Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Inside Out 2!
Despite Joy being the manifestation of joy, she is able to cry in Pixar’sInside Outmovies, and here’s why. In the world ofInside Out, each of the main characters that lives inside of Riley’s mind is the manifestation of a specific emotion. In the first movie, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust make up the five emotions, with their names also being their defining character traits. While this continues with the addition ofAnxiety, Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Nostalgia inInside Out 2, there is a twist on thisInside Outformula, with Joy being able to cry.
Although all of the emotions make up Riley, Joy is the protagonist ofInside Out’s ensemble cast, with her character arc being key to the themes of both films. Despite being billed as a joyful ball of energy who sees the bright side of everything, Joy has some pretty sad moments inInside OutandInside Out 2. WhileJoy crying makes sense for her character at various points in her arc, some fans ofInside Outhave begun to wonder how the rules of the emotions work, with the ability for Joy to feel sadness being one of the biggest head-scratchers.
Joy Can Cry In Inside Out Because She Has Her Own Emotions
Their Names Are Just What They Input In Riley’s Mind
Although Joy is meant to be the manifestation of every happy feeling that Riley could have, she also seems to have her own emotions. While neither of theInside Outmovies go inside Joy’s head to show that she has her own anthropomorphic emotion characters, her actions clearly show that she is able to feel more than joy.Inside OutandInside Out 2sees Joy get angry at the other emotions, feel anxious about Riley’s state, and feel sad about her role in Riley’s development. These are just some of the many unhappy emotions that Joy has throughout theInside Outmovies.
The same can be said for theother emotions inInside Out. There are times when Sadness is angry at Joy, Fear is joyful in Riley’s state, Anger is sad about what is going on with Riley, and Disgust is fearful of something that could affect Riley’s social life. All of theInside Outemotion characters have a range of emotions that they can feel throughout the movies, showing how dynamic and complex these characters truly are.
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Although the emotion characters feel different emotions,these different emotions are most often connected to their primary characteristics. So, when Joy is sad, she is typically sad about Riley not being happy. When Fear is joyful, it is typically because something scary has gone away. So on and so forth. So, the names of each member ofInside Out’s cast do not dictate what their emotions are. Rather, their names are a label that shows what kind of stimuli they respond to and what kind of outcome they are looking to obtain for Riley.
Why Joy Cries In The Inside Out Movies
It Is Key To Her Character Arcs
Joy crying in the firstInside Outis the moment where she makes the realization that completes her character arc. Afterfalling into the pit with Bing Bong, Joy looks at the memories that have fallen with them. While looking back on Riley’s childhood and who she used to be, she begins to feel sadness. She then cries while looking back on Riley’s sad memories, with her emotion being a mixture of defeat and of despair at the fact that she isn’t there to make Riley feel joy.
Where Riley’s New Emotions Come From In Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 introduced several new emotions for Riley to contend with that were not in the first movie, begging the question of where they came from.
However,things quickly change when Joy realizes how sadness actually helps Riley. While watching a memory of Riley sitting alone in a tree, Joy watches the memory become happy as Riley’s parents and friends comfort her. This allows Joy to see that, in the sad times, the comfort and closeness that others bring can make us happy. The sad memories and how your loved ones react to it help you to realize how much those around you love you. This is something that Joy had never thought about before, with her tears showing that she finally understands that sadness isn’t a bad emotion.
Joy Only Being Joyful Would Make Inside Out Boring
She Would Be A One-Dimensional Protagonist
While Joy being sad is key to herInside Outcharacter arcs, the film alsogives Joy multiple emotionsin order to keep the film entertaining. If Joy could only feel joyful, then she wouldn’t be much of a character, turning the story ofInside Outinto an immensely boring one. The worst thing that a film can have is flat protagonists, and if Joy wasn’t able to have any complex emotions, she would definitely be flat.
A character can not go through change if they can not feel regret or realize that they have been doing something wrong.Joy constantly being a bubble of positive energy with no deeper emotions would take away from that, with that completely wrecking what is good about theInside Outmovies.
Joy Crying Connects To Inside Out’s Overall Ideas On Emotions
All The Emotions Are Intertwined
Inside OutandInside Out 2are trying to say something about emotions, and Joy being able to feel sad connects to this overall idea. The central dramatic argument ofInside Outis that emotions aren’t completely separate monoliths. Instead, all of the emotions are intertwined. Riley’s core memories can be both joyful and sad, or any other combination of emotions. InInside Out, the emotions are like primary colors, with the full spectrum of colors being unlocked when they begin to mix.
How Anxiety & The New Emotions Change Riley In Inside Out 2
Riley’s behavior is changed dramatically by the new emotions in Inside Out 2, but the film does a great job of working this into its central message.
Inside Out 2pushes this theme even further by introducing anall-new cast of emotions. Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment are all more specific versions of the characters from the first film, with this showing that Riley is gaining a more complex understanding of her emotions as she grows up. Joy’s conflict with Anxiety inInside Out 2carries a similar message to Joy’s conflict with Sadness in the originalInside Out, with this arc continuing to highlight how the best balance comes when all emotions are working together rather than pushing anyone out.
Inside Out
Cast
Inside Out is an animated film by Pixar Animation Studios, released in 2015. It centers on 11-year-old Riley, whose move to a new city causes emotional upheaval. Her Emotions, embodied by Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, collaborate to navigate the challenges of her new environment.
