Devastating Disney Classics That Even Bring Adults To Tears (2024)

Year It Came Out:1981

Premise: Tod, a young red fox, and Copper, a hound puppy, meet and become instant friends. While they vow to remain friends forever, the animals and humans around them warn them they're meant to be enemies.

The film follows their childhood friendship, as well as what their relationship evolves into as they reach adulthood.

Sad Moment It's Known For: At the end of the film, Copper has fully leaned into his “hunting dog” role and is hunting Tod with his human. But after disturbing a bear, Copper is fighting for his life. Rather than running away to safety, Tod steps in to save Copper, seemingly sacrificing himself for his old friend.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: As Tod gets older, Widow Tweed, who raised Tod, realizes that she can't keep him safe anymore. What follows is the heart wrenching scene of her dropping him off at a nature reserve. As she removes his collar with tears in her eyes, Tod clearly doesn't understand why she's leaving him.

Year It Came Out:2009

Premise: Carl, a grumpy old man, decides to fulfill his late wife's dream of seeing the enchanting Paradise Falls in South America. He chooses to get there by tying thousands of balloons to his home, which essentially turns it into a hot air balloon.

Unbeknownst to Carl, a young Wilderness Explorer, Russell, was on the porch when he set sail. Once landing in South America, the two meet new friends and face obstacles on their journey to the falls.

Sad Moment It's Known For: C'mon, you knew it was going to the first 10 minutes of Up. It's legendary for making anyone and everyone who watches it sob.

It's a beautiful sequence with no dialogue, where we see a child Carl meet Ellie, who later becomes his wife. We watch their lives together, which includes a miscarriage, until an elderly Ellie gets sick and succumbs to her disease. The instrumental song playing in the background, “Married Life,” now triggers tears on the spot for a lot of Up fans.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: At the end of the film, once Carl and Russell get back home, Russell is at his Wilderness Ranger ceremony to receive his badge for assisting the elderly. Russell is alone, and the pack leader asks if there is anyone there for him. Looking heartbroken, Russell begins to shake his head when we hear Carl making his way onto the stage. Then, he awards Russell with the highest possible honor: the Ellie badge.

Year It Came Out:1941

Premise: A young circus elephant nicknamed “Dumbo” is ridiculed for his big ears. However, it turns out that those ears allow Dumbo to fly.

Sad Moment It's Known For: When baby Dumbo is introduced to the circus crowd, the spectators start jeering at his big ears. Little Dumbo at first doesn't understand what they're doing, but his mother does. When the crowd viciously start pulling at Dumbo's ears, we can't help but cheer on his mother for defending him. But then, his mother is chained up as the circus workers drag her baby away from her.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: After his mother has long been locked up in a jail-like train carriage, Dumbo finally is able to go see her. While they can't see each other through the barred up car, his mother is able to extend her trunk out the window to caress Dumbo's face.

This simple action, along with Dumbo's tears, make it a moving moment.

Year It Came Out:1994

Premise: Simba is chased away from his home, and his rightful spot as the leader of the Pride Land, by his evil uncle, Scar. Alone and afraid, Simba befriends Timon and Pumbaa, who help raise him.

Sad Moment It's Known For: Mufasa.

We likely don't have to give many details for you to picture this death: Mufasa dangling over the cliff edge, raising his paw for help from his brother – only for Scar to push him to his death.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: Simba, now an adult, decides to go back to the Pride Land to take his rightful place on the throne. When he first arrives, however, his home is completely different than what he remembered. Now, a desolate wasteland lays before him. The realization that the animals have been living under this regime for years is hard to swallow.

Year It Came Out:1942

Premise: Bambi is a young fawn growing up in the forest with his friends Thumper (a rabbit) and Flower (a skunk). Despite facing tragedy, Bambi learns the realities of the forest as he grows up.

Sad Moment It's Known For: The moment that scarred multiple generations: when Bambi's mother is shot and killed.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: Just when you think poor Bambi is going to get a break, he comes across even more hunters. As their hunting dogs trap Faline (Bambi's romantic partner), Bambi manages to save her, but gets shot in the process. To top it all off, the hunters' fire ends up spreading, turning into a full-blown wildfire, destroying much of the characters' home.

Thankfully, no other characters are killed from all this.

Year It Came Out:1988

Premise: An orphaned kitten named Oliver is taken in by a gang of rough-around-the-edges dogs in 1980s New York City.

Sad Moment It's Known For: At the beginning of the film, Oliver is in a box with his littermates. One by one, they get picked up and adopted into someone's home.

We see Oliver cuddling with all his siblings, and then just a couple, and then he's all alone. When little Oliver gets swept out of the beat-up box by a rainstorm, with a sign that now reads: “Free,” our hearts can't help but break for the little guy.

Sad Moment That'll Sneak Up On You: All Oliver has wanted is for someone to love him. And when he finally gets that feeling with Jenny, a few happy tears might escape our tear ducts. The specific scene is when Jenny is tucking Oliver into bed, singing that the two of them will always be “Good Company.”