16 Underrated Disney Moments That Make People Cry, And 11 More Well-Known Moments That DEFINITELY Make People Cry

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community about which underrated Disney and Pixar moments never fail to make them cry.

Disney

What we got was plenty of underrated moments, as well as some classic moments, so we put them together so we can collectively sob over them all. We also pulled comments from these Reddit threads.

Here are the underrated/lesser-known moments first:

1.Several moments during Encanto, including the moment when Mirabel discovers that Bruno painted a place setting for himself behind the Casita's walls...

It's so heartbreaking to see that poor Bruno — that beautiful cinnamon roll — loved his family so much that he separated himself from them to keep from causing them pain. But he ALSO loved them so much that he couldn't bear to be away from them. Imagining him sitting behind that wall and eating off his little "plate" just wrecks me.

—Andy Golder

Here's a clip of that scene:

2.The look on little Mirabel's face when her door disappears...

"The look on 5-year-old Mirabel’s face when her door fades and she doesn’t get her gift. You see so much hurt and confusion and it’s so sad to imagine this poor child not understanding why she doesn’t get to be special like everyone around her, and then to subsequently be pushed aside by her grandmother who — based on the opening scene — she was very close to. It breaks my heart every time."

—childrenofthecornbread

Here's a clip of that scene:

3.The moment when Bruno speaks the words that Mirabel needed to hear her whole life...

"Happy tears: Bruno's line in Encanto during "All of You": 'You're the real gift, kid. Let us in.'"

—kumamori137

Here's a clip of that moment:

4.And of course, the "Dos Oruguitas" sequence when we see all the pain and heartache that Abuela went through...

"During 'Dos Oruguitas' when they cross the river and Abuelo sacrifices himself. Cried like a baby."

—annem4e39bbc9d

Here's a clip of that moment:

5.At the end of Tangled, when that one random royal guard bursts into the room and looks at the king and queen with this look of breathless shock and excitement...

There's something about this moment that wrecks me every time. You know that the king and queen have held onto hope for all these years because of the lantern festival, and even in its (presumably) 18th year, they're still so heartbroken. So when this guard bursts in, all he has to do is give them a slight nod, and they know right away that it means their daughter has been found.

—Andy Golder

You can watch a clip of that moment on YouTube. But I want to make sure you see the little nod, so here's a GIF:

Disney

6.When Moana's grandmother dies and she frantically packs to leave the island, but her mother finds her...

You just watched Moana have to say goodbye to her dying grandmother, which is already heart-wrenching, especially because you know her grandmother was the only one on the island who understood her. So she goes off to desperately pack up a few things and leave the island, to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish. You think for a moment that her mother is going to stop her when she appears in the doorway, especially considering how her father reacted to the idea. But instead she helps her pack without saying a word, because she knows it's what Moana has to do.

—Andy Golder

Here's the clip:

7.In Big Hero 6, when Hiro recognizes that Baymax isn't coming back with him...

"In Big Hero 6, when Baymax is preparing to sacrifice himself to save Hiro along with Callaghan's daughter. Hiro's refusal to accept it, followed by the tearful 'I am satisfied with my care,' gets me every time."

—amaneaux

"Seconded. That was insanely powerful, because it was really Hiro saying goodbye to his brother all over again."

—kumamori137

Here's a clip of that moment:

8.In Aladdin, when the Genie is finally free...

It's so touching, because Genie was truly ready to give up his freedom in order for Aladdin to be happy. His genuine surprise at hearing Aladdin wish for his freedom — followed by his absolute joy — gets me every time. And since Robin Williams' death, it hits that much harder...you really feel the warmth and softness and emotion in his voice here, followed by his signature comedic talent.

—Andy Golder

Here's a clip of that moment:

9.In Meet the Robinsons, when Lewis succeeds at the science fair and is adopted by his new family...

"The scene in Meet The Robinsons where Lewis gets adopted and they show him his laboratory. You see how he finally becomes a Robinson. I cry every time."

—hairbymorgen

"Yes! Meet the Robinsons does not get the credit it deserves!"

—nattyiscool

Here's the clip:

10.In Finding Dory, when Dory finally reunites with her parents...

"Dory sadly swims along and sees one shell, then another. Your heart stops as you remember the way her parents helped her find her way home, and realise where this is leading. Following the trail, Dory finds a point with many trails coming off it, and two fish in the distance laying another. You can’t see anymore because your eyes are swimming and everything is spelled out in visuals before you just can’t hold it in and you’re an emotional mess."

—jbmasta

Here's the clip of that moment:

11.Also in Finding Dory, when little Dory hears her parents talking about her disability...

"In Finding Dory, young Dory overhears her parents talking about Dory’s future and her mom is so worried about Dory and how she’ll survive being that she’s constantly forgetting. As a parent with special needs children, it really hit me since I tend to think about their futures and how they’ll be able to live life without me there to help them. Even though not many people liked the movie, it holds a special place in my heart because of that scene."

—chillmagazine10

There's no clip of this one on YouTube, but you can check out the whole movie on Disney+.

12."The Next Right Thing" in Frozen II...

"When Anna sings 'The Next Right Thing' in Frozen II. The raw grief in Kristen Bell’s voice is heart-wrenching, and the lyrics are so real. That song represents grief, or at least my experience with it, perfectly. How do you even stand up when your whole world is different than it was just a second ago? What do you even do, and how the hell are you supposed to do it?"

—eivor1612

"This one hit me harder than I thought as she genuinely believed both her sister and (by extension) Olaf were dead — Kristen Bell is underrated."

—juliaw1

Here's the clip:

13.In Onward, when Ian saw that Barley had been his father figure all along...

"When Ian realized everything he wanted to do with his dad he did with Barley and Barley had been there for his whole life and then to thank Barley he let him say his goodbye."

—katelynn41ea92daf

14.And when Ian plays the tape of his dad...

"When Ian plays the tape of his dad talking and has a little conversation with it. I lost my dad young and it gets me every time. 💔"

—cellophanegirl

Neither of those scenes are on YouTube, but you can see the whole movie on Disney+.

15.In Lilo and Stitch, when Nani loses Lilo to social services...

"For a film that initially seems to be about a psychotic alien who learns the meaning of family from the girl who’s adopted him, the subplot of Nani trying to prove up to the task of raising Lilo after the death of their parents is very touching. And when she ends up losing Lilo, it’s a gut punch because we know it’s the last thing either of them want."

—jbmasta

Here's the clip:

16.In Up, when Carl finds the adventure book and realizes that his life with Ellie was his adventure...

"Up, but not during the opening scene. The bit that really got me was after the house gets set alight and Carl goes through his wife’s scrapbook only to find she filled the rest of her adventure with pictures of them growing old together."

—u/NotOxygenPotassium

Here's the clip:

And here are the classics, the tried-and-true moments that have made just about every single one of us cry:

17.The "Baby Mine" scene from Dumbo:

"In Dumbo (original, cartoon version) when Mrs. Jumbo gets put in jail, Dumbo goes to visit her and she rocks him in her trunk while the song 'Baby Mine' plays. It never fails to make me cry and I’m not ashamed to admit I always have to call my mom after and tell her I love her."

—lynniem43aac1c21

"I was just going to say the same thing!!! It’s been 30 some odd years I’ve watched the movie (for that EXACT reason). Just thinking about that destroys me."

—beachysummersunset

Here's the clip, in case you really wanna sob today:

18.The most heartbreaking moment in Monsters Inc....

"When they finally find Boo’s door and get her back home safely.

Sulley tucks her into bed, says goodbye and shuts the door

Almost immediately, Boo jumps out of bed and runs up to her closet door, playfully shouting “BOO!” as she opens it (expecting to see Sulley on the other side); but all that’s there is an average everyday typical closet.

— cut to —

Sulley helplessly watching as they put Boo’s door through the shredder 💔💔💔💔"

—jennfrannces

Here's a clip of the scene:

19.And what is quite possibly the best final moment of any Pixar movie ever...

"Mike’s hands are absolutely wrecked after putting Boo’s door back together from literal shreds of wood (which he also somehow managed to keep secret from Sully until the unveiling - aw).

BUT… there was one piece missing in order to trigger the door — a piece Sulley kept taped to his little clip board (LIKE?!?!?!)

Sulley inserts the missing piece, triggering the light. He opens the door,

'Boo?'

The anticipation is killing us all...

And then we hear it,

'Kitty!'

The way his freaking face lights up, I just—

😭😭😭😭😭😭"

—jennfrannces

Here's a clip of that moment:

20.In Inside Out, when Joy finally lets Sadness take over the controls and Riley is able to open up to her parents...

"Inside Out, when Riley cries in front of her parents at the end. The sheer catharsis of being able to let go of all the 'negative' feelings you’ve been tamping down because you don’t want to burden others, only to find that other people understand and that it’s OK to not be OK — Yeah, I was in my 30s when I watched that scene and was sobbing."

—gaelicmaiden

Here's the clip:

21.And of course when Bing Bong sacrifices himself...

"Bing Bong sacrificing himself in Inside Out — 'take Riley to the moon for me.' Absolutely brutal, and I’m in floods every single time."

—emilyw47d8096f9

"I was trying to hide myself ugly crying in the theater when Bing Bong made his sacrifice. I was sitting next to my daughter, who was six at the time, thinking about her leaving behind her childhood at some point."

—popculturemama

Here's the scene:

22.The climactic scene of Coco...

"When Mamá Coco reacts to Miguel singing 'Remember Me,' her little face as she recognises and remembers just breaks my heart. My son just wordlessly passes me the tissues now and rolls his eyes. He’s 10 lol and so over it."

—pholly

I'm always in tears as soon as the song starts, but what really gets me is when Mamá Coco turns to her daughter and sees that she's crying. She doesn't understand why, so she just innocently asks her what's wrong. It's such a beautiful scene start to finish.

—Andy Golder

Here's the clip, along with a peek at how it's written in the script, which makes it even more beautiful:

23.Basically everything about The Fox and the Hound, but especially when Widow Tweed sends Tod away in the woods...

"Only Disney movie that made me cry as a kid was Fox and the Hound. No idea if it holds up today, but the theme of an innocent friendship being spoiled by grownups pitting against each other, broke me."

—u/D-Rez

Here's the clip:

24.Jessie's sad backstory in Toy Story 2...

"When Jessie the Cowgirl gets left behind in a box with that heart ripping song playing over the montage. Tears. Every. Time."

—raspberrygirl

Here's the clip:

25.The incinerator scene in Toy Story 3...

"In Toy Story 3 when Buzz accepts there’s no escaping the incinerator and reaches for Jessie’s hand and everyone just follows suit shortly after and they’re just there holding each other’s hand awaiting their fate. I was not ready for that emotional roller coaster ride."

—u/very_will

Here's the clip:

26.Naturally, when Mufasa dies in The Lion King...

Lemme tell you, I was 10 when I went to see this movie in theaters and I was NOT okay after this. It's not just that it's sad to see Mufasa die, or heartbreaking to watch Simba tell him to get up because he can't even imagine his hero being gone... it's also that it's just so frustrating to see Scar's plan succeed.

—Andy Golder

Here's the clip:

27.And finally, of course, the first 10 minutes of Up:

Here's the clip:

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!