Opposition [Inside Out] All Things

Movies don't often make me cry. They make me want to cry at times, but it's rare that the tears ever leave my eyes. An exception to this rule was Inside Out, one of the first movies I can remember physically evoking tears from me. However, the sequel had me ugly crying. Something about Riley's need to find friends and not be alone. Something about her panic attack on the ice. Something about Anxiety literally running circles in Riley's mind.

Whatever it was that make me so emotional, Inside Out 2 quickly found its spot close to my heart. So when "Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree" did their episode about the movie, I had to dive in. I mentioned this a little during my interview with Carl on our podcast, but the movie and their podcast episode struck a cord with me that cut deep. Not just because of Riley's panic attack, but also because of the lesson I learned from the Apricot Tree crew.

The unexpected lesson from Anxiety has left me thinking and rewatching this movie. "We don't get to choose who Riley is." Anxiety was echoing a comment from Joy and it hits hard. It'd be nice to think that life and emotions would be all joy, comfort, and straightforward. Life is more complex than that. I swear I can feel Anxiety running around in my head most days, trying to get done everything on my to-do list yet having no energy to do any of it. It's easy to let Anxiety run the show and make it central to how I feel about myself and how my days play out. 

I love that this movie shows just how complex emotions and personality can be. At the end of the movie, we get this line from Joy: "But every bit of Riley makes her who she is, and we love all of our girl. Every messy, beautiful piece of her." What is more affirming than that? It would be nice if life were so simple as to say "I'm a good person" like Riley started out the movie believing. Humans are too complex for that. And that's not just psychology. That's doctrine too.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11)

For years I've thought of that verse through the lens of mortality (which is true). Good things happen to us and bad things happen to us. But I think it also accurately describes the human condition. We have the light of Christ (see Moroni 7) but we also have the natural man (see Mosiah 3). We have both sides in us. I have premortal Spencer in my heart but I also have my mortal experiences influencing my development (makes me think of a Once Upon a Time post that Joe did before I joined the team).

All this to say that maybe we all deserve some grace. I don't do a very good job granting myself that gift, but maybe I can start by sharing that grace with others when they make a mistake. I haven't figured out how to get Anxiety to stop running around my console during the day, but maybe I can show Anxiety some kindness in the meantime. Being frustrated with my kids doesn't need to mean I'm a bad father. Running behind at work doesn't mean I'm a bad clinician. My heart hasn't been able to process and understand those complexities.

In the meantime, maybe I'll just keep rewatching Inside Out 2 and maybe with each viewing I'll get better at giving myself grace.

PS: Does anyone else just want to hug Embarrassment every time he appears?

Disney's Top 5 Dragons

Once upon a time I felt like the blog was saturated by Disney posts. However, we’ve lately been short on Disney. I don’t know why; it’s not like Joe or I have stopped watching Disney movies. Though, to be fair, the Disney movies I watch tend to be the ones my older daughter is obsessed with (lately she just wants Cocomelon or Bebefin…). So since we’ve had a shortage of Disney posts and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, I wanted to share five of my favorite Disney dragons (and one honorable mention).

1. Mushu (Mulan)

I think anyone that knew me in college would be surprised if Mushu weren’t first on this list. The reason why? My red Subaru was named Mushu. A wise-cracking dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy. What’s not to like? Mulan is one of the movies I continually get more and more out of and part of that is because of Mushu and his quotable lines. Plus, when it all comes down to it, Mushu was insecure and just wanted to stop feeling invisible. Who can’t empathize with that? Now his actions in the sequel... we tend to just forget that movie happened.

2. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

A list of Disney dragons can’t be complete without this classic right? Talk about holding a grudge. Modern Disney movies might include themes of generational trauma and internal turmoil as their villains, but back in the day we had straight up pettiness and grudge-holding as a villain. While the live-action movies tried to make Maleficent more nuanced, I think there’s also something to be said for the contrast of black and white good/evil, like Maleficent.

3. Narissa (Enchanted)

Another wise-cracking dragon/witch. She was a hyperbolic representation of Maleficent, Lady Tremaine, and the Evil Queen rolled into one, but she had the sass of Queen Regina from Once Upon a Time. And despite how naive Edward and Giselle were, the Queen of Andalasia was as clever as they come. 

4. Sisu (Raya and the Last Dragon)

Raya and the Last Dragon wasn’t my favorite Disney movie by any stretch, but my toddler went through a phase when she only wanted to watch Raya. So I got plenty of exposure to Sisu. After seeing Shang Chi, I grew to love Awkwafina’s comedic timing. To get that again in animated form was adorable. Plus, even if I didn’t love the movie, I love Sisu’s mentality of trying to trust people. We can’t make the world a better place if we don’t try to trust each other, right?

5. Blazey (Onward)

So I know the pet dragon played a minor role in the movie, but come on guys. It’s a dragon that’s basically a puppy! This is exactly the kind of adorable fire-breather that Hagrid wanted when he watched Norbert(a). Obviously the more prominent dragon in the movie was the curse/rubble dragon at the end. But again, dragon puppy! The only reason Blazey is so low on the list is because he didn’t get the central role he deserved.

Honorable Mention: Figment (Walt Disney World)

I can’t say Figment is my favorite, but I feel I’d be doing a disservice to my brother’s boyfriend if I didn't mention him. I had never heard of Figment until we went to Disney World in 2019. Florida in the summer with a pregnant, nauseous wife is not fun for anyone. So all the indoor air-conditioned attractions were a much needed reprieve. Figment has appeared in iterations of “Journey into Imagination” at Epcot and he’s a dorky lovable dragon.

Obviously there are Disney dragons I didn't talk about, like Madame Mim's dragon form, Elliot, or Sisu's siblings to name a few. So make sure you let us know which Disney dragon is your favorite. Happy Year of the Dragon!

Disney Moms

Last year I wrote a post about Disney Dads and after writing that post I realized that it’s hard to find good fathers in Disney films but I didn't expect finding good Mothers in Disney to be harder.

But it is.

I can already hear you compiling a list in your brain of good mothers, but here is my criteria for a good Mom in Disney films:

1) They live; sorry Bambi’s mom you seem like a great doe

2) They raise their children which would rule out Sarabi from The Lion King because Simba runs away after Mufasa dies

3) Obviously they must be a good parent unlike Mother Gothel in Tangled

4) They must be present in the movie unlike Ariel’s mother, Queen Athena, in The Little Mermaid because we want to know how they parent

With these criteria and having over 1000 films to consider (including short films and TV movies) I have come up with 5 mothers that are great examples to everyone.

Chicha: The Emperor’s New Groove

Since this is the first pregnant woman to appear in a Disney animated film, you bet that she will be the first mother I mention in this list. I think she is a great example of a mother. In the Family Proclamation it states that Mothers nurture their children and sure enough we see Chicha do that.

In the movie we see Chicha showing affection for Pacha in front of their children showing them that they love each other. We see that she involves her children and gives them responsibilities like distracting Yzma from catching up to Pacha and Kuzco. She cares for her family and does hard things while pregnant.

Mrs. Potts: Beauty and the Beast

I don’t know about you, but I have associated Angela Lansbury with having a motherly persona. I believe that came from watching Beauty and the Beast and hearing her voice Mrs. Potts.

When I think of lessons that I could learn from Mrs. Potts I think about how we should be caring and forgiving. When the young prince and the household were transformed into a beast and household appliances those who were in his service could have been upset and stopped working for him because of his mistakes. I would have done that, but Mrs. Potts didn’t. Instead, she was Christlike and showed compassion towards Beast and became a pseudo mother that patiently taught him to become the prince with a heart.

Also, she is shown to have the most kids in a movie (minus 101 dalmatians). She has at least six kids without including Beast.

Julieta Madrigal: Encanto

I think one of the best things about Encanto is the message on family. Julieta Madrigal literally has the touch to make you feel better, after you eat her cooking.

Abuela Alma, the grandmother,  who oversaw and was the matriarch of the household was afraid of Mirabel destroying the house and, as a result, she shunned her from the family while Julieta, who knew about the prophecy, still loved her as a mother should--- telling us that family is more important than magic.

Mirabel may not have any powers and may cause more trouble than the rest of the family, but her mother loves her. How do we know this? Because Julieta sets time to spend time with her and talk with Mirabel as an equal. She tells Mirabel that even though she may not be supernatural, she is amazing. Julieta is a supportive mother that encourages her children.

Lucille: Meet the Robinsons

This is a great example of how you don’t have to be a biological parent to be a great Mother. Usually in animated movies the stepmother is usually evil. Lucille is technically an adopted mother to the protagonist Lewis yet she had a huge impact on him.

Lewis meets Lucille after winning the science fair, Lucille was the judge addicted to coffee. What is great about her is, firstly, she is educated: she is a scientist with a doctoral degree. Secondly, she encourages Lewis to become a great scientist and surpass her. Instead of being jealous of Lewis and his achievements she is supportive and proud of what he has created.

With a family motto of “keep moving forward” and the love that this family has for each other you know that Lucille is a good influence to them.  

Helen Parr (Elastigirl): The Incredibles

Last, but certainly not least, we have the most flexible parent Helen Parr---an incredible mother and wife. While Bob, Mr. Incredible, goes through a midlife crisis and tries to live in the glory days by being a hero again we see a true hero Helen come to the rescue after Bob is captured by Syndrome.

After, her two oldest children (Violet and Dash) disobey her directions and follow her to rescue Bob. She prioritizes their safety while giving them responsibility. While in the crashing plane she instructed Violet to make a shield. After Violet's failed attempts she risks her life to save her children. When they are on the island, she does her best to keep them hidden while she rescues her husband by herself. She learns from her children that families are stronger together than when they are apart.

Helen is a great example of how mother put the needs of the children above her own and being willing to be taught by them.

There are a few more great mothers in Disney that could have made this list. Maybe next year I can talk about them. 

To all mothers reading this post, Happy Mother's Day.  

 

“To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, ‘Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are.’” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

6 Times You were Disgust from Inside Out

When you think of Pixar's Inside Out, thoughts probably come to mind about Sadness or Bing Bong (or that gum commercial). And while it is a sweet, heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story of a girl, depression, and the death of her imaginary friend (seriously, Bing Bong disappearing made me cry). It's also the story of the three emotions who got left behind at HQ. And with St. Patrick's Day coming up this week, I wanted to take about one of those three: Disgust. Here are six ways Disgust is the most relatable of the emotions.

If you're being actually immature or offensive, yeah, you should get your act together. But if you just enjoy kid stuff, I will direct you to one of my previous blog posts. 

Sometimes my face just speaks for itself when I'm having a bad mental health day.

Anytime someone talks about a new diet plan or a weird trendy food that's supposed to be good for you.

Some smells (and people) should stay at home.

I'm not a fashion guru, but I enjoy an outfit that makes me feel good.

I start seeing patients at 7AM on Monday mornings... that's too early for my brain.

Disney Dads

As Father’s Day approaches, I have noticed that there has been a lot of Father’s Day memes involving Darth Vader. I will admit some of them are funny but do you have to cut off your child arm to become father of the year? If anything, it says a lot about Luke forgiving him and helping him to become a Jedi again. In this post we will look at different Disney fathers that should be recognized more than Darth Vader as this holiday approaches.

Pacha: Emperor’s New Groove

When I think of excellent fatherly characters Pacha comes to mind. He goes out to meet the emperor, Kuzco, to change his mind to keep his family home as well as his villager’s home from being destroyed. Pacha is a hard worker with his duties of being a father, a llama herder, and the leader of his village. Pacha is best described as a family man, his wife and kids love him and his isn’t a dumb dad like most dads portrayed in media in the 2000's. When Pacha met Kuzco he felt that he was a spoiled brat. But when Kuzco became a llama, instead of taking the easy way out and abandoning Kuzco and having Yzma rule, he helped him--- hoping that the emperor’s attitude would change like a father would with a wayward son.

George Banks: Mary Poppins

George Banks loves his kids throughout the movie, but it never registered to his children because of how he showed his love. He wanted his children to become successful so they wouldn’t have financial problems when they become adults, which is what all parents want but his approach was not the best. He wanted them to become so successful that they could not enjoy being children. However, as George's professional life turns upside-down, he realizes the ultimate value of his family and makes real changes in his life. As he walks to his job, in one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema, you see the fear he has about the future but, as his ties to his job are finally cut, we also see the resolve develop within him to make some real changes in his life.

Mufasa: Lion King

Instead of celebrating Darth Vader on Father’s Day how about focusing on another role that James Earl Jones had where he was a sacrificing father, like Mufasa. Mufasa was king of Pride Rock. He had a good work and home life balance teaching his son and being king. He taught Simba to respect all creatures, but also having fun playing games on Zazu. He sets boundaries to protect his son, but also encourages him to explore. When his son disobeyed he reprehends him, but also forgives him. The most notable quality Mufasa has is he sacrificed himself so his son could live.

Mando: The Mandalorian

I get it--- you're probably a Star Wars fan and love all the memes that have been generated over the years. Father’s Day is another Star Wars day for you. Well thankfully Disney has created a new unorthodox father in Star Wars, Mando. After he captures and delivers Grogu to his client he goes against the code for bounty hunters and rescues Grogu and essentially adopts him until he finds a Jedi to teach him. When they finally find Luke, it was a sad departure for them because of their relationship as father and son, but Mando wanted what was best for Grogu and lets him leave. Of course, he wouldn’t stop being a father and tries to visit Grogu bringing gifts.

Goofy: Disney

Speaking of unorthodox parents, we couldn’t ignore Goofy: a single father. Goofy may be silly but he is also a wonderful role model for a father. With a teenager going through angst, he manages to show kindness and compassion making him aspirational for fathers. He works a demanding job, so they are financially stable. When his son, Max, is struggling he plans a father-and-son trip to lift his spirits because he cares about Max’s emotional health. He lets his son be an individual and takes interests in Max’s hobbies. He trusts his son completely, he allows Max to choose stops along their road trip. Even when Goofy suspects that Max is changing their road trip destination, he gives Max the responsibility of being the navigator because of that trust. Finally, he pays attention to his son’s feelings and gives him space. If you don’t believe me watch “A Goofy Movie”.

Scott Lang: Ant-Man

When divorce happens it hard for a father to be fully invested in their children. In Ant-Man we see Scott Lang doing his best to be a father while respecting his former wife's boundaries. After being released from jail he wants to be part of his daughter’s life and tries to be law-abiding by working at Baskin Robbins even though he has an engineering degree. He wants to make his daughter proud and be a good example for her. He becomes Ant-Man at first because of his thieving skills, but transitions to being selfless. He helps Captain America and saves Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm. In Avenger’s Endgame we see Scott come out of the quantum realm to find his daughter aged by five years. We see the depression on his face when he realized how much of his daughter’s life he has missed.

Agustín and Félix: Encanto

This one is cheating a bit because I couldn’t choose which of these fathers to talk about. They are both good examples of being part of their children’s life. Agustín is sympathetic and understands how it feels not belong in the family and tries to comfort his daughter Mirabel when she obtains no magical gift. We see in the movie that he pays attention to all his daughters’ feelings. For example, when Luisa loses her strength and runs away saddened, he chases after her. We don’t know much about Félix, but he is also present with his children and supportive to his wife, presenting a positive attitude even when it rains.

Mr. Incredible: Incredibles

We couldn’t end the list without the most recognized superhero father, Mr. Incredible. After the first movie Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, learned to keep his selfish interests in check and become involved with his children more. Instead of giving up on helping his son, Dash, on his homework, he learns how the new approach and helps Dash. He also cares about his children’s feeling by helping his daughter, Violet, talk to her crush by taking the family to the diner where he works. It turned out horribly, but he does the most honorable thing a father can do, apologize to his daughter for making things worse.

These are just eight honorable Dads we decided to mentioned in this post, but Disney has produced more decent fathers. Here is a list of honorable mentions.

• Marlin: Finding Nemo
• Pongo: 101 Dalmatians
• James: The Princess and the Frog
• Carl: Up
• Geppetto: Pinocchio
• Héctor: Coco
• Mr. Potatohead: Toy Story
• Vision: Avengers
• T’Chaka: Black Panther

Turning Red Might Not be for You - And That's Okay

My, what a lovely minefield I just landed in....

Before I saw Disney/Pixar's Turning Red I read that white men were having trouble relating to the film, and my first thought was "Oh poor things, they're just going to have to make do with nearly every movie ever made". After seeing the film, I get why men can't relate to it, and that's not a bad thing. 

And of course, spoilers. 

The Plot

Turning Red follows Mei, a 13 year old Asian/Canadian living her best life in 2002 when she finds out a family curse will turn her into a giant red panda whenever she feels strong emotions. As her family prepares to perform the ritual to contain her panda, Mei and her friends exploit her new powers to earn enough money for tickets to a boy band concert. Things come to a head when Mei has to decide weather to choose her family and their expectations or her friends and their acceptance. 

There's little to no subtlety here: This film is made for teenage girls. The main protagonist is boy crazy, makes cringeworthy art, loves boy bands, and is trying to find her place in the world as she transitions to adulthood. We even have a Twilight reference in case anyone missed the signs. Structurally Turning Red is well made, the visuals are great, and all the other technical terms that only movie nerds like me ever care about are all there. 

But. 

Whenever someone comes to me knowing that not only am I a huge movie nerd and a huge Disney nerd and asks what I thought about the movie, my answer is "It was cute, but it wasn't for me", which makes the movie sound bad or that I don't recommend it, which isn't true I do highly recommend it, even though, or maybe because, it wasn't for me. 

The Red Panda In The Room

Probably the biggest talking point the internet has had with Turning Red is the fact that this is the first children's film to address the menstruation cycle where it isn't vaguely hinted at or made to be a punchline. When Mei first turns into a panda she, understandably, freaks out. Her mother, ever the doting and prepared mom, assumes that it's Mei's first period, to which, not knowing about her family's curse, Mei goes with. Here we get the now infamous scene where Mei's mother pulls several packs of pads out of a box for Mei to use. 

And the internet flipped. 

The general squeamishness men have had with this scene is astonishing. Here we have a universally known biological process, one that is experienced by nearly 50% of our entire population, addressed in a comedic but honest manner, and everybody loses their minds because it has to do with the female anatomy. If you are offended by this let's not forget that Lion King had a fart joke, Tarzan had a poop joke, Moana had TWO pee jokes, and the number of butt and penis jokes littered throughout the Disney cannon are immeasurable. 

The fact that it's bold to talk about periods in a film reflects more on the society the film was released into than it does on the film itself. 

It's Okay to be a 13 Year Old Girl

The biggest message the film has besides "It's okay to be yourself" that Aladdin went over and "You can overcome toxic family traits" that Encanto covered is that it's okay to be a teenage girl. The film gives zero apologies for anything it does, from the boy bands to the pads. In Western culture, media aimed or enjoyed by teenage girls receives a bigger backlash than declaring that you liked the prequel Star Wars movies in the middle of a Star Trek convention. Remember Twilight? Remember the hate it got because teenage girls were reading it and arguing over who was the better boyfriend, Edward or Jacob? If you're old enough to be around during the first wave of boy bands you probably remember a similar argument between NSync and the Backstreet Boys and how non-teenage girls would mock teenage girls for liking them. 

The problem is that when our society mocks things liked by teenage audiences it sends a message that it's not okay to like those things, and worse that it's not okay to be that demographic. Kids in general are dealing with a lot of stuff already, trying to find themselves, navigating changing bodies and emotions, learning that the world isn't how they thought it would be when they were in kindergarten, and it doesn't help if they're mocked for the things that bring them a semblance of joy throughout. It needs to be okay to say "I like Twilight" or know all the lyrics to "Everybody (Backstreets Back)". It's the same mindset that makes girls and women embarrassed to ask for or purchase a simple product they need for a natural biological process. Turning Red celebrates these things in a way that other films never have, and that's why if you've never been and/or never will be a teenage girl the film might not be for you, and that's okay. It doesn't have to be for you. 

And just because it's not for you it doesn't give you the right to hate on it. 

And just because it might be for teenage girls, past, current and future, it doesn't give you permission to hate on it or its fans either. 

-JOE

The Most "Out There" Pixar Movies

I just rewatched The Good Dinosaur with the kiddos. Not the best Pixar movie ... but as we all know, even a subpar Pixar movie is better than most of the noise available to us. But rewatching The Good Dinosaur struck me how strange it is that there's a scene where Arlo and Spot get high. Let me repeat that for those of you who haven't seen the movie (because let's face it, most of you haven't). Arlo and Spot GET HIGH off of fermented fruit. And it's not just that cute drunk stupor that cartoons sometimes show. This is a full on hallucination scene. Spot's head gets huge, Arlo grows extra eyes, they switch bodies and float off into space. 

Like, what the ... ?

So I decided to look at all 24 Pixar movies and find the ones that are the most "out there". Here goes...

#10 The Good Dinosaur This is actually a pretty white bread movie, with one really trippy scene. Probably the trippiest single scene in any Pixar movie. And it's trippy enough to put the film on the list.

#9 Soul What a sweet flick. Introspective and deep and so inspiring. But it also features a man's soul trapped in a cat. And Tina Fey as a black man. And it posits that  the pre-mortal life is run by talking line drawings.

#8 Up One of my favorite movies on this list. Not the trippiest, but it does have a cadre of talking dogs, a giant momma bird named Kevin, and two geriatric men as the main characters. Oh, and the main plot point is that a house gets carried away by helium balloons. Okay, maybe it's more out there than I thought.

#7 Coco This film makes me cry. Every. Darn. Time. But in spite of some  very real emotional pull, the world of Coco is inhabited by talking  skeletons who regularly lose body parts. And giant psychedelically colored beasts.

#6 Wall-E Robots who fall in love.  Skyscrapers made of garbage.  Humans that have turned into blobs of lifeless goo. Okay that last one is pretty spot on. But the rest is kinda out there.

#5 Ratatouille Are we even going to talk about the fact that Remy controls Linguini's brain ... by pulling his hair?

#4 Monsters, Inc. Wait. So monsters are real? And they need children's screams (and laughter) to power their  world? And Jennifer Tilly plays a tolerable character?  Yeah, that's a tripped up fantasy.

#3 Toy Story Close your eyes and picture that scene where Sid's toys come alive, Woody's head spins around, and he says, "So play nice!" Now picture that happening in real life.  'Nuff said.

#2 Onward This movie is just as imaginative as it is strange. But in addition to the magic, the manticore's destruction, and a giant cheese puffs, this movie gives a major amount of screen time to a living pair of legs. Like, the legs are a main character! But the trippiest part? We connect emotionally with those legs! Thanks, Pixar.

#1 Inside Out Where do we begin? Our brains are actually a hivemind. References to the bears in San Francisco. The existence of Bing Bong, who squeals like a dolphin and cries candy. The abstract thought shortcut scene with non-objective fragmentation, etc. Pizza with pineapple! So so so out there.

This Is For The Grandmas Who Don't Like To Bake Cookies

Pixar's newest Sparkshort, Nona, is so relatable it hurts! I'm not a wrestling fan, but I relate to everything else in this short, from the routine of making sure that my "me time" is uninterrupted, to putting some extra sweetener in my drink. And yes, to having kids interrupt my plans. 

And then to finally giving in and realizing what's most important in life: elbow drops off the ropes of a wrestling ring!

Like all Pixar productions (this one made entirely at peoples' homes during quarantine), Nona knows exactly how to tug at the heartstrings and still stay real. It balances sentiment with truth. It tells a compelling and fresh story without being cloying or preachy. In less than 5 minutes, we meet a grandmother who has lost her husband, but finds great joy in watching campy wrestling. Her granddaughter, full of kitty charm and sparkly stickers, interrupts her routine, and Nona is faced with choosing family over comfort. They find a compromise where the two wrestle in a crazycool fantasy sequence, complete with a high five to a durag-outfitted moon. 

Nona feels a little bit like one of those LDS ads encouraging families to spend more time together. But in a good way! There's something about the moment when Nona's television gets knocked over. She turns in anger and frustration to this cutie pie terror who has ruined her plans, but then suddenly melts in sadness. And we instantly know that Nona isn't just crying about her ruined plans or outdated television. She's mourning the loss of her dear husband. The audience is left to fill in the blanks, imagining the countless hours she and her husband spent fangirling over Jaz-Mean and Miss-Terry duking it out in the ring. 

We all have different ways of dealing with death, and mourning those we have lost. We all do what we need to get by. And who am I to say that one way of mourning is better than another? But for me, I have found that pouring my efforts into spending time with the living is the best way for me to honor the dead. For me, nothing beats quality time with family. Family: isn't it about ... time? Nona learns this, as she wrestles with her granddaughter and ends up having an even better day than she planned. 

Even if it includes mindlessly watching the brain-numbing Kitty Kitty Dance Party.