Common Sense Media Review
By Betsy Bozdech
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Creative, clever story about big feelings has peril, scares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
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Inside Out
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 173 parent reviews
Based on 293 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is a delightful exploration of emotions, showcasing both the struggles and joys of growing up, particularly for children facing significant life changes like moving. Many reviewers appreciate its heartfelt messages about the importance of all emotions, with notable moments evoking laughter and tears, while some parents express concerns about certain themes potentially being overwhelming for younger audiences.
- emotional depth
- family friendly
- relatable themes
- humor and sadness
- teaches kids
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
When baby Riley is born to her loving parents, so is her first emotion: Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), who's soon joined by Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) in INSIDE OUT. The quintet live and work in Headquarters (aka HQ), the part of Riley's brain that experiences feelings and makes memories. With Joy as their leader, the group helps their girl through toddlerhood (ick, broccoli!) and childhood (hooray, a hockey goal!). But everything changes when 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) and her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) move from Minnesota to San Francisco after her dad gets a new job. As Riley tries to cope with a new house, a new school, and her parents' increased stress, things get out of control back at HQ: Sadness and Joy tussle over Riley's core memories and end up getting sucked into long-term storage. Can they make it back to HQ in time to help Riley get back in touch with all of her feelings?
Is It Any Good?
Thrilling moments and creative jokes and references abound in this clever, heartfelt, beautifully animated adventure. Not only is Inside Out an engaging, endlessly inventive adventure with strong themes of friendship and acceptance, it has real potential to help kids and parents navigate the powerful emotions that come with growing up. Kids who might not be able to put their increasingly complex feelings into words could use Riley's experiences for context. For instance, she doesn't necessarily intend to be sarcastic to her parents, but that's what happens when Anger and Disgust are left in charge.
But Inside Out isn't overly serious, either. It's filled with moments of hilarity and unbridled imagination (you'll have a new appreciation for how "earworms" get stuck in your head or how dreams work), as well as warm nostalgia for childhood innocence and inventiveness. The emotions are also wildly entertaining and wonderfully cast. Joy's relentless optimism and can-do spirit make her a kindred spirit to Poehler's beloved Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, and Smith (who played Phyllis in the U.S. version of The Office) is a good counterpoint as Sadness. And this story is just as much about Joy's journey as it is Riley's. Before her adventure with Sadness, Joy doesn't truly understand that the other emotions have important roles to play, too. As Joy and Riley learn, happiness is all the more meaningful when you've also experienced defeat, loss, or loneliness; that truth is a large part of what makes Pixar's best movies so powerful.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Riley's emotions work in Inside Out. Why is it hard for Riley to tell her parents how she's feeling? Is it OK for them to ask her to be their "happy girl"? How does that make her feel when she's not in a particularly joyful state of mind? Have you ever felt like Riley?
The characters in Inside Out learn and demonstrate many important character strengths. How do Riley's emotions, Joy and Sadness especially, show teamwork, communication, self-control, compassion, perseverance, integrity, and empathy?
What does it mean to have "mixed emotions" about something? How do all of our different feelings relate to each other? Can you have joy without sadness? Why is it important to feel a range of emotions?
How scary are some parts of this movie? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?
What problem does Riley think running away will fix? Why is she wrong? What could have happened to her if she'd gone through with her plan? Parents, talk to your kids about why Riley's idea -- and how she went about trying to accomplish it -- isn't an example to follow.
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 19, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : November 3, 2015
- Cast : Amy Poehler , Phyllis Smith , Richard Kind , Kaitlyn Dias , Bill Hader , Mindy Kaling , Lewis Black
- Director : Pete Docter
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Pixar Animation Studios
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Empathy , Integrity , Perseverance , Self-control , Teamwork
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : mild thematic elements and some action
- Awards : Academy Award , Common Sense Selection , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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