The Truth Behind the Bing Bong Scene in Inside Out

Let’s just put one thing out there: practically every single adult that saw Inside Out this summer found themselves sobbing. In fact, the whole film was basically one long, unexpected ugly-cry session, particularly during one tragic scene when (spoiler warning) happy-go-lucky Bing Bong dies on-screen by sacrificing himself in a pit of lost memories. (Seriously, just thinking about that moment still brings on all the feels.)

As it turns out, Pixar creatives are capable of going to pretty dark places, since it seems that Bing Bong (voiced by Spin City actor Richard Kind)’s original exit was supposed to be – wait for it – even sadder than scene in the film’s final cut.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking,” Kind told MTV News of the first version of Bing Bong’s death. Originally conceived as “40 seconds to a minute longer” than the final version, the scene featured much more emotional dialogue from the adorable character made of fluffy pink cotton candy.

“When he finally extends his hand and says ’I’ve got a good feeling about this,’ you had seen a lot more of him during that original scene so that when they’re trying and trying and trying to get back, you understand what he’s going through,” said Kind. “You see him get a little desperate. It was a lot sadder.”

Kind compared the scene to another iconic Disney death, when Bambi’s mom was tragically killed. “We don’t need to see that again,” he said. Not that he disagrees with director Peter Docter’s final Inside Out edit, sharing, “I think we felt exactly what we needed to feel in that scene.”

Bing Bong’s reveal came as a surprise to movie goers, since Inside Out’s massive roll-out promotion strictly showcased Riley’s five anamorphized emotions. But the cute elephant-cat-dolphin hybrid that cries tears of hard candy became a bonafide scene stealer, a move that justified Docter’s decision to keep Bing Bong a secret.

It was a really smart move on our part, if I can pat ourselves on the back,” Docter told EW in June. “We wanted to make sure he was a surprise to the audience, because as a filmmaker, I hate when you go and watch those trailers and they give away everything. You’re like ‘Okay, well, I guess I don’t have to watch the movie.’”

Inside Out is out now on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD.

This article originally appeared on EW.com