At its core, Inside Out is an allegory that uses the five emotions personified as characters to represent the different aspects of human consciousness. The characters of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust provide a unique perspective on how our emotions interact with each other and influence our behavior.

The movie portrays a simplistic view of emotions that is easily understood by children — and that’s its aim. It introduces memories as a way to refocus negative emotions — however, even without memories, the healthiest people often process and then redirect negative emotions into positive actions rather than dwell on them.