Children's movies unexpectedly break our hearts. We expect them to be light and fluffy because, well, they're movies for children. Then they hit us with a heartbreaking scene. And we are crying into our shirt. Why do they do this to us? What did we do to deserve this?
1. Toy Story 3
Why it broke our heart: This movie signaled an end of childhood. When Andy was going off to college, so were a lot of the kids that grew up with this movie. I'm crying a little just thinking about watching this scene:
2. Up
Why it broke our heart: First of all, it kind of came out of left field. While the rest of the movie was pretty lighthearted, the beginning kind of crushed our souls. I think the GIF below says it all.
3. Finding Nemo
Why it broke our heart: We all love Dory. On top of that, we can all relate to this feeling.
4. Inside Out
Why it broke our heart: When Bing Bong the imaginary friend sacrificed himself so that Sadness and Joy could save Riley, we all teared up. Also, every single line uttered in this movie was fantastic, including this one:
5. The Lion King
Why it broke our heart: Mufasa dies. Need I say more?
6. Bambi
Why it broke our heart: Bambi's mother dies, and he doesn't even realize it at first.
7. Monsters, Inc.
Why it broke our heart: The monsters formed a tight bond with Boo, and we didn't want to see it come to an end.
8. Babe
Why it broke our heart: Every single scene in this movie. (I think we were all scared that Babe would turn into bacon.)
9. Dumbo
Why it broke our heart: Dumbo's mom was chained up, and all she wanted to do was touch her child.
10. Shrek
Why it broke our heart: Shrek was a lovable ogre and we didn't want him to be sad.
11. E.T
Why it broke our heart: We didn't want him to leave! (But we also knew he had to.)
12. Bridge to Terabithia
Why it broke our heart: His best friend died, and he was dealing with death for the first time. On top of that, he thought it was his fault. This was the first movie that made me cry in the theater.
13. The NeverEnding Story
Why it broke our heart: The horse dies and it is so sad! The scene isn't even quick and painless -- it goes on way too long.
14. Matilda
Why it broke our heart: Maybe we didn't cry while watching this movie, but it was pretty heartbreaking nonetheless. Matilda was sweet, and we all would have been her friend.
15. My Dog Skip
Why it broke our heart: It's a dog movie. Dog movies always break our hearts. This one kind of came as no surprise.
16. The Iron Giant
Why it broke our heart: The Iron Giant sacrifices himself to save all the people in the town.
17. Charlotte's Web
Why it broke our heart: Charlotte died. I will say no more.
18. The Fox and the Hound
Why it broke our heart: I can't pick one reason. Decide for yourself. Although this scene hit me pretty hard:
19. My Girl
Why it broke our heart: This was a very real movie about death and growing up. While this wasn't for small children, it is something I watched when I was younger. This scene gets me every time:
20. The Land Before Time
Why it broke our heart: Littlefoot's mother dies. The scene was very traumatic.
