97 Fun Facts About Inside Out

Which studio made Inside Out?

Pixar made Inside Out, its 15th feature film, released by Walt Disney Pictures in June 2015.

What is the name of the girl whose mind the emotions live in?

She is 11 in the first film and 13 in the sequel.

How many emotions run Riley's mind in the first Inside Out?

Five emotions run Riley's mind in the first film: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.

Who voices Joy?

Amy Poehler, the Parks and Recreation star, voices Joy in both Inside Out films.

Which actress from The Office voices Sadness?

Phyllis Smith, who played Phyllis Vance on The Office, voices Sadness; producer Jonas Rivera cast her after seeing her in Bad Teacher.

Which colour is Sadness?

Sadness is blue: a short, round figure in a white turtleneck sweater and round glasses.

Which colour is Fear?

Fear is purple: a thin, jittery figure in a bow tie whose job is keeping Riley safe from danger.

Which stand-up comedian voices Anger in both films?

Lewis Black, the famously irate stand-up, voices Anger, the squat red emotion, in both Inside Out films.

Which emotion is green?

Disgust is green; voiced by Mindy Kaling in the first film, she keeps Riley from being poisoned, physically or socially.

Riley moves from which state to San Francisco at the start of the first film?

Riley moves from Minnesota to San Francisco for her father's new job; the Andersens' cross-country move sets the whole story in motion.

What form do Riley's most important memories take in her personality?

Each core memory powers a floating island of personality; five islands, including Family and Goofball, stand at the start of the film.

What kind of creature is Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend?

Bing Bong is part cat, part elephant and part dolphin, made of cotton candy; voiced by Richard Kind, he cries sweets instead of tears.

How do Joy and Sadness try to get back to the control room from long-term memory?

The Train of Thought carries memories to Headquarters; it stops when Riley falls asleep, so the trio heads to Dream Productions to wake her.

What powers Bing Bong's rocket wagon?

He jumps out mid-flight so Joy can escape, then fades away.

Where do forgotten memories go to disappear forever?

Forgotten memories fade to grey and crumble in the Memory Dump, the abyss beneath Headquarters where Bing Bong finally disappears.

Which character is Riley's scariest memory, freed from the Subconscious to wake her up?

Jangles the Clown, Riley's scariest memory, is woken in the Subconscious and sent into Dream Productions to scare Riley awake.

Which part of Riley's personality collapses when she steals her mother's credit card?

Honesty Island crumbles when Riley takes her mother's credit card to run away, leaving only Family Island standing.

What warning light do the emotions notice on the new console at the end of the first film?

A red Puberty alarm on the upgraded console is waved off as unimportant, a gag that set up Inside Out 2 nine years later.

Who directed the first Inside Out?

Pete Docter directed Inside Out; the idea came from watching his own daughter Elie's personality change as she grew up.

Which emotion originally went on the journey with Joy in early drafts, before being swapped for Sadness?

Early drafts paired Joy with Fear on the journey; the story only clicked once Sadness replaced Fear as Joy's companion.

Which emotion from Paul Ekman's list did Docter cut because it was too similar to Fear?

Surprise, one of Paul Ekman's six basic emotions, was cut for overlapping with Fear, leaving Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.

At which festival did Inside Out premiere in May 2015?

Inside Out premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2015, a month before its US release.

Which film kept Inside Out from opening at number one in the US?

Jurassic World, in its second weekend, beat Inside Out's debut, making it the first Pixar film not to open at number one.

Which short film played before Inside Out in cinemas?

Lava, a musical short about a lonely volcano, played before Inside Out; Riley's First Date? came later on the home release.

Which Academy Award did Inside Out win?

Inside Out won Best Animated Feature at the 2016 Oscars and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Who composed the score for the first Inside Out?

Michael Giacchino scored the first Inside Out; his main theme, Bundle of Joy, is a gentle piano waltz.

Whose archival recordings from Monsters, Inc. are used for baby Riley?

Mary Gibbs voiced Boo in Monsters, Inc. (2001); her archival recordings were reused for baby Riley's voice.

Which Red Hot Chili Peppers member voices Mind Worker Cop Jake?

Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, voices Mind Worker Cop Jake; he returned to the role in Inside Out 2.

Roughly how much did the first Inside Out gross worldwide?

Inside Out grossed about $859 million worldwide, the seventh-highest total of 2015, on a budget of roughly $175 million.

How long did development of the first Inside Out take?

Inside Out took roughly five and a half years to develop, one of Pixar's longest productions, before its June 2015 release.

Who directed Inside Out 2?

Kelsey Mann directed Inside Out 2 (2024), his feature debut after years as a Pixar story supervisor on films like Monsters University.

How old is Riley in Inside Out 2?

Riley is 13 in Inside Out 2, set two years after the first film, on the eve of starting high school.

Which colour is the new emotion voiced by Maya Hawke, who takes over Headquarters in the sequel?

Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, is orange, with frizzy hair and wide eyes, and she takes over the console from Joy.

Which new emotion has a French accent and lounges on the couch scrolling a phone?

Ennui, voiced by French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos, is the purple-blue emotion who rarely leaves the couch and drives the console from her phone.

Which new emotion hides inside a hoodie?

Embarrassment, a big pink emotion voiced by Paul Walter Hauser, pulls his hoodie over his face and quietly helps Sadness hide in Headquarters.

Which star of The Bear voices Envy?

Ayo Edebiri, who plays chef Sydney on The Bear, voices Envy, the tiny teal emotion with huge admiring eyes.

Who replaced Bill Hader as the voice of Fear in the sequel?

Tony Hale, Buster on Arrested Development, replaced Bill Hader as Fear; Liza Lapira likewise replaced Mindy Kaling as Disgust.

Which veteran actress voices Nostalgia, the elderly emotion who keeps being sent back to her room?

June Squibb, then in her nineties, voices Nostalgia, who is repeatedly told it is too early and sent back to her room.

What sport is Riley playing at camp during Inside Out 2?

Riley plays ice hockey at a three-day skills camp run by the high-school coach, hoping to impress her and make the team.

What is the name of the high-school team Riley hopes to make at camp?

The Fire Hawks are the high-school team Riley wants to join; star player Val Ortiz is already on the roster and becomes her idol.

What is the new part of Riley's mind that holds her beliefs, which Anxiety and Joy fight over?

Riley's Sense of Self grows from her beliefs; Joy fills it only with good memories, firing the bad ones to the Back of the Mind.

Bloofy, the character from Riley's favourite childhood TV show, has a sidekick that is what?

Pouchy, a talking fanny pack voiced by SNL's James Austin Johnson, is the sidekick of Bloofy, who is voiced by Ron Funches.

Lance Slashblade, locked in the vault with the old emotions, is what kind of character?

Lance Slashblade is a brooding video game hero Riley once had a crush on; he is voiced by Yong Yea.

What is Riley's Deep Dark Secret, according to the shadowy figure in the vault?

The timid giant is voiced by Pixar veteran Steve Purcell.

Roughly how much did Inside Out 2 gross worldwide?

Inside Out 2 grossed about $1.7 billion worldwide, nearly double the first film's total, and topped the 2024 box office.

Which Chinese animated film overtook Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated film in 2025?

Ne Zha 2 passed Inside Out 2's worldwide total in February 2025, about eight months after the Pixar sequel's June 2024 release.

Which clinical psychologist and author was the sequel's main consultant on teenage emotions?

Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist and author of Untangled, advised Inside Out 2 on teenage emotions; nine real teens, 'Riley's Crew', also gave feedback.

Who voices Riley's mother, Jill Andersen, in both films?

Diane Lane, the Unfaithful and Man of Steel actress, voices Riley's mother Jill Andersen in both Inside Out films.

Which two writers co-wrote the first Inside Out with Pete Docter?

Cooley also voices Jangles the Clown, and Ronnie del Carmen served as co-director.

Which Twin Peaks star voices Riley's father, Bill Andersen?

Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks' Agent Dale Cooper, voices Riley's father Bill Andersen in both films.

Which two Muppet performers voice the pair of guards in Riley's Subconscious?

Dave Goelz and Frank Oz, Muppet veterans, voice the Subconscious guards; in an in-joke Goelz plays Frank and Oz plays Dave.

Which comedian voices the Mind Worker who disposes of Riley's obsolete long-term memories?

Paula Poundstone voices Forgetter Paula, who junks stale memories like old phone numbers; Bobby Moynihan voices her colleague Forgetter Bobby.

What is the name of Riley's best friend back in Minnesota?

Meg is Riley's best friend in Minnesota; their awkward video call, in which Meg mentions a new friend, brings down Friendship Island.

In early character designs, Anger was a brick, Joy a star and Sadness a what?

Sadness began as a simple teardrop shape, and Fear as a raw nerve, before the emotions became the figures seen on screen.

Roughly how many emotions were considered for early versions of the film before the cast was cut to five?

As many as 27 emotions were considered before the cast was trimmed to Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.

How much did Inside Out gross in its opening weekend in the US and Canada?

It debuted at number two behind Jurassic World's $106.6 million across 3,946 theatres.

How many Annie Awards did Inside Out win from its 14 nominations?

It also won a Golden Globe and one of two BAFTA nominations, plus the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Which vegetable, swapped for green peppers in Japan, does toddler Riley refuse in Inside Out?

Broccoli is not seen as gross in Japan, where children love it, so the studio asked what was. Three scenes were then reanimated with green bell peppers.

Inside Out was inspired by its director noticing which family member grow quiet and reserved?

His daughter Elie had become quieter and more reserved, and he began to wonder what was happening inside her head. The project was approved in October 2009.

Fear in Inside Out was modelled on actor Don Knotts and which wide-eyed British comedy character?

Mr. Bean, played by Rowan Atkinson, shares famously wide eyes with Don Knotts, who was Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.

Joy's hair in Inside Out was made blue so she would not resemble which Disney character?

Tinker Bell was too close a match for an early Joy, so the designers changed her hair. One of them thought the finished Joy looked like Audrey Hepburn.

Which term coined for Inside Out became a Gen Z expression and a TikTok trend in mid-2022?

Core memories, the moments that shape Riley's personality, were invented for the film and have little scientific basis. Some parents now try to engineer them for their children.

In Inside Out 2, what does Anxiety do to the original emotions before seizing the console?

Bottles them up is meant literally: the film turns a phrase for suppressed feelings into a real container, which is then thrown into a vault.

How does Bing Bong help Joy's third rocket-wagon escape attempt succeed in Inside Out?

He jumps off in mid-climb, because the two of them together are too heavy to reach the top. He fades away below as she escapes.

To promote Inside Out 2, which company listed a real house modelled on the emotions' Headquarters?

Airbnb listed the rental, just outside Las Vegas, two days before the film opened in June 2024, giving fans a full-size version of the control room.

In Inside Out, what kind of object holds each of Riley's memories on its way to long-term storage?

A coloured orb holds each memory. By the end of the film some orbs carry several colours at once, because Riley's feelings about a moment have become mixed.

What happens to Riley in front of her class on her first day at a new school in Inside Out?

She bursts into tears because Sadness has turned her joyous memories sad. Joy's struggle to get rid of the result sweeps both emotions out of Headquarters.

Why does Riley's family leave their old home for San Francisco at the start of Inside Out?

Her father's new job uproots the family when Riley is eleven. The director chose a girl because research found no one is more attuned to expressions than girls aged eleven to seventeen.

When Riley runs away from her San Francisco home in Inside Out, what kind of vehicle does she board?

A bus is meant to carry her back to her old home town, until Sadness removes the idea that started the trip and Riley gets off and hurries home.

In Inside Out, what does Anger plug into the console to make Riley run away?

A light bulb stands for an idea in Riley's mind, just as in old cartoons. This one later shorts out the console and sinks her into depression.

In Inside Out, Bing Bong leads Joy and Sadness into which dangerous shortcut through Riley's mind?

Abstract Thought lies behind a warning sign that Bing Bong misreads, and the detour costs them their ride home. For some languages he was redrawn pointing at its letters from right to left.

Which theme-park-like part of Riley's mind is being rebuilt in Inside Out as she outgrows Bing Bong?

Imagination Land is where Bing Bong laments being left behind, and where he turns down Joy's attempts to cheer him up in favour of sympathy from Sadness.

At the end of Inside Out, what does a tearful Riley finally admit to her parents?

She misses her old life, and her parents reply that they miss it too. The moment creates a new kind of memory that is happy and sad at once.

In Inside Out 2, what do the stranded emotions use to ride a flood of bad memories home?

Dynamite blows up the cliff beneath a mountain of memories Joy had been throwing away, and the wave carries the emotions back to Headquarters.

In some countries' versions of Inside Out, the game in Riley's dad's daydream became which sport?

Soccer was offered because it is huge in so much of the world. Even so, some soccer-loving countries kept the original, because it suits where Riley's family comes from.

Which actor voices Bing Bong in Inside Out, a role kept secret in the film's marketing?

Richard Kind sat out the publicity so audiences would meet the character cold. He had already voiced Molt in A Bug's Life and Bookworm in Toy Story 3.

Which actress voiced Disgust in the first Inside Out but declined to return for the sequel over pay?

Mindy Kaling turned down the sequel after a pay dispute: the returning supporting cast were reportedly offered $100,000 each, a fraction of the lead's fee.

Which star of Richard Jewell and Black Bird voices the new emotion Embarrassment in Inside Out 2?

Paul Walter Hauser broke through in the title role of Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, then won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Black Bird.

Which Community actress voices Coach Roberts, the strict camp director, in Inside Out 2?

Yvette Nicole Brown, who played Shirley Bennett on the sitcom, voices the coach whose private notebook Riley later sneaks a look at.

Which Cheers actor, also heard in Toy Story and Cars, plays the mechanic Fritz in Inside Out?

John Ratzenberger, Cliff on the sitcom, first voiced Hamm in Toy Story. Fritz, who maintains the emotions' console, was his first part for the studio since Onward when he returned in the sequel.

In Inside Out 2, Riley's best friends Grace and who else are bound for a different high school?

Bree is short for Breonna, and her news with Grace is what drives Anxiety to push Riley towards the older players.

Which comedy writer voices the Dream Director in Inside Out and leads the series Dream Productions?

Paula Pell spent eighteen years writing for a famous sketch show before her dream-directing character was given a full name, Paula Persimmon, for the series.

Which IT Crowd star voices Xeni, the daydream director in the Inside Out series Dream Productions?

Richard Ayoade, the awkward Moss of that sitcom, plays the nephew of the studio boss, who thinks Riley's dreams ought to be more grown-up.

Bing Bong in Inside Out was partly modelled on which star of Planes, Trains and Automobiles?

John Candy's overly friendly travelling salesman, Del Griffith, was one model for the character, along with Oliver Hardy and Jimmy Durante.

The producer of Inside Out found the voice of Sadness in a lunch scene from which 2011 comedy?

Bad Teacher, a Cameron Diaz comedy, won her the part: the producer watched it late one night and rang the director to say he had found Sadness. Joy's voice was the last of the emotions to be hired.

Disgust in Inside Out was based on April Ludgate, the apathetic intern from which sitcom?

Parks and Recreation made April, played by Aubrey Plaza, one of its breakout characters. She starts as a college intern and rises to deputy director of animal control.

Sadness in Inside Out was restyled to resemble Debbie Downer, a character from which TV show?

Saturday Night Live introduced Debbie Downer in 2004, spoiling a family breakfast at Walt Disney World with grim news. Several of the film's voice cast are veterans of the show.

In the Inside Out short Riley's First Date?, her dad bonds with young Jordan over which rock band?

AC/DC was chosen because the short's director saw the band as one that connects generations: at one concert he stood between a seven-year-old and an eighty-year-old.

Dream Productions, the Disney+ spin-off of Inside Out, is set at which point in Riley's story?

Between the two films is where its four mockumentary episodes sit, following the studio that makes Riley's dreams as she starts to outgrow the childish ones.

Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, a spinner ride that opened in 2019, stands in which theme park?

Disney California Adventure built the ride on Pixar Pier, on the site of a 180-foot launch tower that had been removed in 2010.

Alongside its Oscar win, the first Inside Out was nominated for which other Academy Award?

Best Original Screenplay was its second nomination, but that award went to Spotlight, which was also named Best Picture that night.

Before choosing a sports camp, the makers of Inside Out 2 built the plot around which event?

A talent show was dropped after about three test screenings, when the team decided Riley's sport was a more distinctive part of who she is.

Which 2019 crime thriller was cited as an inspiration for Anxiety's scenes in Inside Out 2?

Uncut Gems, in which Adam Sandler plays a jeweller and gambling addict racing to pay off a debt, shaped her most visually intense moments.

Inside Out was the first original Pixar film made almost entirely without which studio co-founder?

Steve Jobs died in 2011, about two years after the project was approved, so nearly all of the film was made without him.

Which Berkeley psychology professor advised the makers of both Inside Out films on emotions?

Dacher Keltner also hosts the podcast The Science of Happiness, and has worked with Facebook's designers on its reaction buttons.

In Inside Out, a Brazilian man who appears in the memories of Riley's mother has which job?

Helicopter pilot is his job, and he is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui, who also plays one of the emotions inside her husband's head.

The director of Inside Out 2 began the sequel after revisiting photos of which childhood event?

A birthday party of his own, seen in old photographs, set him thinking in January 2020. The story then took shape during the pandemic lockdown.