Melena Ryzik, The New York Times:

Its influence is visible in the themed bulletin boards dotting school hallways, the character-based lesson plans and educators’ many D.I.Y. craft projects. There’s also the popular touring exhibition “Emotions at Play,” developed by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with Pixar; since 2021 it has been inviting visitors to create glowing “memory spheres” or keep the “train of thought” on track. (“Core memory” is a phrase that the first movie helped introduce to the TikTok generation.)

For Carter, a national school counselor of the year for her work at a junior high in Cape Girardeau, Mo., “Inside Out” provided a shared language and a visual iconography that makes abstract concepts concrete. “I have the figurines of each feeling, so students can show me who’s at the control panel,” she said. Like “Mister Rogers,” “Sesame Street” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” it offers a common reference point for families.

And the new movie’s focus on anxiety, which has reached crisis proportions among adolescents, normalizes experiences that for young people could seem isolating or overwhelming, and makes them relatable.

It really is amazing how these two Inside Out films have made mental health concerns easier to discuss, and crucially, easier to relate and understand.

This is how art can recalibrate our world. Even when it’s a multi-billion dollar generating Pixar franchise.

Related: The depiction of an Anxiety Attack in Inside Out 2 was a little too dead on. Uncle Marty may’ve had a hard time keeping the teary-eyes hidden from his niece.