Introduction 
From exploring the effects of climate change and the oil industry in films like Cars 2 and Wall-E to showing the impacts of Racism and Colonialism in films like Zootopia and Pocahontas, the Disney Organization has always used their children's movies to secretly help push the well-needed agenda of real-life world social issues. In addition to these world issues, the movie “Inside Out,” is Disney’s only known film that directly attacks the complexity of mental illness, especially in children and adolescents. The use of animation, simplicity, and the fact that it is a children’s movie, allows Disney to reach out to children and others to help explain to them the unique dynamic of mental illness, and especially in Riley’s case, depression. 
What is Inside Out and What is it About? 
Inside Out, directed by Kelsey Mann, follows a young, happy girl named Riley, whose life is turned upside down following her move from midwestern Minnesota to the city life of San Francisco. Her move is explored by following the emotions (these will be talked about later) inside of head and how these emotions change as she adapts to her new life in the golden state. As the film goes on, Riley loses the ability to feel joy and sadness, causing her to fall into a depression that eventually leads her to try to run away from her new life in San Francisco. Riley, throughout the film, is subtly illustrated through various visuals, as, as the movie goes on Riley’s emotional state is vastly changing. At the start of the film, Riley seemed to be a happy and well-adjusted child, even after the move to San Francisco, but as she experiences her new life, she quickly transitions into a world of emotional upheaves. 
Unpacking Riley’s Emotions 
The five emotions that follow inside of Riley’s head in “Inside Out” are fear, disgust, joy, sadness, and anger. The use of only five concrete emotions comes from the inspiration of Robert Plutchik, an American psychologist who gave the idea that there are eight basic emotions. With this information being known, Disney is using a simple variation of neuropsychology to prove how emotions work to a younger audience to enhance their ability to fully understand how mental health works. This simplicity of emotions can help not only children, but those who are unaware of the multitude of effects that mental illness can cause to an individual, by teaching them of the impact of major life changes and how it can bring light to how they can cause mental deprivation.  
As Riley struggled to adapt with her new home, Joy and Sadness got lost in her long-term memory, leaving Anger, Fear, and Disgust to manage her emotions. This shift represents the overwhelming dominance of negative emotions that Riley Experiences., which is a major sign of depression. Her loss of interest in activities, such as her favorite sport hockey, and going to school, her withdrawal from social interactions, and her inability to find happiness in San Francisco are indications that Riley is experiencing depressive symptoms. 
 How The Loss of Joy and Sadness Corresponds with The Real World 
With the simplicity of the five emotions, the loss of joy and sadness corresponds with how depression involves the neurochemistry of the brain through the loss of specific neurotransmitters that are known for stabilizing and supporting our moods and emotions. Dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and GABA’s main functionalities are to regulate mood, satisfaction, motivation, and calmness. It was noticed in “Inside Out” that Riley showed a lack of all these functions, implying that she did indeed have a lack of one or more of these specific neurotransmitters. This helps show in a literal sense that Riley is, in fact, going through a state of depression. The change in her brain chemistry is a result of the stress that was formed from the move to San Francisco. 
Major life changes, such as Riley’s move to San Francisco, can have devastating effects on a child’s mental ability. Moving is widely labeled as one of the most stressful life-events and a major cause of depression.  Inside Out’s use of this emotional and stressful circumstance helps propel a known cause of this mental disorder and how it directly affects humans, and especially, children. With the move plus her loss of joy and new symptoms of sadness, Riley is going through a state of depression that would be comparable to that of a real child. 
The Role of Core Memories 
Throughout the “Inside Out” film, the concept of core memories is often used as a central to Riley’s personality and mental well-being. As the movie goes on, it is noticed that the core memories can be corrupted by other emotions. Primarily, the joyful core memories are corrupted by sadness, which causes Riley’s emotional state to be deprived and causes her happiness to erode. The symbolic loss of happiness shows how depression can hurt and obscure one’s previously positive memories and alter one’s self-perception. 
   
How This Movie Teaches Children About Mental Illness In The Best Way Possible 
“Inside Out” greatly excels at teaching children about the concept of mental illness and the possible causes and effects that it carries. By normalizing the experiences of being sad, fearful, angry, or disgusted, the movie presents these emotions to children as a natural reaction and displays that it is a common thing that some people go through and that it is a completely normal circumstance.  
Teaching Children that feeling depressed can happen to anyone allows them to get a better grip on the topic and the idea as a whole. Riley’s emotional journey importantly underscores the importance of expressing the way you feel besides suppressing your emotions and keeping them to yourself. This is shown in the film when Joy learns to accept Sadness and incorporates her into Riley’s world, which highlights that healing and well-being initially come from embracing all your range of emotions. The film not only teaches children about mental health but also allows parents, and educators, to begin a conversation-starter with their children and each other. By presenting mental health issues through a relatable story,” Inside Out” provides a platform for everyone to discuss emotions, stress, depression, and the mental impact of life changes, such as Riley’s move to San Francisco. 
Conclusion 
“Inside Out” stands out as the best movie for mental illness for children due to its portrayal of emotions, the exploration of psychological processes, and its role in normalizing conversations about mental health. This movie needs to be more nationally recognized for its creativity and access to mental health awareness. Depression is something children need to be educated about so that they can express their emotions and so that they can be aware of the dangers that it can hold. With the upcoming release of “Inside Out 2’ hopefully it can explore even more common mental health issues in children, such as anxiety or any other common mental disorder that is commonly found in kids.