When it comes to tugging at the heartstrings, Pixar sure knows how to yank ’em. From Toy Story to Up, we look at the emotional moments that really give you a lump in your gullet.
Carl leaves the hospital without Ellie
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Which makes us get these feels…
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In what may be the saddest opening scene of any movie ever, Up introduces us to geeky kid Carl and his wild-hearted neighbor girl Ellie. The two end of up falling in love, getting married and beginning to fill the pages of their “Adventure Book.” Until, that is, Ellie gets bad news. Carl staying by Ellie’s side at the hospital up until her death is pretty heavy stuff for a kids’ movie, and we can’t help but bawl when he returns to their charming little home without her.
Mike helps Sulley find Boo
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Which makes us get these feels…
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As unlikely friendships go, there has never been a cuter odd couple than Monsters, Inc.‘s big blue monster Sulley and little girl Boo. It’s hard enough when Sulley — aka Kitty — has to return his buddy to her room and destroy the door. But when his monster bestie Mike Wazowski painstakingly collects every piece of Boo’s shattered door and, with splintered fingers, presents it to Sulley so he can reunite with Boo? Well, we need a hug.
Nemo’s mom dies trying to protect him
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Which makes us get these feels…
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Ugh, we knew it was coming, but we still weren’t prepared for the emotional havoc it would wreak. At the beginning of Finding Nemo, we meet clownfish husband-and-wife Marlin and Coral, who are flitting about their new anemone home and trying to settle on names for their 700 eggs (“I like Nemo.” “Nemo? OK, we’ll name one Nemo, but I would like most of them to be Marlin Jr.”) Then, it happens. A toothy barracuda spots them and the eggs and Coral puts herself between the aggressive fish and her babies. In the melee that ensues, Marlin is knocked out… only to wake up and discover Coral and the eggs have all been killed. We’re still choking back tears when Marlin discovers a solo surviving egg — and now we’re in full-blown emotional feels mode.
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Jessie gets abandoned
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Which makes us get these feels…
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The first Toy Story had some sentimental moments, sure. But Pixar stepped up its tear-jerking game in Toy Story 2. We meet Jessie, a cowgirl toy created in conjunction with the Woody doll, who tries to convince Woody he doesn’t need Andy. Finally, a flashback explains all of the hurt she’s been hiding. A flashback to the tune of Sarah McLachlan’s heartbreaking ballad “When She Loved Me,” no less. And, just as those SPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” streaming in the background do, the combo of the singer’s heartrending voice and Jessie’s story of being abandoned by her girl reduce us to mush. Why? Why would someone do that to Jessie?
Nemo gets crushed by the net
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Which makes us get these feels…
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Aw, man! Really? After Marlin fights his way across the ocean, dodging death at every turn, and after Nemo finally manages to escape the fish tank (and Darla’s death clutches), Nemo still winds up knockin’ on death’s door. When he saves Dory and the other fish by convincing them to swim downward in the net, we couldn’t have predicted he would then get crushed as the bigger fish all slam down on top of him. But, oh, that moment when he opens his eyes and Marlin realizes he’s alive? Gets us every time.
Ratatouille warms Anton Ego’s icy heart
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Which makes us get these feels…
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That awkward moment when you’re watching a movie about a rat with culinary aspirations with your kids, and you can’t keep it together… that’s exactly what happens at the end of the surprisingly adorable (who knew a cooking rat could be cute?) movie Ratatouille when, after dealing with the icy food critic Anton Ego the entire film, a single bite of the culinary-minded rodent’s “peasant” dish transports Ego to the comforts of his mother and childhood. His enthusiasm for food and his love for his mother comes rushing back in one fell swoop… as do the tears from our eyes.
Merida thinks she’s lost her mum for good
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Which makes us get these feels…
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For most of Brave, feisty and fiercely independent Scottish princess Merida just doesn’t see eye to eye with her mother. She wants to make her own choices and live her own life, and her straitlaced mum wants her to adhere to tradition by letting the princes from neighboring territories vie for her hand in marriage. Then, well, she turns her mum into a bear and must go to great lengths to return her to her human form. When she thinks she may be too late to bring her mother back and cries while clinging to her bear-mum’s neck, there isn’t a dry eye in the house — especially when her mum does return and showers Merida in affectionate, giggly kisses. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to go call our mums.
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Andy passes Woody on to Bonnie
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Which makes us get these feels…
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By Toy Story 3, we were totally invested in the unbreakable bond between Woody and his boy Andy. So when Andy is preparing to head off to college in this last installment, we’re happy to learn he’s taking Woody with him. Then, in a last-minute twist, Woody sticks the address of little Bonnie on the box of toys to be donated… and he jumps in with his friends. When Bonnie discovers Woody in the box, Andy reluctantly — and only after giving a heartrending speech about their friendship — passed the toy on to her. As if that weren’t hard enough to choke back, as he drives away and Woody watches from the porch, the cowboy softly says, “Goodbye, partner.” Ack! The feels…. the feels!
Carl says goodbye to Ellie
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Which makes us get these feels…
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Between the early life love story montage at the beginning to the “things we did” montage in this scene near the end, Up may just hold the title for the saddest 10 minutes in movie montage history. This… when Carl finally says goodbye to his beloved Ellie… we can’t even.
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