We all know the true meaning of Thanksgiving: Overeating and genocide remembrance.

Oh no, sorry, I meant that other thing that sometimes makes me uncomfortable: Gratitude.

Or, to be more specific, public displays of gratitude. PDG, if you will.

(Oh, you won’t? Moving right along then…)

By PDG, I don’t mean the practice going around the dinner table and saying what you’re grateful for.  I think that’s actually a lovely tradition. (Although, you KNOW Aunt Sharron is going to pull out “health and family,” so make sure to have a second piece prepared.)

We all know that gratitude is a good thing.

In fact, neuroscientists have been telling us for years that practicing gratitude is one of the chemical keys to happiness.

It’s science.

However, the hysterical Twitter personality/badass author AnnoyingActorFriend has been telling us for years that tweeting #grateful #blessed and #ItsAllHappening are the social media keys to assholery.

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This weekend I made the EXCELLENT choice to rewatch Pixar’s “Coco.”

As expected, I laughed, I sighed, and I cried buckets. I very rarely cry at movies, but inevitably SOB during Pixar movies. Don’t judge. We all have.  Those emotionally manipulative warlocks had us choking up 5 minutes into “UP”!

And as an actor it made me wonder: Why is it exactly that Pixar seems to have a direct line to our tear ducts?

And more importantly: How can I steal this wizardry?!?

Because let’s face it, when was the last time the short-song cut of that contemporary ballad got HALF the emotional reaction of Sully saying goodbye to Boo in Monsters, Inc.? What are we doing wrong?!

I have a theory!

Let’s take a look at five of the most tear-jerking Pixar moments and see what they have in common. In no particular order:

1.  UP: The Opening Montage

We see the a couple fall in love, get married, deal with infertility, build a home, have some small...