Joy is the main character of Inside Out (2015) and Inside Out 2 (2024), Pixar animated films directed by Pete Docter. She is one of five (later nine) emotions living inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. Joy's function is to keep Riley happy — she is yellow, glowing, energetic, and determined to ensure that every memory is a happy one. The film's central revelation is that Joy cannot do her job alone: sadness is necessary for emotional health, and forcing happiness prevents genuine processing of difficult experiences. Inside Out grossed 857 million. Inside Out 2 grossed 1.7 billion, making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

What Is Inside Out About?

Inside Out depicts Riley's emotions — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust — as characters who operate a control console in her mind. When Riley moves to San Francisco and struggles with the transition, Joy and Sadness are accidentally ejected from headquarters and must journey through Riley's mind to return. The film was developed with consultation from psychologists at UC Berkeley and is praised for its accurate depiction of emotional processing.

Why Is Sadness Important?

Joy spends most of the film preventing Sadness from touching Riley's memories. The climax reveals that Sadness is essential: a memory of Riley being sad allowed her parents to comfort her, creating one of her most cherished core memories. The film's thesis — that suppressing sadness prevents emotional processing and connection — is supported by research on emotional regulation.

What Is Inside Out 2 About?

Inside Out 2 (2024) introduces new emotions that arrive during puberty: Anxiety, Envy, Ennui (boredom), and Embarrassment. Anxiety takes over headquarters and tries to plan for every possible future threat, suppressing Joy and the original emotions. The film's message is that anxiety, while protective, becomes destructive when it controls everything.

Can You Talk to Joy?

Joy is available as an AI companion on HoloDream. She has learned that happiness is not the only emotion that matters. That was the hardest lesson.