For decades, Disney and Pixar movies have been delivering some truly heartbreaking moments. Starting in the 1930s and 1940s, when Disney was pioneering western animation, the studio developed a reputation for its power to create emotionally devastating moments. Disney is also known for its humor and its lively animation, but it wouldn’t be the same without some heavy moments.
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Both Disney and Pixar have enough respect for their young audiences to show them the unhappy side to life. Some of their classic movies show the deaths of beloved characters and other tragic moments. These scenes represent universal human experiences, and for many children, they are their first exposure to such feelings. Disney and Pixar can get away with such depressing topics because they balance them out with hope and personal growth, often teaching their audiences the complexities of grief and sadness.
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10 Scar Kills Mufasa
The Lion King (1994)
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The Lion King
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*Availability in US Director Roger Allers , Rob Minkoff Release Date June 24, 1994 Cast Matthew Broderick , Moira Kelly , Nathan Lane , Ernie Sabella , Robert Guillaume
The Lion King starts with Simba as a young cub, learning the ways of the world from his wise father, Mufasa. The movie does enough in these early scenes to show how much Mufasa means to Simba, so it’s a cruel moment when he is murdered by Scar. This scene is already tragic since Simba watches his father fall to his death amid a stampede of wildebeest, but it’s even sadder when Simba gently nudges his dead father, begging for him to get up.
The scene gets even sadder when Simba gently nudges his dead father, begging for him to get up.
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It says a lot that Simba tries to wake his father up by telling him that they have to go home, because Simba no longer has a home in the way he has had before. With his father dead, Scar capitalizes on the moment to send Simba into exile. In just one moment, Simba’s life is shattered beyond repair. In another cruel twist, Simba feels guilt for his role in Mufasa’s death, although it was orchestrated by Scar.
9 Carl & Ellie’s Life
Up (2009)
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10/10 8/10 Up
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*Availability in US Director Pete Docter Release Date June 11, 2009 Cast Ed Asner , Bob Peterson
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The opening of Up can bring its audience to tears before the main story even starts. Carl and Ellie’s relationship plays out like a brilliant short film, with a montage that takes in their early life as young lovers, their unrealized dreams of travel and parenthood, and eventually Ellie’s death. Michael Giacchino’s score sways from giddy optimism to melancholy in an instant, and it brings up new swells of emotion when it comes back later in Up.
Michael Giacchino’s score sways from giddy optimism to melancholy in an instant, and it brings up new swells of emotion when it comes back later in
Up.
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While the music does a lot of the work, the precision and efficiency of Up‘s opening scene are also impressive. Within just a few moments, Up gives the audience enough character details to form a deep emotional bond with Carl and Ellie, and enough relatable imagery to make them sympathetic. The true story that inspired Up‘s opening montage is just as emotional, so it’s no surprise that Pixar fans often cite this as one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the studio’s history.
8 Marlin Loses His Family
Finding Nemo (2003)
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9.7/10 Finding Nemo
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*Availability in US Director Andrew Stanton , Lee Unkrich Release Date May 30, 2003 Cast Albert Brooks , Ellen DeGeneres , Alexander Gould , Willem Dafoe , Brad Garrett , Allison Janney
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Up isn’t the only Pixar movie that starts with a moment of heartbreak. Finding Nemo is just as emotional at the beginning, as Marlin’s wife Coral is killed by a barracuda, along with all but one of their eggs. Coral dies protecting her eggs from the barracuda, and Marlin is left to grieve with just Nemo, the last egg. This tragic moment explains why Marlin is so protective of Nemo, because he’s all that Marlin has left.
Up
isn’t the only Pixar movie that starts with a moment of heartbreak.
Finding Nemo‘s opening scene is devastating enough, but it takes on an added layer when it’s seen as the motivation behind Marlin’s actions throughout the movie. Losing his only remaining child would be his worst nightmare, so every exasperated conversation he has with Dory and every time he puts himself in danger is a result of his grief and trauma. The ending of Finding Nemo eventually teaches Marlin to live his life without being ruled by his fears, but they will always be a part of him.
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7 Dumbo Sees His Mother
Dumbo (1941)
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7/10 Dumbo
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*Availability in US Director Samuel Armstrong , Norman Ferguson , Wilfred Jackson Release Date October 31, 1941 Cast Edward Brophy , Verna Felton
Dumbo is one of Disney’s old classics with troubling content, but it’s a great story when the crow scene can be put to one side. Dumbo is a lovable elephant calf who struggles to fit in due to his oversized ears, and his curious personality doesn’t help matters. Dumbo doesn’t deserve the bullying he gets from other elephants and the human visitors to the cirucs, and his mother is the only one who protects him.
The gorgeous animation makes the mother’s love apparent, even with just her trunk being visible
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Dumbo‘s saddest moment comes when Mrs. Jumbo is locked up in a small trailer for protecting her son from some antagonistic human boys. Dumbo visits her, but she is only able to extend her trunk out through the bars. The gorgeous animation makes the mother’s love apparent, even with just her trunk being visible. Just as much as Dumbo relies on her, she too relies on her son for some solace in the cruel circus.Dumbo doesn’t need to show her face to convey her deep sadness.
6 Andy Goes To College
Toy Story 3 (2010)
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9/10 8.3/10 Toy Story 3
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*Availability in US Director Lee Unkrich Release Date June 18, 2010 Cast Jodi Benson , Ned Beatty , Tim Allen , Tom Hanks , Joan Cusack
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Toy Story 3 almost ends with the toys being incinerated, but this might not even be the saddest moment of the movie. After the toys narrowly escape and return to Andy, he gifts them to a young girl called Bonnie before he goes off to college. It’s a bittersweet moment for the toys, as they have to say goodbye to their friend, but they know that they are being given a new home with a new child to take care of them and love them.
The brief moment when Andy slightly pulls back from Bonnie mirrors the audience’s difficulty of letting go.
Toy Story 3 could have been the perfect end to the franchise, but Toy Story 5 shows that it’s popular enough to keep coming back. At the time, it was widely believed that Toy Story 3 would be the end, so Andy’s farewell was tied to the audience saying goodbye to characters they had known and loved since 1995. The brief moment when Andy slightly pulls back from Bonnie mirrors the audience’s difficulty of letting go.
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5 Mulan Finds The Razed Village
Mulan (1998)
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9.7/10 Mulan
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*Availability in US Director Barry Cook , Tony Bancroft Release Date June 19, 1998 Cast Ming-Na Wen , Eddie Murphy , BD Wong , Miguel Ferrer , June Foray , James Hong , Pat Morita , George Takei
Mulan starts off much like many other Disney princess movies, with some cute animal sidekicks, playful music and plenty of humor. Things take a dark turn when Mulan and the rest of Li Shang’s forces discover a village which has been decimated by the Hun army of Shan Yu. After this moment, the music all but fades away, as Mulan comes to realize the seriousness of her situation.
After this moment, the music all but fades away.
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Mulan has a few intelligent touches in this scene which deepen the human tragedy. The somber music and charred remains of buildings underline the scale of the violence, but the personal items left behind make it hit home. Mulan finds a small doll, assuming that the owner has been killed by Shan Yu’s men. It’s a grim reminder of her own uncertain future, and a symbol of what she’s fighting for.
4 Nick’s Backstory
Zootopia (2016)
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8/10 8.1/10 Zootopia
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*Availability in US Director Jared Bush , Rich Moore , Byron Howard Release Date March 4, 2016 Cast Octavia Spencer , Bonnie Hunt , Maurice LaMarche , Idris Elba , John DiMaggio , Jason Bateman , Alan Tudyk , Nate Torrence , Katie Lowes , Ginnifer Goodwin , Tommy Chong , Shakira , J. K. Simmons , Jenny Slate , Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister Expand
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Zootopia is an allegorical story about the dangers of “otherization,” and there are a few scenes which drive home the personal tragedy of divisive political ideologies. The city is occupied by both herbivores and carnivores, but a new crime wave causes the prey animals to start viewing their neighbors differently. Nick may seem like a sly fox who wouldn’t be bothered by the opinions of others, but a flashback to his children reveals that this callous nature is a defense mechanism.
This is a heartbreaking moment because it shows how harmful rhetoric can impact younger generations.
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Nick tells Judy about a moment in his childhood when he tried to make friends with a group of herbivores, but they cruelly muzzled him and called him names. This is a heartbreaking moment because it shows how harmful rhetoric can impact younger generations, and it shows a more delicate side to Nick’s character. The upcoming Zootopia 2 will reunite Nick and Judy, presumably both as cops with a new case to investigate.
3 Bing Bong Fades Away
Inside Out (2015)
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9/10 8.7/10 Inside Out
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*Availability in US Director Pete Docter Release Date June 19, 2015 Cast Lewis Black , Mindy Kaling , Phyllis Smith , Amy Poehler , Bill Hader , Richard Kind , Kaitlyn Dias
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After years of toying with its audience’s emotions, Pixar took the audacious next step of showing those emotions on screen. Inside Out‘s portrayal of a young girl’s mind shows the chaos that comes with growing up, with warring emotions, key memories and many more quirks. Bing Bong is Riley’s imaginary friend from a much younger age, and he wanders around her mind wishing that he will be remembered again one day.
It’s remarkable that a character who’s on-screen for such a short amount of time can have such an emotional impact.
Ultimately, Bing Bong sacrifices himself to let Joy find her way back to headquarters, and he fades away as another one of Riley’s lost memories. He recognizes that Riley needs Joy more than she needs him, and his final act of love helps Riley grow up. It’s remarkable that a character who’s on-screen for such a short amount of time can have such an emotional impact. Riley may forget him, but an Inside Out 2 Easter egg reveals that Joy never does.
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2 Bambi’s Mother Dies
Bambi (1942)
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7/10 Bambi
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*Availability in US Director James Algar , Samuel Armstrong , David Hand Release Date August 14, 1942 Cast Hardie Albright , Stan Alexander , Bobette Audrey , Peter Behn , Thelma Boardman , Janet Chapman
The death of Bambi’s mother is right up there with the most famous heartbreaking moments in Disney’s history, and it’s a scene which helped give Disney its reputation as a studio that can deliver emotional gut punches. The wide-eyed young fawn and his mother are forced to run from a hunter, but while Bambi manages to escape into a thicket, he calls back to his mother only to realize that she was not so lucky.
Bambi
is a very colorful movie, but for a moment, Bambi stands alone in a field of gray.
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Without his mother, Bambi is left alone in the world. The scene is drawn beautifully, with harsh winds and driving snow to reflect the uncertainty of Bambi’s new situation. It doesn’t take losing a parent in real life to shed a tear at this scene. It’s a simple but relatable situation, especially because the animation is so tender. Bambi is a very colorful movie, but for a moment, Bambi stands alone in a field of gray.
1 Mama Coco Remembers
Coco (2017)
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8/10 8.3/10 Coco
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*Availability in US Director Adrian Molina , Lee Unkrich Release Date October 27, 2017 Cast Gael García Bernal , Alanna Ubach , Anthony Gonzalez , Selene Luna , Jaime Camil , Edward James Olmos , Renee Victor , Sofía Espinosa , Benjamin Bratt , natalia cordova-buckley , Alfonso Arau
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Pixar’s record has been a little uneven in the last decade, but Coco has the same magic as the studio’s most popular hits. The story follows Miguel as he travels to the Land of the Dead in search of answers about his family history. He shares some sweet moments with Héctor, but the real tearjerker scene comes when he returns to the land of the living, and he plays a song for his great-grandmother.
Coco
shows the power of both music and family, and they come together in one of Pixar’s most emotional moments.
The tender refrain of “Remember Me” is a beautiful song, and it’s even more emotional with the weight of Miguel’s new discovery behind it. He realizes that Héctor wrote the song for his daughter a long time ago, before Ernesto stole it. Hearing the song awakens something in Mama Coco, and she has a rare moment of clarity. Coco shows the power of both music and family, and they come together in one of Pixar’s most emotional moments.
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