Top 10 touching/sad moments in Disney films

[candydog]

I couldn't really put them in order, but here are the most touching scenes for me:

- Baby Mine in Dumbo. One of the saddest scenes in the history of film.

- Bambi loses his mother. Again one of the saddest scenes in film.

- Snow White's Funeral when the dwarves think that she's dead. It's so sad! Especially with the music and the animals crying and rain pelting against the window, and directly followed by the silent vigil in the woods.
(Still kinda weird that the Prince kisses what he assumes to be a dead girl though)

- The opening of the rescuers. And also as an honourable mention the moment when Medusa asks Penny who'd want a homely girl like her.

- Mufasa's death.

- Wendy singing "Your Mother and Mine" in Peter Pan.

- The moment when Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and Sir Hector falls to his knees and begs for forgiveness and Arthur replies "Oh, please don't Sir".

- The part in Mulan when the Emperor says that Mulan has "saved us all" and she turns around to see all the people gathered at the palace bowing to her.

Well, that's pretty much all I can think of.

[monorail91]

I get a lot of surplus (?) sadness knowing what's coming next. I tear up at almost all the Dumbo/Mrs. Jumbo and Simba/Mufasa scenes, no matter how light or serious, just knowing of the coming separation/loss between these characters. Literally on the verge of tears the entirety of those movies hahaha.

[Alphapanchito]

Oh, and not to quote Jackoleen, but below are spoilers for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I only say this because since it is a somewhat older and underappreciated movie (unlike the animated classics), not everybody has seen it, and it is so much more powerful for the first time without spoilers. Trust me.

A really big one for me, and the only one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned yet, is Captain Nemo's death. Kind of surprised I didn't see it mentioned yet. Throughout the whole movie, he really makes me root for him.. more so than any other character in the movie. He makes the audience really feel for him, especially when his precious research is threatened suddenly by his ignorant captive's doing. So, after (what I assume is) years of being in his ideal underwater world, he must protect his life's research from being put to an evil use, and almost makes it back to safety, but is shot at the last moment. He succeeds in stopping his work from being put to an evil purpose, but also isn't able to live in his ideal world he built himself anymore. Then of course, it's even more heart-wrenching to see him stumble through the Nautilus, order it down to the depths, with his loyal crew willing to go down with him, and goes into his quarters for the last time. Every time I watch this, I tear up. It just feels so real, and so bittersweet. Plus, James Mason portraying this character really helps.

[Disney's Divinity]

- The moment when Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and Sir Hector falls to his knees and begs for forgiveness and Arthur replies "Oh, please don't Sir".

I didn't think of that, but I agree. It's always been strangely touching/sad that Arthur doesn't use his newfound power to punish those who kind of treated him badly.

[Atlantica]

Off the top of my head:

* When the Prince arrives in the wood, and the chorus starts for 'One Song' from Snow White

* "....I love you Daddy" from The Little Mermaid. Enough said !

* Baby Mine. Pretty much weep every time I see that !

[Lazario]

- The moment when Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and Sir Hector falls to his knees and begs for forgiveness and Arthur replies "Oh, please don't Sir".

I didn't think of that, but I agree. It's always been strangely touching/sad that Arthur doesn't use his newfound power to punish those who kind of treated him badly.

His character had to be led around a lot by the nose. So, it wasn't really in his nature.

[Rose Dome]

I've seperated mine into sad and happy (although some are slightly mixed) I warn you, they're long lists


Snow White & The Seven Dwarves:Snow White's funeral
Pinocchio:When Gepetto cries over a supposedly dead Pinocchio
Fantasia:When the stranded unicorn foal cries out for help
Dumbo:When Mrs Jumbo walks forward in order to get one last glance of Dumbo, only for the chains around her ankles to hold her back
Bambi:When Bambi calls out for his Mother, unaware that she has been shot
Cinderella:Lady Tremaine coldly standing back as Cinderella's dress is ripped
Alice In Wonderland:Very Good Advice - Alice's remorse is very relatable
Lady & The Tramp:The howled version of Where Is My Home?
The Rescuers:When Medusa asks Penny, "What makes you think anyone would want a homely girl like you?" - Penny really seems to believe that noone could ever want her
The Fox & The Hound:When Widow Tweed leaves Todd in the forrest
The Great Mouse Detective:When Olivia says goodbye to Basil
Beauty & The Beast:The Beast's almost death - The minor key instrumental version of the title song is heartbreaking, and Belle sounds so uncertain when she says "You'll be alright"
Toy Story:When Woody tells Buzz, "Over there is a kid who thinks you're the greatest", only for Buzz to remain in his slump
The Hunchback of Notre Dame:When Quasimodo believes Esmeralda to have died
Mulan:When the title character is told "You may look like a bride, but you will never do your Family proud"
Monsters Inc:When Sulley tries to comfort a frightened Boo, only to see how ferocious he actually looked
Lilo & Stitch:When Stitch (feeling unwanted) goes wondering off in the rainforest
Finding Nemo:When Nemo says to Marlin, "I hate you!", only to cry out for his Father when he gets caught in the diver's net


Snow White & The Seven Dwarves:When Snow White wakes up
Pinocchio:When Pinocchio becomes a real Boy
Fantasia:Ave Maria - So beautiful
Dumbo:The final scene
Lady & The Tramp:The Christmas scene at the end
The Rescuers:When Penny is shown with her new adoptive Parents
The Great Mouse Detective:When Basil is revealed to have survived
Beauty & The Beast:When the transformed prince says "Belle, It's me", and Belle recognises his eyes
Toy Story:When Woody and Buzz share a smile after falling into Andy's lap
The Hunchback of Notre Dame:When Quasimodo leaves the cathedral expecting to be shunned, only to be hugged by the little girl, and cheered by the crowd
Mulan:When Mulan's Father makes the bud analogy
Monsters Inc:The whole final scene
Lilo & Stitch:When Stitch says that his Family is "Small and broken, but still good"
Finding Nemo:When Nemo is reunited with Marlin

[thedisneyspirit]

-Bambi's mom being shot. Mostly the scenes afterwards, with Bambi searching for her lost in the woods and suddenly his father appears and starkly tells him the truth. It's at that moment that Bambi's innocence and childhood is finished.

-Cinderella's dress being ripped. Especially for that moment of silence between the tension of scene and the music that starts to overflow once Cindy runs to the garden. It's so harsh.

-The Fox and the Hound- "Goodbye May Seem Forever". It really captures well the heartbreak of losing a loved one. Also, the ending with the echoing voices of Todd and Copper as children is also a special touch.

-When Belle leaves the Beast after the dance, if anything because the animation and the music work perfectly well here, and you can note the Beast's anguish in all of it. It's come to a point where he sees at situation and doesn't take it at face value, and understands her needs more than ever and how they overlap his.

-Genie and Aladdin saying goodbye. It's short and in between a very happy moment, but it's still very touching. especially how Aladdin seems almost shy when he speaks to Genie ("Genie, i'm...I'm gonna miss you").

-Megara's death. The scene where Hercules arrives and he cradles her body in his arms. It just gets to me more than any screaming would. I think it's sadder since this practically confirms that underneath her tough girl exterior Megara is ready to save/give up her life for her loved ones (she did a similar thing for her ex, too), and it kinda shows that she falls into the same thing over and over.

-"When she loved me". The song more than the scene itself.

-Mulan's reflection in the snow. Especially the comment of "maybe i wanted to do it for himself, to prove myself, to be someone worth looking up to." Her insecurities come at the moment of her upmost reflective stance, and it's saddened her self-esteem that crushed her so much in the first act still haunts her till now.

-John Silver's "you gonna rattle the stars" speech. Even if Silver was "acting" his words were genuinely believable, and they seemed to be the one thing Jim took the most out of all of Silver's lessons. It's a very uplifting message, too, even taking out of context.

-"So long, partner". if anything because I felt more saddened by the toys that genuinely loved Andy and would terribly miss him over any connection I could personally have with Andy. It was a definitive closure, and it felt apt (now let's see what does Toy Story 4 have in store...)

-Hiro with Tadashi's video message in BH6. It felt like a catharsis to me, all the mourning and emotional distress he had been building up since his brother died finally culminated here.

[Disney Duster]

-When Belle leaves the Beast after the dance, if anything because the animation and the music work perfectly well here, and you can note the Beast's anguish in all of it. It's come to a point where he sees at situation and doesn't take it at face value, and understands her needs more than ever and how they overlap his.

Good choices in your list, but what did you mean this is a point he sees a situation and doesn't take it at face value?

[KennethE]

Scenes that still make me cry in Disney films to this day:

1) "I want to see.. my mother." (Peter Pan)

2) "...And please let someone find my bottle. There's a message in it. Because running away isn't working." (The Rescuers)

3) "That's why I must find... Basil!" (Great Mouse Detective.)

4) "Elsa.. I know you're in there..." (Frozen)

5) "Yes Mama. But he was my dog... I'll do it." (Old Yeller.)

6) "If you won't scold and dominate us, we will never give you cause to hate us..." (Mary Poppins)

7) "Baby mine don't you cry..." (Dumbo)

"No, it was a silly game. I hate it. I never want to play it again." (Pollyanna.)

9) "Thanks partner." (Toy Story 3)

10) THAT Bing Bong scene (Inside Out)

If I had to include one scene that makes me cry from pure joy, I would always pick the last 3 minutes of Snow White.

[thedisneyspirit]

Good choices in your list, but what did you mean this is a point he sees a situation and doesn't take it at face value?

I guess what I tried to say is that it's the first time he's really caring about the bigger picture -ie., actually loving Belle, more over the curse. He sees her needs are much more important than his own, and that's why he leaves.

@KennethE, from where is your icon from? It reminds me of Hercules and it's pretty neat.

[Disney Duster]

Oh ok I getcha disneyspirit.

[Vlad]

I have a top 5:

5. The Dwarfs weeping for Snow White - no words, just animation set to music; powerful scene
4. The Beast dies
3. Dumbo cries as he hugs his mother
2. Bambi's mother dies
1. Mufasa's death

In these last three scenes, what kills me is seeing the tears rolling down the characters' cheeks. It's truly heartbreaking.

[KennethE]

Good choices in your list, but what did you mean this is a point he sees a situation and doesn't take it at face value?

I guess what I tried to say is that it's the first time he's really caring about the bigger picture -ie., actually loving Belle, more over the curse. He sees her needs are much more important than his own, and that's why he leaves.

@KennethE, from where is your icon from? It reminds me of Hercules and it's pretty neat.

Thanks for the compliment regarding my icon! It's actually my own characters and artwork, which (hopefully) I can turn into a published work of children's novels.

[Tangled]

From strictly WDAS films:

1. Bambi's Mom's death

2. Mufasa's death

3. Aladdin freeing Genie (naturally, it's way sadder now than it was in the 90s)

4. The placement of "Heaven's Light" right before "Hellfire" in the Hunchback of Notre Dame

5. "Aloha O'e" from Lion and Stitch (the scene on the hammock)

6. "Two Worlds" from Tarzan

7. "Baby Mine" from Dumbo

8. Ralph wrecking the cart in Wreck-it Ralph

9. "Are you satisfied with your care?" (the scene itself is good, but the build-up is what truly makes it special. Throughout the movie, Baymax basically becomes a surrogate for Tadashi. By confirming that he "is satisfied", Hiro is essentially saying goodbye to Tadashi forever, and Baymax/Tadashi is basically telling Hiro that it's okay to let go of his grief. It's just an extremely well-written and well-acted moment that isn't as simple as "Baymax is stuck here forever", and I feel like the movie in general does way more with its themes of grief and recovery than most people give it credit for.)

10. The entire scene on the gondola in Zootopia

I'm a sucker for emotional moments that are executed through song. However, I find that I don't fall very easily for emotional moments that are reversed immediately after,like what TvTropes describes as "Disney death". For example, the Beast "dying" or Flynn Rider "dying." I mean, sure, I've cried at those scenes, but in my opinion, the most powerful sad or touching scenes have lasting consequences on the characters.