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I loved Inside Out when I first saw it. It further proved that Pixar knows how to make a heartfelt animated movie that teaches both children and adults. However, I haven’t watched it again since my initial viewing, but with the upcoming release of Inside Out 2, now seemed like the perfect time to revisit it.
Inside Out focuses on Riley’s (Kaitlyn Dias) emotions figuring out how to cope with a major life change. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) all become major emotions as she navigates how to handle all of them. The film reminds children and adults that it’s okay to feel everything.
The second Inside Out viewing allowed me to appreciate all aspects of it more, especially this one major character.
Fear Shines In Inside Out
Disgust, Anger, Joy, and Sadness are flashier emotions. Therefore, Fear didn’t grab my attention as much during the first viewing. The second viewing made me see all the ways he stands out and adds to Inside Out. The film’s opening establishes that Fear is the third emotion created and key to Riley’s growth.
Throughout Inside Out, in Sadness and Joy’s absence, Fear tries (and fails) to fix things. Fear unwillingly takes a leadership position with them gone, and his duties include trying to calm Disgust and Anger.
If Fear, Disgust, and Anger weren’t such extreme emotions, he may have accomplished his goals of settling things down and regulating Riley’s temperament. Fear is one of Pixar’s great underrated characters because, like I originally did, you might not have fully grasped and appreciated his character during the first viewing.
His Amazing Comedic Timing Makes Him Steal Scenes
During this viewing, the biggest thing I noticed was how important Fear is to the film’s comedy. He is one of the funniest characters in Inside Out. He’s the physical comedian of the group.
Fear hurts himself a few times in the classic cartoonish way, such as hitting himself with tools. He bleeds in honor of comedy. Fear also has some of Inside Out’s most extreme reactions to things. Because he’s Fear, he’s a bit of a chicken when it comes to all things a little bit scary. This explains his exaggerated reactions to non-scary and truly scary things, such as seeing the fake dream dog split apart.
Like other classic Pixar scene-stealers, he stands out in every scene because of his extremity and overall funny nature.
One of Inside Out’s funniest scenes involves Fear giving commentary as he’s on dream duty. His reactions and comments make the already ridiculous scene even funnier. Fear made me laugh so much.
Bill Hader’s Excellent Voice-Over Work That Makes Me Appreciate The Actor More
I am not someone who consistently watches Saturday Night Live. It’s a show I only watch if an actor or comedian I enjoy hosts or if a musical guest I enjoy performs. Therefore, I have not seen some of Hader’s best SNL work. Only when Barry premiered did I begin to appreciate the actor and seek out more of his great roles,
Because of my limited exposure to Hader, when I first watched Inside Out, I didn’t pay too much attention to his voice-over work. Now, with a new respect for the actor and having a chance to watch the film again, it’s impressive how he conveys the funny intensity of Fear.
As an emotion, Fear is often grandiose, dramatic, and over-the-top. Hader displays this in the way he heightens his voice to match the nature of Fear. Inside Out is a children’s movie above anything else, and because of that, yelling and very exaggerated vocal techniques can really enhance the fun.
A voice actor has to lean a little bit into silliness when creating characters aimed at children. They also sometimes have to keep a balance that prevents the characters from annoying adults. Sometimes animated characters have to toe the line between energetic and annoying. Hader walks that line well. He never goes into the annoying territory.
Hader is so good as Fear that it’s really unfortunate that he will not be returning for Inside Out 2. However, I am excited to hear Tony Hale as the character. He was already great as Forky in Toy Story 4. He should smash this voice-over role as well.
Fear Is The Most Sensible And Ridiculous Of The Inside Out Emotions
Most of Inside Out involves Sadness and Joy on their adventure. This leaves Anger, Disgust, and Fear to make sure Riley’s life doesn’t completely fall apart. As previously stated, Fear tries his best to keep things running smoothly. However, Anger really kind of pushes through and takes over. Before Anger takes control, Fear remains surprisingly optimistic. He tries to find ways to help Riley and keep things from getting too out of hand.
He, of course, eventually tries to quit when things come closer and closer to a total disaster, but he at least tries to prevent the worst possible scenarios. He uses logic at times but also goes to the other extreme of being illogical. His list of things Riley should fear on the first day of school just highlights how ridiculous Fear can be. Disgust and Anger kind of look down on him, but he’s a little more sensible and mature than them.
The Character Makes Me See The Comedy In Fear As An Emotion
Joy labels Fear as the one keeping Riley safe. This is true and shows the importance of fear as an emotion. However, Fear showcases how the emotion can also be outlandish. He develops many scenarios that most likely won’t happen. He’s afraid of things that should be feared and things that shouldn’t.
Fear has a place and importance, like all emotions. But, it can also just be something that briefly allows worries and doubt to control. Inside Out serves as a great reminder to appreciate fear (so you don’t do something crazy like try to fight a bear) but to also understand the ridiculousness of it (there is probably not a monster hiding in your closet). Sometimes you just have to laugh at fear and not let it stop you.
I am excited to see Fear again in Inside Out 2, so I am glad it’s a Pixar movie that got the sequel it deserves.
Inside Out 2 premieres in theaters on June 14, 2024.