15 Tear-Jerking Moments Pixar Gave Us

Pixar isn’t just good at making animated films; they know how to touch that soft part of our hearts and bring tears to our eyes. Today, we celebrate them for all the emotional moments they brought to us as children—scenes of reunions, loss, support, etc.—and still deliver today. Here are 15 of them.

Ellie and Carl’s Life Montage – Up

This sequence of Carl and Ellie’s life starts with marriage and continues with how they spend their days reading, working, and watching clouds. A cloud inspires them to have a baby, but sadly, Ellie gets a miscarriage. It walks through how their savings for a trip keep failing. Ellie collapses and dies, and it wraps up with Carl taking a balloon home.

Andy Giving Away His Toys – Toy Story 3

Now grown up, Andy prepares to leave for college and finds a new home for his toys with Bonnie. He makes her promise to care for them. Asking for special care for Woody, playing with them a final time, and giving them a final look as he leaves are painful to watch.

Bing Bong’s Sacrifice – Inside Out

Bing Bong, Riley’s forgotten imaginary friend, helps Joy escape the memory dump, even though he knows it means he’ll fade away forever. His selfless act is heartbreaking because it represents Riley’s loss of childhood imagination and innocence. As he disappears, he says some words that show he still loves Riley—”Take her to the moon for me, okay?”

Sulley Saying Goodbye to Boo – Monsters, Inc.

The monster Sulley has formed a deep bond with Boo. At some point, he has to be separated from her, and he tells her goodbye in a few words after confirming she isn’t scared of monsters anymore. How she affectionately hugs Sulley and calls her nickname for him “Kitty” is priceless to watch.

Marlin Finds Nemo – Finding Nemo

Marlin is on a desperate journey to find his son, Nemo, and faces some obstacles but loves his son too much to quit. He first finds Nemo playing dead, so he thinks it’s over, but they later reunite, to his relief. Shortly after, Nemo impresses his father by saving a captured Dory.

The Ending of Coco – Coco

Because of a bad experience with a musician, music was banned in Miguel’s family, but he loved it. Towards the end of the film, he plays “Remember Me” to Coco, which brightens her up. Seeing Mama Coco come alive after being almost silent throughout the movie brings tears of joy and sadness.

WALL· E’s Memory Loss – WALL·E

Before AUTO was deactivated, he hit WALL· E using the Holo Detector. EVE repaired him after landing on Earth, but it seems his memory is gone. It is while we share this sad moment that EVE makes it more emotional by giving him a goodbye kiss, which brings him back to normal.

Jessie’s Backstory – Toy Story 2

Jessie’s story of abandonment, told through the song “When She Loved Me,” is one sad moment we can’t ignore. It begins with the joy she experienced with her owner. Then, the flashback becomes painful when Jessie is left behind and forgotten, and it heightens when she is left in a donation box.

The Incinerator Scene – Toy Story 3

In one of the tensest moments in Pixar’s history, the toys find themselves trapped in an incinerator with no apparent way out. As they realize there’s no escape, they hold hands, accepting their fate together. The weight of the moment, where the characters are about to face their end, is overwhelming.

Dory’s Reunion with Her Parents – Finding Dory

After a memory loss, Dory remembers her parents and finds them. They have been waiting and leaving trails of shells to guide her home. When they reunite, it’s a moment of joy and relief, and it’s clear how much they have missed each other.

Sadness Comforts Bing Bong – Inside Out

Bing Bong is sad after his rocket is trashed. After Joy tries to cheer him up and fails, Sadness listens and talks with him while sitting with him and remains with him as he cries. Even though the emotion seems short-lived, it was a teachable moment.

Merida and Elinor’s Reconciliation – Brave

What Princess Merida wanted was for her mother to change, but she got more than she wanted when Elinor changed into a bear. Elinor was close to remaining a bear forever, and Merida wept because of that. From the sadness came life as their new bond reversed the curse that kept Merida an animal.

The Barracuda Attack – Finding Nemo

As the film opens, a barracuda attack takes away Marlin’s wife and most of his unborn children—a devastating way to start the story. He earlier asked her to “get inside the house” to avoid any danger. After Marlin wakes, he starts to look for Coral in a sad moment.

Lightning McQueen Pushing the King – Cars

King’s crash was sad enough to make us cry, but what even pulled more tears from our eyes was unexpected. In a surprising act of sportsmanship, Lightning McQueen sacrificed his chance to win by stopping just before the finish line. McQueen drives up to King and pushes him to cross the finish line.

Anton Ego’s Flashback – Ratatouille

The harsh food critic, Anton Ego, is always ready to tear down a cooking business that doesn’t meet his standards. When he tastes Remy’s ratatouille, it instantly transports him back to his childhood. He remembers his mom and her cooking, and we watch him drop his pen and dig into the food again.