Act I
Setup & commitment
Establish the story’s world, inner pressure, dramatic promise, and the choice that crosses into the central pursuit.
- 01
Opening Image
Joy proudly firing "bad" memories into the back of Riley's mind, establishing the tidy new "Sense of Self" system and Joy's perfectionist mindset.
- 02
Ordinary World / Setup
13-year-old Riley preps for a three-day hockey camp with pals Bree & Grace; Headquarters hums along under the original five emotions.
- 03
Theme in Motion
Joy's mantra: only good memories belong in Riley's core—hinting the film's lesson about integrating all feelings.
- 04
Inciting Incident
The puberty alarm blares, workers "upgrade" the console, and Riley's reactions go haywire.
- 05
Refusal / Debate
Four new emotions (Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui) arrive and clash with Joy; power struggle over who knows what's best.
- 06
Break into Act II (Stunning Surprise #1)
Anxiety bottles the originals, ejects Riley's existing Sense of Self, and installs an anxiety-driven replacement; Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear & Disgust are exiled to the memory vault and must fight their way back.
Act II-A
Expansion & promise
Explore the premise, develop secondary threads, test the plan, and drive toward a central reversal or revelation.
- 07
Secondary / Parallel Thread
Riley's social stakes at camp: impress star player Val Ortiz while friendships with Bree & Grace strain.
- 08
Fun & Games (Tests/Allies/Enemies)
Joy's team escapes the vault, teams with Embarrassment, navigates quirky mind lands to recover the lost Sense of Self; comedy-adventure showcases "promise of the premise."
- 09
First Pinch Point
Anxiety pushes Riley to abandon Bree and Grace for Val’s approval, proving the new strategy can damage the belonging it is meant to secure.
- 10
Approach to Inmost Cave
Riley sneaks into Coach Roberts’s office while Joy’s group reaches the discarded Sense of Self atop the painful memories Joy suppressed.
- 11
Midpoint (Game-Changer)
Anxiety overhears Joy's plan and destroys the recall tube, stranding the originals; stakes double—Riley's core self may be lost forever.
Act II-B
Contraction & cost
Turn early progress against the characters as pressure, reversals, consequences, and apparent defeat narrow their options.
- 12
Bad Guys Close In
Anxiety builds a new identity around not being good enough, driving Riley to overperform and further alienate her friends.
- 13
Second Pinch Point / Joy's Daring Gambit
Joy detonates a cliff of bad memories, surfing the avalanche back toward HQ—spectacular yet risky.
- 14
All Is Lost (Stunning Surprise #2)
New Sense of Self mutates into crippling self-doubt; Riley crashes into Grace, lands in the penalty box, then spirals into a full-blown panic attack as Anxiety melts down.
Act III
Choice & resolution
Convert loss into a final choice, carry that choice through the climax, and show the resulting changed state.
- 15
Dark Night of the Soul
Joy finds Anxiety frozen by guilt; both admit their control tactics failed—raw honesty in HQ's ruins.
- 16
New Resolve / Break-into-Three
Joy pulls the flawed first Self, letting a new, integrated Sense of Self form from good and bad memories.
- 17
Final Preparations
Emotions rally at the console; external clock ticks toward end of tryouts.
- 18
Climax / Final Battle
Joy pilots Riley through the last shifts on the ice, balancing excitement, nerves, and teamwork.
- 19
Self-Revelation / Final Choice
Riley reconciles with Bree & Grace, performs authentically, and earns Val's respect—proof that wholeness beats anxious self-editing.
- 20
Denouement / Return with Elixir
Start of high school: nine emotions cooperate inside a calmer HQ while Riley checks Fire Hawks results with genuine confidence.
- 21
Final Image
Headquarters aglow around the balanced console—Joy now flanked, not dominant, symbolizing a mature emotional ecosystem.