 As Sadness reinstalls the core memories , turning them sad , Riley arrives home to her parents and breaks down in tears , confessing that she misses her childhood in Minnesota . As her parents comfort her , Joy and Sadness work the console together , creating a new core memory that combines their emotions ; a new island forms representing Riley 's acceptance of her new life in San Francisco . A year later , Riley has adapted to her new home , made new friends , returned to her old hobbies , and adopted a few new ones ( fueled by new , more nuanced core memories from combinations of her emotions ) . Inside Headquarters , her emotions all work together on a new expanded console with room for them all , enabling Riley to lead a more emotionally complex life . 
