Although Disney's target audience is mainly children, there is always a slightly tragic undercurrent within its stories. Despite the hopeful messages and happy endings, some of the moments that made me cry the hardest in all pop culture were from Disney cartoons. It does not help that I watched most of these scenes as a kid. However, 15 years later, I still find myself weeping before these movies.
There is something sincerely upsetting about the contrast between the whimsical feel of its characters and settings and the occasional devastating emotional punches it delivers. These movies explore themes like friendship, family, love, legacy, and belonging, creating a heartfelt resonance for the viewer. Therefore, when they delve into mature subjects through a more pessimistic perspective, the tragedy feels particularly intense. As a child, some of these harrowing moments were my first approach to more serious issues like loss, grief, and bullying. Therefore, through tears and astonishment, they were also a formative experience.
10 Mufasa's Death
The Lion King (1994)
The first time I watched The Lion King, I fell in love with Mufasa's character. A good father and a wise king, he was the mentor any hero deserved. His firm yet always calm parenting method, the lessons about the value of each creature's life, and his open vulnerability despite his position of authority make him a beautifully written character. I expected him to guide Simba to become an equally enlightened ruler. However, Disney had other plans.
It is not simply his death that is sad, but the cruel way he dies. While attempting to save his son, Mufasa falls to his demise by his brother Scar, who betrays him out of jealousy, pushing him off the edge of a cliff. Mufasa dies a hero killed by his own family. I still feel the piercing ache of Simba's desperate pleas to wake up, grief-stricken and burdened with unjustified guilt. Mufasa's death was a Disney moment that made me cry as a child and never stopped hurting.
9 Death of Kerchak & Kala's baby
Tarzan (1999)
The death of Kerchak and Kala's baby is one of the most heartbreaking moments in Disney. The scene sets the emotional tone for the film, shaping the character development of Kerchak and his relationship with Tarzan. However, when I first watched the scene, I could not care less about Tarzan and his future bond with the other animals of the jungle. I simply wanted the baby ape to survive and be happy. However, Disney did not care about my feelings.
As the moment unfolds, painting a lovely family picture, Sabor's arrival and subsequent slaughter of the sweet child come as a shock that abruptly ruins the endearing surrounding atmosphere. Kala and Kerchak's son was merely another puppy, playful, adorable, and too young to die. The horrified expression of his parents further emphasizes the tone of the scene.
8 Bambi Calls For His Mother
Bambi (1942)
If anyone were to ask what is the saddest Disney movie ever made, many people would probably choose Bambi. The story is as realistic as it is heart-wrenching, and the death of the main character's mother is cruel. Up until then, I expected her and Bambi to save themselves. I was not prepared for what Disney had in store for its audience. Despite the calm, almost quiet tone, the moment is overwhelming.
As Bambi leaves the cave where he found refuge to check on his mother, the atmosphere gradually assumes a melancholic feel, while his pleas become increasingly desperate. At that point, I knew something was wrong. I the sorrow I felt watching the terror in the eyes of the fawn. As I started seeing myself in his position, abandoned to a world I was not prepared for, without the most important person in my life by my side, I began to cry and vowed never to watch the film again.
7 Cinderella's Stepsisters Destroy Her Dress
Cinderella (1950)
Ever since I was a child, I have hated Cinderella's stepsisters from the deepest corners of my heart, even more than I hated their mother. This might be surprising, since Cinderella's stepmother is the true villain, while her two spiteful daughters are little more than spoiled teenagers. However, what truly cemented my dislike for them was the moment they destroyed the beautiful dress prepared for Cinderella by her animal friends.
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I wanted the poor girl to go to the ball and meet her Prince Charming; she deserved a better life. But above all, what I did not want was for the two selfish characters to ruin one of Cinderella's only happy moments in the movie. It is especially unfair when the stepmother is clearly setting them up, and their anger is provoked by the use of accessories they earlier said they couldn't care less about. Fortunately, the later transformation scene made me cry tears of joy.
6 Quasimodo Is Bullied
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a beautifully written story of bigotry, acceptance, and the pain of societal rejection. For me, it was the first Disney tale that truly, and sometimes in a very crude manner, explained and illustrated, with unprecedented realism, the phenomenon of bullying and discrimination. I could not initially understand the cruel treatment of Quasimodo when he is such a sweet person who tries his best to be accepted.
Quasimodo’s relentless abuse was dreadful to watch, with many people depicted as being devoid of basic human decency toward one. Sadly, the point of the movie is that other people do not see him as human. The story painfully illustrates humanity's capacity for cruelty toward those who are deemed different for the most absurd reasons. Aside from the defeated expression of the protagonist, what made me cry the hardest was the unjustified evil individuals are revealed to be capable of.
5 The Dogs At The Pound
Lady And The Tramp (1955)
No one likes to see sad dogs. Even less, no one likes to see dogs abandoned behind bars. Considering the cheerful and heartfelt atmosphere of Lady and The Tramp, the scene at the pound is a profoundly unsettling addition. I did not expect the story to take such a dark turn. Back then, I could relate to Lady's original naivety while we both innocently cried at Disney's realistic depiction of that awful place.
The haunting howls of the dogs and their tear-soaked eyes are painful enough to experience. However, what truly hurts is the scene with poor Nutsy. I never got over the stray's defeated resignation as he is led away for "the long walk." Even as a child, I knew the long walk was a tender euphemism for the poor animal being put down. That scene illustrated the grim reality of abandonment in the most gut-wrenching way.
4 John Smith Leaves
Pocahontas (1995)
For a Disney movie, Pocahontas does not have the happiest of endings. However, given the historical context, it is perfectly reasonable. The movie does not take inspiration from a heartwarming love story between two people from different worlds but from a dark chapter of human history rooted in colonialism, exploitation, and slaughter. However, at 10 years old, all I wanted was for John Smith to end up with Pocahontas.
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Their parting felt unjust, especially after the emotional journey they had shared. Pocahontas's choice to stay with her people rather than follow John to England is a significant moment of agency, but at the time, I just saw it as an awful separation when the princess always ended up with her beloved. If the moment made me cry back in the day, nowadays, I only feel a slight ache while appreciating the bittersweet but still romanticized conclusion.
3 Elsa Sees Her Mother
Frozen II (2019)
If you ever lost anyone close to you, you are probably aware of the desperate yearning for only one more moment with them, to hear their voice or see their face materialize before your eyes one last time. In Frozen II, when Elsa sees her mother, many people can relate to the emotional intensity and subtle hope depicted. To me, the moment spoke to a deep-rooted desire for connection with those I have lost.
Elsa's falling tears while she smiles upon seeing her beloved mother again, even if through a slightly too realistic dream, even if from a past they did not share, are a little too understandable. As the ice queen reaches out to her parent, after she finally has learned her place in the world and her magical roots because of her mother's ancestry, is a moment of both personal reckoning and closure. Frozen has many moments that made me cry, but this scene hits too close.
2 Dumbo Visits His Mother
Dumbo (1941)
Dumbo is another one of Disney's most heartbreaking movies and the one that established my profound dislike for any circus spectacle that involves animals. The film is quite explicit in showing the harshness of that world. The separation between the titular character and his mother, who ends up in a cage for defending her son from being bullied because of his ears, is devastating.
The scene where Dumbo goes to visit his beloved mother while she is trapped behind bars adds insult to injury. The baby elephant is lonely and scared upon seeing her in a vulnerable position. However, she does not let her condition prevent her from cradling her son to console him despite the terrible situation. To me, that scene felt like a beautiful representation of the selfless nature of a mother's love. Mrs. Jumbo establishes herself as one of the best moms in Disney through this heart-shattering moment.
1 Widow Tweed Abandons Tod To Save Him
The Fox And The Hound (1981)
The premise of The Fox and the Hound is deeply dramatic, a history of friends forced to be enemies. However, the moment that made me cry the most concerned another tragic bond: the one between Widow Tweed and Tod. In one of the worst scenes in the movie when the old lady who took care of Tod until that point is forced to abandon him in the woods. Widow Tweed's affection for the fox, despite the animal's wild nature, is evident. Yet, when Tod's presence begins to endanger their lives, she has to let him go.
The scene where she drives an unaware Tod into the forest and tearfully leaves him behind is unbearable. The confused, betrayed, and fearful expression of the fox, left alone in an unfamiliar world by her dearest friend, and the widow's guilty goodbye is a stab in the heart. Her choice is an ultimate act of love, which, despite ending up ensuring their survival, hurts them both. As a child, I could not understand how love could be so painful. As an adult, I still struggle to accept it.
