In PR terms, it’s a —distress followed by comfort—packaged as “real life.”

: Guide the child to tap into their own memories (e.g., a lost pet or a sad moment) and project those feelings onto the character.

Eagly, A. H., Wood, W., & Diekman, A. (2000). Social role theory of sex differences and similarities: A current appraisal. In T. Eckes & H. M. Trautner (Eds.), The developmental social psychology of gender (pp. 123-174). New York: Erlbaum.