It is a truth universally acknowledged that when you go to see a Pixar movie — well, except maybe one of those “Cars” ones — you are going to cry at some point, if not through three-quarters of the movie. It’s almost like Pixar has sadness and pathos down to a science.

But wait: maybe they do. That’s the suggestion of this hilarious video from the team at Above Average, which gives a peek into Pixar’s “SadLab” — a full-fledged scientific lab that the Disney-owned animation studio runs to come up with new ways to make audiences cry.

OK, OK, it’s not real. But it does contain a kernel of insight. Because Pixar actually does have some ironclad rules for emotionally affecting storytelling. It’s not quite a lab, but it sure does work. Case in point: Pixar’s most recent movie, the tearjerking “Inside Out,” has now hauled in $750 million at the box office worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing movie released in 2015.

Also on HuffPost:

For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber.

– This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.