Emotions, whether real or frictional, are at the forefront of every adolescent's journey, and "Inside Out" takes that concept in a fairly literal direction: the 2015 film centers on pre-teen Riley (Caitlin Diaz), who has been heightened by moving emotions and battling the typical highs and lows of common teenage angst. Pixar and other studios like to feature emotions in animated films in specific and on-the-nose ways, especially so that younger audiences can grasp these often complex concepts.

In "Inside Out," the characters' emotions take charge behind the scenes and fight over how they react to situations. Riley's emotions are initially simple, such as "joy" and "anger," but as she grows up and encounters more complex experiences, her emotions adapt and grow with her. In between films like "Turning Red" and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," here are seven animated coming-of-age films like "Inside Out.

Being left out of the family is no fun, but Mirabelle in "Encanto" handles the fact that she is the only one in her family without magical powers with grace. Yet, despite her lack of physical magical ability, her compassion and drive prove equally useful when she tries to save the magic of a family member that she could not get her hands on. Each family's power is not a direct manifestation of mood, but is intrinsically tied to their individual personalities and passions, such as the ability to talk to animals or make flowers. However, as in Inside Out, the emotions of the families correlate with their ability to demonstrate their abilities at any given moment.

The cast includes names such as Stephanie Beatriz (Mirabelle), Maria Cecilia Botero (Alma Abuela), John Leguizamo (Bruno), Mauro Castillo (Felix), Alan Tudyk (Pico), Diane Guerrero (Isabella) The Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charice Castro Smith co-wrote and directed the 2021 film.

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"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is arguably one of the best animated films in recent years. Instead of focusing on Peter Parker's new origin story, the film follows Miles Morales as he confronts his newfound Spidey powers. He wasn't particularly interested in donning the mantle of hero after the death of his world's Peter, but eventually gives in. Meanwhile, the teenager wracks his brains about the multiverse when the wild Spidey shows up. Can anyone say Peter Poker? Yes, he's a pig. Yes, he's a pig. Things get even worse when Miles is betrayed by a close family member. So much drama in one teen.

Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman directed this 2018 film, written by Phil Lord and Rothman. It boasts a talented cast including Shameik Moore (Miles), Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy), Mahershala Ali (Uncle Aaron), and Zoe Kravitz (Mary Jane).

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Ah, the adolescent metaphor. In Turning Red, 13-year-old protagonist Mei Li (Rosalie Chen) and her friends Miriam (Eva Morse), Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), and Abby (Park Hain) go through the trials and tribulations of becoming troubled teens. The Catch. Meilee transforms into a red panda when her emotions run high. Like "Inside Out," Maelee's relationship with her mother (Sandra Oh) is a strong focus.

In Maelee's case, she must find a middle ground between being who she wants to be and making her mother proud, while balancing her desire to meet her mother's expectations and her desire to deal with the panda's predicament. Inside Out was groundbreaking in a way, because the 2022 film didn't shy away from depicting adolescent subjects on screen, such as menstruation, which is not common in animated films (seriously, why did it take so long, and why were people so angry during this time? (Seriously, why did it take so long and why were people so angry during this period?) Dommy Shih directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Julia Chow and Sarah Streicher.

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It's hard enough to get through adolescence without dealing with the death of a sibling. Big Hero 6 raises the bar for coming-of-age films with a powerfully emotional story centered on 14-year-old Hiro and his plight to avenge his older brother Tadashi's death by defeating the villain Yokai. As the title suggests, a group of six young people, including Baymax, a helper robot, display their smarts as superpowers as they are emotionally driven in their quest for justice.

Don Hall and Chris Williams co-direct the film, with a screenplay by Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson. Voices are provided by Ryan Potter (Hiro), Scott Adsit (Baymax), Jamie Chung (Gogo), T.J. Miller (Fred), and Daniel Henney (Tadashi). View at Disney Plus

Treading the waters of adolescence is hard enough in one world, let alone two. Luca, in the self-titled 2021 film, has to navigate adolescence above and below the ocean. Even more stressful, he and his best friend Alberto must keep their identities a secret. Luca is a much brighter film than many Pixar films, but the characters are still ruled by emotions, which are often tied to the process of sea monsters' transformation between their human and scaly selves.

Director Enrico Casarosa co-wrote the script with Jesse Andrews and Simon Stephenson. Voiced by Jacob Tremblay (Luca), Jack Dylan Glazer (Alberto), Emma Berman (Julia), Maya Rudolph (Daniela),

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Like Riley, Spirited Away is not particularly thrilled with her parents' decision to move. Unlike the Andersen family, however, the Ogino family's move is thrown off course by a magical realm that looks like a deserted amusement park. Rule number one when entering an unknown magical world is to avoid eating and drinking. Chihiro's parents did not get that memo, and she was transformed into a pig.

Without the wisdom of her parents, Chihiro must navigate this strange world on her own in order to break their curse. Naturally, the events of the film serve as a long life lesson for Chihiro, leading her to embrace the move. Because at least her new town won't turn her parents into pigs (probably).

Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed this 2001 film. It features the voices of Davey Chase (Chihiro), Jason Marsden (Haku), Tara Strong (Bo), and Susan Eagen (Lynn).

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Pixar films love to get audiences gut-punching, and the 2020 film "Onward" centers on brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt), who bring their late father (Kyle Bornheimer) back for one day Ian (Tom Holland) and Burleigh (Chris Pratt) embark on a journey to resurrect their late father (Kyle Bornheimer) for one day. While the brothers bond as a family, the teens find magic (real and metaphorical) as they wade through the emotions that come from grief. This closure is especially important for Ian as he cannot remember his father and therefore understands where he came from. The magic exercised in this film requires a deep understanding of their feelings and a belief in themselves.

Dan Scanlon wrote the screenplay and directed the film with Keith Bunin and Jason Headley. The cast also included Octavia Spencer (Manticore), Mel Rodriguez (Colt Bronco), Lena Waithe (Officer Spector), and Ali Wong (Officer Gore).

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