Skip to content

57 facts

57 Fun Facts About Inside Out

Learn something new, then test yourself with the quiz.

Know these facts? Prove it.

Take the 60-question quiz
1

Which studio made Inside Out?

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

2

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.

3

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.

4

Who voices Joy?

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

5

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.

6

Which colour is Sadness?

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

7

Which colour is Fear?

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

8

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.

9

Which emotion is green?

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

10

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.

11

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.

12

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.

13

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.

14

What powers Bing Bong's rocket wagon?

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

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18

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.

19

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.

20

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.

21

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.

22

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.

23

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.

24

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.

25

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.

26

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.

27

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.

28

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.

29

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.

30

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.

31

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.

32

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.

33

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.

34

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.

35

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.

36

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.

37

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.

38

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.

39

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.

40

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.

41

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.

42

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.

43

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.

44

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.

45

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.

46

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.

47

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.

48

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.

49

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.

50

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.

51

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.

52

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.

53

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.

54

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.

55

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.

56

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.

57

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.

Think you know Inside Out?

Put these facts to the test with the interactive quiz.

Take the 60-question quiz

Teaching Inside Out?

Make a custom quiz — handy for classrooms and study groups.

Make a quiz on anything

Related quizzes