Top 10 Funniest Inside Out Parodies

OK, so although we’re opening with not exactly a parody (and more a fun marketing campaign) there’s just something about watching the emotions watching trailers that… works. Now, we all know how the Disney machine went real hard on “Star Wars” and the MCU. And that the results perhaps weren’t always for the best. But, when Pixar rolled out these clips, first for “Age of Ultron” and then for “The Force Awakens”, they did manage to seriously latch on to all that pre-blockbuster hype. Fear and Disgust probably get the best one-liners here. But, really, the entire team turns something as simple as a trailer watch into a properly exciting event.

Given that this movie is generally considered to be one of Pixar’s best in a generation, it might’ve been difficult for CinemaSins to rip into it and get away with it. But, they get the tone just right, even dropping a couple of reminders during the video that, actually, they love the film. Aspects of their take we can get behind include; could Sadness ever really ruin everything? Should Bing Bong stealing memories be more heavily questioned? And is broccoli ever really that bad? The most replayed part of the entire clip, though? The wholesome laughter at the mind of a boy.

“The Simpsons” is no stranger to visualizing the thoughts of its characters, and it’s usually Homer’s… slower… thoughts that get the laughs. But, post “Inside Out”, and the “look inside their mind” scene gets done in a totally different way. In the season 28 episode, “Trust but Clarify”, it’s the ever-irritated newsreader, Kent Brockman, who’s at the heart of the story. After being caught relaying fake stories to his fans, Kent loses his job and hits rock bottom. But then, a new story emerges, and he has a chance at retribution. Meanwhile, Homer has his own battles, particular when “ambition” rears its head… only to quickly fall out of his ear.

When “Inside Out” got the Honest Trailers treatment it was the perfect blend of affectionate tribute and hilarious redo. Casting an alternative eye over all Riley’s trials and tribulations, it highlights (among other things) how the city of San Francisco is dealt a pretty bad hand by the movie. Just in case you hadn’t noticed it before. But easily the funniest moment is the narrator’s breakdown at the mention of Bing Bong. Because we all get it. How can something so made up make you feel something so real?

Cast your minds back to 2001, and you might just about remember the box office flop, “Osmosis Jones”. Not many people actually saw it in theaters, but it has garnered something of a reputation in the years since. Anyway, back in 2015, shortly after the release of “Inside Out”, the Nostalgia Critic brought to the attention of everyone just how similar Pixar’s latest prize product was to the Chris Rock / Bill Murray live action / animated comedy. In his typically cutting yet insightful way, the Critic saves all his best put-downs for “Osmosis Jones”... but he makes his points via a series of spoof sketches featuring the “Inside Out” gang. Plus an extra (and eloquently named) sixth character. Perhaps there are some likenesses between the two pictures, but one clearly won out above the other.

For better or worse, getting featured in a “Family Guy” cut scene is not to be sniffed at. And, bizarrely, “Inside Out” gets its nod during an episode otherwise built around Peter and the guys getting caught up in a mid-air hijacking. As the situation escalates and panic sets in, Peter’s mind goes straight to Pixar. The Griffin family roll call sees Chris, Meg, Stewie and Lois all align themselves with a conventional emotion, before Peter has the final say. And Riley rushes to the bathroom.

While the human mind can certainly be a complex place, “Outside In” really takes us to the very darkest corners. A YouTube parody series created by Dane Powroznik at Movieunleashers, the first video is the biggest hit - setting the scene for Riley’s spiral into insanity. Here, perhaps more than in any other parody, you truly understand the pressure that Joy is under. With so many potentially destabilizing emotions around her, she does one heck of a job in keeping everything together. That is until, in this version of events, she eventually cracks. As the story starts with Riley mindlessly scrolling through her phone, there’s a wider social commentary as well. But, overall, it’s simply what Pixar would be if Pixar were seriously disturbing.

With How It Should Have Ended being another internet rite of passage for any blockbuster movie worth its salt, it wasn’t long after the release of the first “Inside Out” before we got their… alternative take. And, actually, this one also centers on Riley suffering a pretty concerning mental breakdown. In amongst all the expected plot hole picking, we get a childishly pleasing visualization of a brain fart… and a very good helping of Bing Bong. Which is usually never a bad thing, although here… it’s actually the reason for Riley’s eventual problems. With mind blown and their character in emotional tatters, How It Should Have Ended provides the kind of finale that Pixar never could.

Anthropomorphic emotions and stop-motion sketch comedy are essentially a match made in funny spoof heaven. And “Robot Chicken” takes two memorable bites at the franchise. First, the writers send Riley into adulthood with a couple of new emotions to boot - and immediate chaos unfolds. And then, in a later episode, we see Riley at a slumber party. When her youthful naivete gets challenged by friends, Fear runs amok… with the clip at one stage zooming in on the emotions of an emotion. An infinite regress of overthinking comedy. And it’s all pretty hilarious until someone gets hurt.

Again, funny insights into exactly what goes on inside the mind of Homer Jay are kind of a staple of “The Simpsons”. But in the season 27 episode, “Lisa With an S”, we get the full “Inside Out” version of his inner monologue. Perfectly matching the Pixar characters to their own, “The Simpsons” uses Ned, Milhouse, Willie, Hans Moleman and Comic Book Guy to express precisely the rollercoaster of feeling THAT a good hand in cards can lead you on. And, contrary to what Comic Book Guy says, it’s the greatest.

Do you agree with our list? Which "Inside Out" parody had you laughing hardest? Be sure to let us know in the comments!