A deleted 'Turning Red' scene teases an alternate version of the movie that would've had a young male lead alongside Mei

• Mei's cousin almost had a big role in Disney and Pixar's "Turning Red."
• An exclusive deleted scene shows an early concept for a different version of the film.

Disney and Pixar's "Turning Red" follows a group of close female friends, but it didn't always start out that way.

Insider is debuting an exclusive deleted scene from the film where director Domee Shi explains that one early concept for the film would've heavily focused around Meilin Lee and her cousin, Leo, discovering that they both can turn into pandas.

"Leo was Mei's cousin who kind of shows up in her life out of the blue and stirs up her world," Shi explained in an intro to the deleted scene.

As to why Leo didn't make it into the final film, Shi said, "It was less about this female curse that was passed down from mother to daughter and more about how these two kids were just randomly chosen by the Gods in this particular family to turn into magical red panda creatures and save their broken family."

The final film focuses on the importance of healthy, supportive female friendships and familial relationships.

"Turning Red" is available digitally Tuesday and will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on May 3. It's currently streaming on Disney+.