Inside Out - Characters & Cast

To ensure Riley is happy at all times and to protect her from any negative feelings, which she initially sees as harmful.

Joy begins as a well-intentioned but controlling leader, believing that Riley's happiness is the only thing that matters. Her primary goal is to minimize Sadness's influence. Her arc is one of enlightenment; stranded in the depths of Riley's mind, she discovers a happy core memory that was born from a moment of sadness. This helps her realize Sadness's crucial role in signaling a need for help and creating empathy. She evolves from a proponent of relentless positivity to a wise leader who understands that emotional balance is key, ultimately ceding control to Sadness in the film's climax to save Riley.

An instinctual, initially misunderstood compulsion to touch memories and engage with Riley's pain, which is later revealed to be a drive to create empathy and seek comfort.

Sadness starts as a perceived burden, an emotion no one, including herself, understands the purpose of. She is ostracized by Joy for uncontrollably turning happy memories sad. However, her journey reveals her true strength: empathy. She is the only one who can comfort the grieving Bing Bong by simply listening and validating his feelings. Her arc is one of self-acceptance and empowerment. She goes from being a passive, marginalized figure to the hero who saves Riley by allowing her to connect with her parents through shared vulnerability.

To find happiness and stability after a disruptive move, and to reclaim the life she once had in Minnesota.

Riley is less a traditional character and more the setting in which the story unfolds. Her arc is an external reflection of the internal journey of her emotions. She begins as a happy, well-adjusted child defined by her cheerful memories of Minnesota. The move to San Francisco plunges her into turmoil, causing her to become sullen, angry, and withdrawn. Her journey culminates in a moment of emotional crisis where she tries to run away. Her resolution comes when she finally embraces the complexity of her feelings, confessing her sadness to her parents. She matures into a more emotionally complex individual, capable of feeling joy and sadness simultaneously.

To be remembered by Riley and to help her be happy again, ultimately wanting to "take her to the moon" one last time.

Bing Bong is Riley's forgotten imaginary friend, a whimsical creature made of cotton candy who cries candy tears. He represents the fading innocence and magic of early childhood. He is initially lost and irrelevant in the vastness of Long-Term Memory. He joins Joy and Sadness, guiding them through the abstract parts of Riley's mind. His arc is short but powerful, culminating in his heroic self-sacrifice in the Memory Dump. He lets himself fade away forever so that Joy can escape and save Riley, poignantly symbolizing the necessary act of letting go of the past to grow up.