This article argues that Pixar’s animated feature Inside Out (2015) is a film that rehearses the Disney animation creation processes and arrives at a critique of the normalcy of happiness of Disney. The article aims to further Pixar’s critique by first exploring the historical background, principles, and the production processes of Disney animation developed in the 1930s. Taking the normalcy of happiness as a form of self-alienation grounded in cultural history, the article will follow Adorno’s critique of the culture industry and customer service in Minima Moralia: Reflections from a Damaged Life (2005) to explore and further the critique of self-alienation in various forms.
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