Disney movies are famous for their fairytale happy endings. They're also famous for tugging at the heart strings of audiences all over the world. There are some unforgettable tear-jerking moments in Disney animated films that are unforgettable. Below are just a few.
(The titles are also links to video clips)
I don’t know what’s more upsetting about this scene – the
fact that the majestic Mufasa was basically murdered by his brother, or Simba’s
reaction to it all. It pulls at the heart strings when Simba nudges his dad
saying “Dad? You gotta get up. We gotta go home,” and Simba and the audience
realize at the same time that Mufasa won’t be waking up or going home. It’s
fair to say that this scene is one of the better know tear jerkers in the
Disney realm and Mufasa’s ultimate sacrifice has been buried in the hearts and
minds of Disney fans everywhere.
For anyone who has ever had a pet, this moment is sure to
leave you sobbing. Pets become a part of our families and memories. Widow Tweed
raised Tod and Tod gave her a comfort that she never had. In Tod’s
best interest, Widow Tweed leaves him in the Animal Preserve. The monologue
spoken when Widow Tweed drives Tod to the Preserve exhibits the emotional
connection between humans and animals and shows what a difference one can make
for the other. When the final dialogue is both spoken and sung, “Goodbye may
seem forever, farewell is like the end, but in my heart’s a memory, and there
you’ll always be,” and Tod is left in the preserve with Widow Tweed driving
away and fading in the background, the audience is left with that sore feeling
of loss when a comfort is removed. Let the tears fall.
Kerchak and Tarzan didn’t have the greatest relationship as
Tarzan grew up, but that may make Kerchak’s death even more impactful. The
scene starts with Clayton and his men capturing the gorillas, including
Kerchak. Tarzan comes and releases Kerchak from the net and when he does
Kerchak says “You came back,” and Tarzan responds “I came home” and there’s a
glimmer of understanding between the two. Then they buddy up to get rid of some
bad guys for some “father-son” bonding.” The bonding doesn’t last very long as
Clayton grazes Tarzan’s arm with a bullet and in a fury of anger, Kerchak
attacks Clayton only to be shot in the chest. Tarzan (and his mother Khala)
comfort Kerchak in his last moments. In his last breath, Kerchak calls Tarzan
“my son,” and Tarzan receives the only thing he ever wanted from Kerchak –
acceptance.
This is a combination of a happy and sad cry. Preceding the
wedding scene, we have King Triton releasing Ariel into the human world to
follow her heart. It’s symbolic of every father letting his little girl go. And
the only problem King Triton has with it is “how much [he’s] going to miss
her.” Then the wedding comes, it’s a joyful celebration, except for the one
solemn moving moment where King Triton water shoots himself up to the ship to
hug Ariel. When Ariel whispers “I love you, Daddy,” my bittersweet tears start
to fall. I imagine this hit the nail on the head for most father-daughter
interactions on a wedding day.
It starts pleasant, Bambi and his mother go out in the field
to taste the new Spring grass together. Then we hear the string instruments in
the background and we know something bad is about to happen. Bambi’s mother
looks up, alert and concerned. The mother yells and they rush to the thicket, the
crescendo grows and Bambi’s mother keeps telling him to run faster and faster.
We hear the bang of the gun and you know what happened – but Bambi doesn’t. He
thinks they both made it back to the thicket until he realizes he’s alone and
calls out for his mother but receives no response until his father shows up.
His face when he realizes his mother is gone exhibits heart break and loss, and
our hearts ache with him. Believe it or
not, many of the animators wanted to completely change this scene. During a test
run in front of a college aged audience, Bambi was calling out for his mother
and a girl in the audience shouted “I’m right here Bambi!” and made everyone in
the theatre laugh. The animators and Disney staff were concerned that this
would be laughed at and even more concerned that it was too serious for
animation. Walt Disney insisted on keeping the scene and as usual, his
instincts were right. Sad as it is, this scene depicts the way of nature and
the harsh reality of the world and the importance of bouncing back from it and
developing new happiness.
This is one of the best Disney Animated movie scenes ever
made, in my humble opinion. The Beast gets stabbed, and all he cares about is
that Belle came back for him – what a romantic. His dying breath is “at least I
got to see you one last time,” as the rain falls. Belle whispers a tearful “I
love you” and the scene cuts to the last petal of the magical rose falling and
the enchanted objects crying. That’s enough to put tears in the eyes of any
viewer. BUT WAIT, magical sparks? Trumpeted music? Could it be – a romantic
miracle! The Beast not only lives, but he transforms into the handsome prince,
breaking the curse upon the castle. It’s the ultimate heartbreak transformed
into the ultimate happiness. All the feels, we can’t even handle it. Pure
sadness and pure joy overwhelm us Disney fans and we just cry it out.
I think most Disney fans that watched Big Hero 6 knew within
the first couple of minutes of the film that Tadashi was a goner. Anytime we
feel an extreme emotional connection to a relationship or a character
immediately, it gets snatched away! That didn’t make it any less upsetting when
Tadashi dies in the fire trying to do the right thing. Hiro’s reaction and loss
was possibly even more upsetting that Tadashi’s death in itself. But at least
Baymax’s healing powers come to the rescue.
This moment can be quite a tear jerker as both Rapunzel and
Flynn decide they want to make a sacrifice for each other. Rapunzel is willing
to trap herself up in the tower (again) with Mother Gothel in order to save
Flynn. Her plan is foiled, not by the villain, but by Flynn Ryder himself. When
she tries to save him, he leans in for a kiss and instead chops her hair off, knowing that his death is imminent. As Rapunzel cries at the loss of her magical hair, her tears fall and reveal magical qualities as well. A Disney miracle!
Though Dumbo is not one of my favorite Disney films, this scene is one of my favorite Disney moments. This is such a sweet mother-son interaction. Poor Dumbo has such
a rough night – forced to be a clown and humiliated. Timothy the Mouse takes
him to his mother who has been imprisoned for being a “mad elephant.”
Timothy announces Dumbo to Mrs. Jumbo and Mrs. Jumbo runs to the bars to see
him, but is chained to the ground
. All she can do is stick out her trunk and rock Dumbo
back and forth as he cries and the sweetest song (Baby Mine) plays in the
background. It just goes to show that moms know how to make everything better.
This is one of the first Disney movies where the main couple
does not end up together in the end of the film, which might increase the
emotional impact. Pocahontas is left with the difficult decision of leaving her
home to follow the man she loves. After deciding her place is with her people,
her and John Smith share one last kiss good-bye and a reassurance of “I’ll always
be with you.” The most heartbreaking part of their separation, however, is when
John Smith gets boarded on the ship and as it sails away, Pocahontas sprints to
the cliff’s edge for one final “good-bye.” When Pocahontas reaches the cliff,
the wind and leaves around her pick up and are carried to John Smith on the
ship who sees her in the distance as they wave to each other. The one sweet
moment here is remembering that in the middle of the movie, the only hand wave
Pocahontas officially teaches John Smith is “Wingapo,” the native language for
hello, so we could interpret this as them never saying good-bye to each other.
Romance at it’s peak.
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