Top 10 Disney Moments That Made Us Ugly Cry

Moana’s relationship with her grandmother is a close one. But considering Tala’s advanced age, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise when Moana loses her during the story. Moana isn’t present for the bitter end, and watching her light go out from afar is almost sadder. Luckily, Grandmother Tala is reincarnated as a manta ray who helps our heroine begin her journey. Surprisingly enough Moana’s grandmother wasn’t a character in the first iterations of the movie’s storyboard. The figure was later added by one of the writers, giving the film an extra emotional punch.

When Boo enters the world of Monstropolis the audience knows that she’ll eventually have to return home, but no one could anticipate just how heartbreaking it would be when she finally does. The relationship she forms with Sulley and Mike is a sweet one, so their farewell is inevitably poignant. When “Kitty” tucks her into bed and says his goodbyes, we tear up just as much as he does. It’s made all the sadder by the fact that Boo doesn’t understand what’s going on. Seeing her run to open the closet once he’s gone is probably the saddest moment of all.

After seeing their relationship unfold with humanlike tenderness, watching WALL-E and EVE say goodbye is almost too much to handle. For a scene with almost no dialogue and no real people involved, it’s surprising how touching the moment is. Thankfully, this isn’t the end for our favorite little robot, as WALL-E is brought back to life. However the moment that follows is possibly even sadder, as WALL-E appears to have lost his memory and can’t remember EVE or anything else from his past. Fortunately, it doesn’t take more than a kiss to spark his memory.

If we were ranking the overall saddest Disney movies, this one would easily be a contender. There are countless moments that left us with tears in our eyes, but this one stands out as the most heartbreaking. After their encounters with Amos and Chief, Widow feels like she has to let Tod free in order to keep him safe. His lack of understanding as she drives him into the forest and eventually leaves him there is tough to watch. What’s possibly even more devastating is the knowledge that Tod is never able to go back to live with her, and spends the rest of his life in the woods.

There are several tear-jerking moments in this classic 1941 animated film, but by far the saddest is when Dumbo goes to visit his mother in her cell and she rocks him to sleep with a mournful lullaby. Her imprisonment begins when she is defending her baby from being bullied by a bunch of boys who are making fun of his comically large ears. Dumbo is so distraught after this emotional reunion and viewers feel his sadness just as much. No matter how old you are, this Oscar-nominated song is sure to get the waterworks going.

Like many other Disney films, “Inside Out” largely revolves around childhood nostalgia. The movie is all about emotions, so there are plenty of opportunities for heartache, but the story of Bing Bong outdoes the rest. Bing Bong is Riley’s imaginary friend from when she was younger, and throughout the film we see him beginning to fade from her memory and struggling to stay with her. Finally, though, he accepts his fate and lets go so Riley can grow up, leaving audiences remembering their own youthful imaginary pals.

By now we’ve come to know that the death of a main character’s parents is a mainstay for Disney’s animated movies, but back in 1942, children were probably shocked by the brutal demise of Bambi’s mother. Even today it’s hard to watch, despite the fact that it happens off-screen. Since this is a movie that’s shown to children at a young age, it’s often one of the first films they see where a character doesn’t come back to life. It’s a scene doesn’t pull punches, forcing us to accept the cruelty of life and death.

No one went into “Up” knowing they would be bawling their eyes out in the first ten minutes, but that’s what happened to theatregoers everywhere. Before getting into the movie’s main story, we’re shown how Carl ended up living alone in his little house surrounded by high rises. The love story that’s told in the movie’s intro is so simple, and so tragic. The feelings are only compounded by the fact that we’re totally blindsided by Ellie’s death.

There are many emotional moments in this movie, like when it seems that the toys are going to be incinerated. However, it’s the grand finale that really gets the tears going. After all the adventures they’ve had together, Andy has to say goodbye to his toys. If you’re someone who gets especially nostalgic, this scene will turn you into a wreck. Seeing Andy play with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang one final time is bittersweet, and there isn’t a dry eye in the room when he finally drives off with the toys watching him go.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.


Ralph Really Is a Bad Guy
“Wreck-It Ralph” (2012)


The Barracuda Attack
“Finding Nemo” (2003)


Ray's Death
“The Princess and the Frog” (2009)

There’s no debate that our number one moment has to be the death of Simba’s father in “The Lion King.” Every part of this scene is horrific, as Simba watches his dad get trampled by wildebeest. Although Mufasa tries clawing his way to safety, the villainous Scar ultimately throws him into the gorge. Discovering his father’s body, Simba is unable to understand why Mufasa won’t wake up at first. However, it doesn’t take long for him to accept the tragedy he’s witnessed. No matter how familiar you are with this scene, watching Simba snuggle his way under Mufasa’s paw will get you choked up every time.


Do you agree with our list? Which of these moments do you think is the saddest? For more heartbreaking top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.