Bridge To Terabithia
A relatively harmless-looking movie, Bridge to Terabithia left us all shocked and traumatized, to say the least. The movie seems to be perfectly normal, with just these two kids who build an imaginary place in a forest nearby. They create this idea that by swinging over a ditch, they can get to their magical place.
Now at this point, you'd think that they would use the rope to jump over the ditch, get there safely and start some amazing adventure together. But, plot twist! Your heart is completely shattered into pieces when Leslie tries to swing over to the other side but instead the rope breaks, causing her head to receive a fatal blow.
Fox And The Hound
At first glance, Fox and the Hound seems like the cutest movie about two best friends that are just hanging around and having fun. I mean, the animation seems absolutely harmless, right? Well, at the beginning, we can already tell that this isn't your regular movie when the fox's mom is killed.
At this point in the movie, you'll think that nothing else could go wrong, right? After all, what's worse than witnessing your own mother being killed? Well, Disney sure has its surprises. The fox is adopted by this cute old lady and that's when you let out a sigh of relief thinking that the fox will now be safe, right? Well, no. The old lady ends up abandoning the fox in the woods.
Dumbo
While we don't see any death in Dumbo, that doesn't mean that Disney has spared its viewers from any pain. The movie begins with Mrs. Jumbo receiving a parcel from a lost stork with a baby elephant that has huge ears. Quickly, this baby elephant that is named Dumbo is made the object of ridicule.
In the attempt to defend her son, Mrs. Jumbo ends up being locked up and Dumbo is separated from her. Given his large ears, Dumbo is forced to act in a circus so that people can laugh at his differences. Unsurprisingly, he is constantly bullied, which ends up in severe low self-esteem.
Marley And Me
Okay, this one is not strictly a kids movie, but one would safely assume that it's a movie that can be enjoyed by children. After all, what can go wrong with a film involving an adorable Labrador? Everything. What you think is a movie about John Grogan (played by Owen Wilson) and his bond with Marley turns to be something else.
Yes, the bonding part is there, but it turns a sharp and unexpected turn. Throughout the film, you see the Labrador pup grow into a full-grown dog that just makes everybody's lives better. And it is precisely this affection that you create with him that leaves you shattered to pieces when the owners are forced to put Marley to sleep.
Bambi
Another seemingly harmless animated Disney movie, Bambi is one that will tear your heart just like Fox and the Hound did. But at this point, we are not surprised that Disney likes to leave us slightly traumatized and in tears, right? Released back in 1942, it was probably one of the saddest kids' movie ever.
There's more than one upsetting moment in Bambi, but one of the most devastating ones is when his mom is killed by a hunter. As if the idea of having his mom killed isn't frustrating and heartbreaking enough, Disney makes sure that Bambi finds her dead body covered in blood on the icy forest floor.
Charlotte's Web
If you didn't read the book before, then watching this movie definitely hits you with a surprise. This film is slightly unusual, starting with the fact that you develop some sort of attachment or affection towards a rather large spider, Charlotte. Then, you see a little runt baby pig saved from being killed, which is of course good news.
But just when you start thinking that things will work out, especially because you see Wilbur, the pig, and Charlotte, the spider, develop a deep bond throughout the summer, you're struck with a shocking reality. Charlotte essentially works hard to save Wilbur from slaughter, but little did we know that barn spiders cannot survive the cold days. So we are faced with the brutal reality when Charlotte asks Wilbur as a last favor to take her unhatched babies into the warmth of the barn.
Old Yeller
Yet another heart-breaking movie involving a dog, Old Yeller competes with Marley and Me when it comes to tragic movies that have dogs that warm your soul yet give you a huge shock when the plot unfolds itself. If anything, Old Yeller might even be worse, starting with the fact that Old Yeller is a stray dog.
Old Yeller quickly becomes friends with two boys that he starts following around. As we see them develop this harmless relationship, the town is struck by a rabies outbreak. Mind you, the story is set in rural Texas. Old Yeller, being the amazing dog that he is, tries to protect his family from some wolves that have the rabies, but in return he gets bitten. And what does Disney decide to do? Get the boys to shoot their own dog.
Up
This list would not be complete without the movie Up. Yes, remember that movie that completely broke your heart within the first 10 minutes? Arguably one of the saddest movies Disney ever made, Up was released back in 2009 and it quickly became one of those films that just makes anybody cry their eyes dry.
Let's be real, if you didn't cry, then you should check whether you're human or not because the love story of Carl and Ellie will squeeze your heart so tight, you'll wish that Disney somehow could rewrite it. As if losing their baby wasn't bad enough, Disney makes sure that within those first 5 minutes, Ellie has to pass away, leaving Carl without the love of his life.
The Lion King
Another classic yet heart-wrenching movie, you know that this list isn't complete without the famous Lion King film. Released back in 1994, The Lion King has another of the saddest scenes that ever existed in a kids' movie and yet again, this scene is related to having one's parents killed.
This time, the main character's father is not killed by a hunter, but by something equally traumatizing. Simba's dad is killed during a stampede (yes, by a sudden rush of hundreds of animals running in panic mode) after his own brother throws him off a cliff. There's nothing sadder than seeing Simba trying to wake his father up after the stampede is over.
The Good Dinosaur
One would have thought that after The Lion King, Disney would know better than to make another traumatizing scene of a dead father and their kid trying to wake them up. But in 2015, we all saw that Disney still insists on having a dead dad scene that breaks our hearts.
The movie The Good Dinosaur has a rather similar plot to that of The Lion King. When Little Arlo is hanging out with his father in search of the cave boy, a terrible incident happens. A huge storm approaches and both Arlo as well as his father are swept away. The dad does everything in his power to save his kid and by doing so, ends up drowning.
The Land Before Time
Yet another movie that has some very sad scenes, The Land Before Time definitely broke all of our hearts. If it makes us want to grab a box of tissues as adults, I can't imagine how little kids are supposed to be watching this one. Littlefoot, a plant-eating dinosaur, encounters several challenges along the movie. However, these challenges seem to get worse and worse.
For starters, he barely manages to avoid being eaten by a T-Rex. As if escaping death were not good enough, Littlefoot has to see all of his family die in an earthquake (traumatic, right?). And just when you think that everything that can go wrong has already gone wrong, Littlefoot has to watch his mother die. That scene just brings floods of tears when Littlefoot tries to convince himself that his mother will go back to the valley with him.
Rugrats In Paris
Rugrats, in case you didn't know, is a kids' TV show that displays the perspective of the world seen by babies. It's actually not meant to be a heart-wrenching series, but the movie Rugrats in Paris definitely takes on a different tone. The movie has a focus on baby Chuckie; more specifically, on the fact that his mom died shortly after Chuckie was born.
A terribly sad scene happens when all of the other Rugrats dance with their moms, emphasizing that Chuckie doesn't have one to dance with. As if that weren't sad enough, we then see baby Chuckie singing a song in the airplane about not having a mom.
The Iron Giant
Released back in 1999, The Iron Giant is a fantastic film, but not too suitable for children. What was the studio thinking? Since when do little kids' movies involve giant missiles? The film centers around the bond that forms between a boy and a giant robot that fell from space.
Maybe the fact that the movie is set in 1957 during the peak of the Cold War should have given us a hint that it wouldn't come with a happy ending. At the end of the film, we see a giant missile going towards town with the intention to kill everybody. However, the Iron Giant intercepts it by sacrificing himself.
Watership Down
At this point, we all know that a movie involving a group of animals meant for kids is never going to end well. However, Watership Down took things to a whole different level. When the movie came out in 1978, parents reportedly were complaining about the content of the movie, saying that it wasn't meant for kids. And they were right!
The movie is set in southern England and it is centered around the themes of survival and adventure. While this was originally a book written by Richard Adams, we were not expecting the film to be equally sad. The story is about this group of bunnies that gets chased by ferocious canines, eaten by hawks and die all sorts of bloody deaths.
Toy Story 3
Whoever wrote Toy Story 3 and decided its release dates is a master genius. That gap between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 must have been planned. The third installment was strategically released when the kids that watched Toy Story 1 and 2 were about to head to college. But why is that? Well, the movie is supposed to be about a final goodbye; a goodbye to all the toys that Andy played with since he was a kid given he is headed out to college.
While the whole movie has this sad tone given the toys cannot bear to not be in the hands of their original owner, they have to encounter several terrifying instances, including the possibility of burning to death in a huge furnace. However, what really gets to us is the part the Woody and Andy say their final goodbyes. Give us a break, Disney!
My Dog Skip
Before you roll your eyes because this is yet another tragic kids' movie involving a dog, listen us out. My Dog Skip is devastating, and maybe we should have known that when we realized it was about a young boy who meets a cute dog type of film. Yep, spoilers alert, but the dog ends up dead.
What makes this dog film different is that you keep thinking that Skip will survive his terrifying fate. The movie as a whole is rather chirpy, and even when Skip tries to run away from his owner after they fight, he survives an injury. So at that point, there's no way that something bad will happen to him, right? Incorrect, Skip passes away in his owner's bed while he's at college.
Inside Out
Inside Out is a movie that you know is not your typical standard happy kids' classic. The story revolves around Riley, a young girl who undergoes a traumatic experience when her parents move to San Francisco because of her dad's job. In the new place, she feels different and unwelcome, particularly in her cramped house.
But what makes this movie so deep, is that Riley's feelings all have personalities. We have Joy, Sadness and a bunch of others. But when Riley moves to San Francisco, Sadness begins messing things up by touching Riley's happy memories, which in turn converts them into sad memories.
Coco
Coco isn't only a very sad kids' animated film, but also, it's one of the best ones out there. Released in 2017, Coco will touch your heart, especially if you are a family person. The movie deals with complicated subjects that one might be surprised are included so deeply in a kids' movie, such as death and the afterlife.
For the great majority of the film, Coco is rather fun and uplifting. But you know that if the movie deals with the topics of death as well as having a 12-year-old kid be transported to the Land of the Dead, then there is bound to be a sad moment. So we were not all that surprised when we found out that Miguel, the main character, learns that his grandmother dies at the end.
Lilo & Stitch
We dare you to find somebody that doesn't like this movie. It's an absolute classic and definitely one of the more original movies that Disney ever made. But even though the film can be hilarious at some points, looking back as adults we can all agree that Lilo & Stitch is a bit sad.
The main character ,Lilo, has a hard time making friends and being like a "regular" kid. She feels misunderstood and it's extremely sad because she lost her parents to a terrible car accident. As the movie progresses, our hearts are broken when we're all tricked to thinking that Stitch passes away, only to see him crying in the rain moments later.
E.T The Extra-Terrestrial
Like most of the movies in this list, this film is hard to get through without shedding a tear. While originally intended to be for kids, it's hard to be an adult and watch E.T The Extra-Terrestrial without getting a bit emotional. We've all have to say hard goodbyes and this movie shows us one of the hardest ones ever.
When the alien that ends up in Earth befriends the young kid Elliott, the two quickly start forming a special friendship. So when E.T becomes ill and the government wants to intervene, you know that the story isn't going to end well. E.T has to leave Earth and his new best friend Elliott, but while doing so, he points at his own heart and tells Elliott "I'll be right here".
A Little Princess
When a movie earns two Academy Awards, it's hard to say that the movie isn't good. After all, they must have had some outstanding factor, right? A Little Princess is no exception, but what makes the movie beyond good, is the fact that it has some heart-wrenching moments that make it even hard to watch.
While the main character Sara comes from a very wealthy family, that doesn't stop us from feeling heart-broken when her dad is mistakenly identified as dead in the war, making the boarding school headmistress force Sara into an attic. Not only that, but she also has to be a servant given she's now considered to be "poor".