 Docter recruited a story crew to help develop the film 's plot line . Although animation as an industry had been dominated by men , half of the story crew were women , in an attempt to have more diverse input . The choice to focus the film on a girl came from research that claimed that females age 11 to 17 are more attuned to expressions and emotions than others . The idea to have Riley play hockey came from Del Carmen , who observed that the sport is very popular in Minnesota . They tried to stray away from stereotypically feminine interests , such as the color pink or dresses . Initial ideas for the film found the main character , Riley , falling into a deep depression : Docter later felt they were inappropriate and scrapped them , although in the final film Riley does sink into a depression . 
