Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out (2015) follows 11-year-old Riley as her life is upended when her family moves from the Midwest to San Francisco. Inside Riley’s mind, her five core emotions — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear — run Headquarters, guiding her reactions to the new city, home and school. When an accident scatters Riley’s happy memories, Joy and Sadness are forced out of Headquarters and must journey through the strange, vividly imagined landscape of Riley’s psyche to bring them back before her personality changes for good. Watching this film you’ll experience a clever, emotionally honest mix of laughter and tears. The animation turns inner life into playful, inventive visuals — memory orbs, islands of personality, Dream Productions and the long-term memory vault — while the script balances sharp, child-friendly humor with surprisingly deep insight about growing up, loss and the role of sadness in emotional maturity. Strong voice performances (Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, with Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling and Lewis Black) and Pete Docter’s direction give the story warmth and heart. Inside Out is entertaining for kids but layered for adults, making it both a fun family adventure and a thoughtful meditation on how our emotions shape who we are. Expect to laugh, feel a lump in your throat, and come away with a new appreciation for the complexity of emotions.

Actors: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black

Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen

Runtime: 95 min

Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy

7.8 /10 94 /100 8.1 /10 8.4 /10