanting the movie to be “less gay” complicate this matter. It’s possiblethe company will continue to make false equivalencies between a film’s success and its inclusion of LGBTQ+ charactersand themes. On the other hand, Disney has allowed some of its more recent TV projects, likeAgatha All Along, to include explicitly queer characters.
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Mostly, Disney’s hesitancy to center its projects on LGBTQ+ characters and themes stems from its anxieties around box office performance. IfInside Outcontinues to be a theatrically released series of movies,Disney will likely continue to force Pixar to “play it safe,“so to speak. Not only has Disney nixed LGBTQ+ themes, but the company has taken steps to make its movies less inclusive — starting with Riley andInside Out 2. It’s hard to imagine Pixar having the leeway to walk back Riley’s secret or make it about her perceived queerness in anInside Out2sequel.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
