Here’s the real reason why Pixar movies make you sob
If you find yourself weeping whenever you watch the intro scene of Up, or when Bing Bong rips your heart into pieces in Inside Out (WHY BING BONG, WHY?), or when all the toys in Toy Story 3 almost meet a grisly death and crush our spirits, just know you’re not alone. In fact, there’s a perfectly logical explanation as to why you’re crying: Pixar movies were carefully designed to make you cry!
Enter Pixar’s SadLab, brought to you by Above Average. What’s the Pixar SadLab, exactly? “It’s like the Human Genome project, but instead of mapping DNA, we’re trying to make people sob so hard that they lose their sh*t,” explains the SadLab’s tour guide in the video. Basically, it’s a place that ensures you will not finish a Pixar film without bawling your eyes out —due to careful research.
The lab is filled with hospital gown-wearing test subjects who are being shown seemingly harmless Pixar films. Initially, we see a man watching Toy Story 3 while a SabLabologist is collecting his tears for research. Right after, we witness a fairly large container labeled “Tears.”
Our enthusiastic tour guide then takes us into a room where two test subjects are being asked: “How do you guys feel about a rabbit who can’t hear very well? A boy who’s reunited with his dog that he thought was dead? A sad balloon? The color yellow?” The verdict: yellow made them the most sad, so get ready for that monochromatic movie. Or a Minions sequel. Either way, there will be tears.
“We found that our ideal formula to really get audience’s tears jerking is to ambush them,” the video explains. All our sadness makes so much sense now.
We are then introduced to the Lead Researcher for Character Development, who proudly states, “Ya know Nemo’s weird fin? That was me.” THANKS A LOT. Also – fair warning: they are currently testing a Toy Story 4 for sadness potential.
Do these SadLabologists feel regret? Guilt? Nah. SadLabologists are truly proud of the work that they do. “When I see someone walk out of a Pixar movie and their face is swollen, their nose is raw, I get to say, ‘I did that to them,’” explains our tour guide.
See for yourself here:
Well, we now know that there’s a science behind our Pixar tears. But, will that stop us from pre-ordering our tickets for the next movie? Not a chance.
(Image via Pixar)
