The Voice Actors Behind Inside Out: Cast, Careers & Impact

Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out movies are loved for their humorous take on complex emotions. Characters such as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Anxiety, and others don't just steer young Riley's mind, they make you realize that growing up means feeling various emotions all at once; and finding a balance. They become bittersweet reminders of the light at the end of the tunnel.

The voice cast behind each emotion, whether it was the green emotion Disgust, the blue-colored Sadness, or the flaming red Anger, injected the right dose of personality and depth into the films.

Of course, the talented voice cast worked hard to make Inside Out what it is. And thanks to the roaring success, Director Kelsey Mann and Producer Mark Nielsen wasted no time in creating the sequel, Inside Out 2. This one came with new emotions and more talent joining the story inside Riley Andersen’s mind.

Just like Toy Story, Pixar’s Inside Out franchise proved that picking the right voice and AI dubbing for cartoon characters are crucial to the popularity of the characters and the success of the movie. What is dubbing? It entails leveraging artificial intelligence to translate and replace audio in videos. This is done by mimicking the original speaker’s voice while preserving their tone, new emotions, and speech patterns.

And every creative team knows this is far from easy. After all, it is these voices, animation, and screenplay that make every feeling real!

In this post, we’ll be taking a look at the key characters and the Inside Out voice actors behind the emotions that shaped these Pixar films, while emphasizing the importance of voices in animation.

Inside Out Voice Actors and Character Spotlight

1. Riley Andersen

Voice Actors: Kaitlyn Dias (First Film), Kensington Tallman (Inside Out 2)

About Riley: Riley is at the center of the story in both the movies. In the first film, she’s your typical 11-year-old who’s taking her time to adjust to a new city. She starts school in San Francisco and explores being a hockey player. That’s where different and new emotions start bubbling in her young mind. In Inside Out 2, she’s 13. Riley's parents try to help her navigate the complexities of adolescence, friendships, and self-identity.

About the Voice Actors: Kaitlyn Dias was the voice of young Riley in the original movie. She was 11 years old at the time of production when she underwent puberty. As a result, her voice dropped during dubbing, and she had to adjust it to sound younger.

In the sequel, Dias was replaced by Kensington Tallman as only an actress matching the character’s age could be hired. Apart from Inside Out 2, Tallman has appeared in shows like Drama Club and That Girl Lay Lay.

2. Joy

Voice Actor: Amy Poehler

About Joy: Joy is the protagonist of sorts, the always-optimistic leader among Riley’s emotions. She’s always aiming to keep Riley happy, sometimes to a fault. Joy’s dedicated efforts to keep Riley happy leads to conflict with the other emotions, especially Sadness and Anxiety. In the end, however, Riley learns that other emotions are as important as Joy and that a balance of different emotions is a good thing.

About Amy Poehler: Best known for her work in Saturday Night Live, Mean Girls, Baby Mama, and Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler is a name to reckon with in the comedy genre. Her energetic performance brings Joy to life, making the character both endearing and relatable.

3. Sadness

Voice Actor: Phyllis Smith

About Sadness: Sadness is often overlooked, but plays a crucial role in helping Riley come to terms with difficult experiences. The first movie boasts one of the most profound endings in Pixar movie history as Sadness takes Joy’s core memories and helps Riley process her grief as she tells her parents about how much she misses Minnesota.  

About Phyllis Smith: Smith may be known for her comedic skills, but there’s more to her. She wasn't always into acting. Once a casting professional, she gained fame as Phyllis on The Office.  It was reported that her straight-faced delivery on the show as well as her role in 2011’s Bad Teacher helped her bag the role of Sadness in Inside Out.

4. Fear

Voice Actors: Bill Hader (First Film), Tony Hale (Inside Out 2)

About Fear: As you’d expect, Fear is always on high alert, trying to keep Riley safe from potential dangers. Fear is always on the edge, easily perturbed, and often makes dramatic suggestions to help Riley avoid dangerous situations.  

About the Voice Actors: Bill Hader, known for Saturday Night Live, voiced Fear in the first film. The sequel had Tony Hale take over. Hale is known for his comic timing. He played Buster Bluth in Arrested Development and Gary Walsh in Veep. He also voiced the always-confused spork toy Forky in Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 4.

5. Anger

Voice Actor: Lewis Black

About Anger: Anger is quick to react, especially when things seem unfair, ensuring Riley stands up for herself. He gives rise to feelings of rage, irritation, frustration, and has a tendency to be rude, aggressive, defensive, and resentful. As such, he’s highly protective of Riley and passionate about the things she should have, and how they should be for her.

About Lewis Black: Black is a stand-up comedian known for his funny rants about topics varying from politics to everyday life, making him the perfect fit for Anger’s explosive personality. In 2015, Den Of Geek interviewed Black about how the movie helped him realize that his anger is driven by the desire for fairness and justice.

6 Disgust

Voice Actors: Mindy Kaling (First Film), Liza Lapira (Inside Out 2)

About Disgust: The green emotion Disgust helps Riley avoid things she finds repulsive, from bad food to social faux pas. Disgust typically expresses herself through highly sarcastic comments and eyerolls. She’s always confident, but can also be rude and dismissive. However, her intentions are always in Riley’s best interests.  

About the Voice Actors: Mindy Kaling, best known for her work in The Office and lead role in The Mindy Project, voiced Disgust in the original film. Liza Lapira replaced her in the sequel. Lapira is recognized for roles in Fast & Furious, NCIS, Dexter, and The Equalizer. She’s also played supporting roles in Cloverfield, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. 

7. Anxiety

Voice Actor: Maya Hawke

About Anxiety: Introduced as a new emotion in Inside Out 2, Anxiety represents Riley’s worries about the future, often overwhelming her with “what ifs.” Orange-colored Anxiety is a self-proclaimed “sophisticated emotion” and lays siege in Riley’s mind at one of her most trying times: just as she’s starting high school.

About Maya Hawke: Maya Hawke is best known for her role as Robin in Stranger Things. Other than that, she has recently performed supporting roles in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Bradley Cooper’s Oscar-nominated Maestro.

8. Embarrassment

Voice Actor: Paul Walter Hauser

About Embarrassment: Another new emotion, Embarrassment might be physically bulky and strong, but is pretty shy and often hides behind other emotions. He reflects Riley’s self-conscious, socially awkward, and angsty moments during adolescence.  The pink-colored new emotion might also represent sweetness, shyness, compassion, and naiveté that are a big part of Riley’s personality.

About Paul Walter Hauser: Paul Walter Hauser has appeared in films like I, Tonya and Richard Jewell. He recently starred as a voice actor in DreamWorks’ animated film Orion and the Dark, and has an upcoming role in The Fantastic Four.

Other notable characters in the Inside Out franchise include Envy played by Ayo Edebiri, Ennui played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, Nostalgia played by June Squibb, Mrs. Andersen or Riley’s Mother played by Diane Lane, and Mr. Andersen or Riley’s Father played by Kyle MacLachlan.

Inside Out Behind-the-Scenes: Voice Acting Process

Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke Discuss Voice Acting and Pixar

In this interview, Amy Poehler (Joy) and Maya Hawke (Anxiety) delve into their experiences voicing emotions in Inside Out 2. They share personal anecdotes about connecting with their characters and the nuances of bringing complex emotions to life through voice acting. The discussion also touches on the collaborative atmosphere at Pixar and the guidance provided by the creative team to ensure authentic performances.

Watch here: Amy Poehler And Maya Hawke Discuss Voice Acting and Pixar!

Tony Hale and Liza Lapira on Voice Acting and Pixar Magic

Tony Hale (Fear) and Liza Lapira (Disgust) talk about stepping into their roles in Inside Out 2. They discuss the challenges of matching the emotional depth of the original characters while adding their unique touches.

Watch here: Tony Hale and Liza Lapira on Voice Acting and Pixar Magic

Explore AI-Powered Dubbing with Murf

Murf AI brings you Murf Dub, your go-to AI translation/dubbing tool when you want to produce high-quality, context-aware voiceovers. 

In animation, voice acting is everything, especially when context drives emotion. Inside Out proves how tone, timing, and delivery can add meaning to every spoken word. But capturing that same nuance across languages and characters? That’s where Murf AI shines. 

While Murf Dub doesn’t offer exact voice replicas, users can enjoy crafting similar-sounding voices for fun, fan content, or creative projects like AI dubbing in video gaming.

Murf AI can replicate voice styles, allowing fans, gamers, voice actors, and podcasters to experiment with dubbing scenes or creating their own voiceovers for characters and fanfiction.

Here are some undeniable benefits of our AI dubbing tool.

• Create high-quality dubbing in 20+ languages in minimal time
• Seamlessly match the original speaker’s voice in any language with instant voice cloning
• Choose how to pronounce brand names so they always sound right
• Have every word and phrase in your dubbings reviewed by native speakers
• Avoid the delays and limitations of traditional voiceover work
• Make your animation easier, faster, more realistic and cost-effective with Murf’s  character voice generator 

Murf Dub combines AI and human expertise in dubbing, allowing you to leverage the best of both worlds. The best part? While you extend your content’s reach globally, our tool ensures the original essence of your video is preserved. It delivers your dubbed content fast, ensuring top-notch quality every time.

What’s more, with SOC 2, GDPR compliance and ISO certification, our security framework strictly protects your data in our highly secure servers. So if you’re asking yourself “Is dubbing AI safe?” rest assured that with Murf, AI dubbing future is in good hands!

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