Inside Out (2015)
Meet the little voices inside your head.
When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 17 June 2015 |
| Genre | Animation, Family, Adventure, Drama, Comedy |
| Director | Pete Docter |
| Starring | Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Richard Kind |
| Runtime | 95 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes 98% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.9/10 · Metacritic 94/100 · IMDb 8.1/10 · TMDB users 7.9/10 |
| Budget | $175 million |
| Box office | $858 million worldwide |
Where to watch Inside Out
Inside Out is streaming on Disney+ ($15.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $15.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Inside Out is a 2015 animated drama that maps the internal turbulence of an 11-year-old moving to a new city. It runs 95 minutes and treats emotional regulation as a high-stakes adventure. The film’s hook is the literal visualization of feelings like Joy and Sadness, who must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home. It is a surprisingly sharp look at how grief fits alongside happiness, without letting one cancel the other. The animation is bright, but the stakes feel real. It is a film that understands the noise inside your head.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 98% approval rating based on 385 professional reviews. Metacritic assigns it a 94 out of 100, a score that signals universal acclaim. Critics praised the film’s craftsmanship and Pete Docter’s direction, with some describing it as a return to form for Pixar. Peter Debruge of Variety called it "sophisticated," while David Edelstein of Vulture dubbed it a "new pop-culture touchstone." Not everyone was convinced. Jackson Murphy argued the film was "emotionally manipulative" at times, finding the core messages underwhelming. The dissent is minor, but it exists.
How it did with audiences
The budget sat at $175 million, while the worldwide total climbed to $858 million. In the United States, it pulled in $357 million. That is a healthy margin for a studio, though the numbers lean toward comfort rather than shock. TMDB users give it a 7.9 score. IMDb lists an 8.1 weighted average as of March 2026.
Awards
At the 88th Academy Awards, Pete Docter accepted the Best Animated Feature prize. The film also took home the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, and a spot on the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films list. It swept 14 Annie nominations to win 10, plus a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. The Academy also nominated the screenplay, a nod the film did not convert into a second trophy.
What came next for the cast
Amy Poehler shifted from Mean Girls and Blades of Glory to The House and Moxie. Phyllis Smith moved from The Office to The OA. Richard Kind went from Argo to Only Murders in the Building. Bill Hader stepped from Superbad to Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. The credits do not prove Inside Out caused these turns. They just show where the roads led next.
Where it left its mark
The film gave the internet a few things it keeps. "Core memories" slipped into Gen Z slang, then became a TikTok trend in 2022. Some parents tried to manufacture those moments for their kids, a bit of a stretch given the concept has limited scientific basis. Riley’s mom also joined a "Dump-Truck" meme with other Pixar mothers. Google ran an "Inside HQ" coding event for kids, and The Independent later listed the film among pandemic recommendations. It is a strange mix of wholesome intent and chaotic internet behavior, but the vocabulary stuck.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Inside Out.
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Sources
- Inside Out on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q6144664 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Inside Out” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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