13 Times Pixar Made Us Ugly Cry

13 Times Pixar Made Us Ugly Cry

Pixar has a special gift for making audiences feel all the emotions, especially sadness. For over two decades, the animation studio has created stories that touch our hearts in ways we never expected. Whether it’s saying goodbye to childhood toys or watching characters face loss and growth, Pixar knows exactly how to make us reach for the tissues and cry our eyes out.

1. Up (2009)

Carl and Ellie’s love story unfolds in just ten minutes, yet it feels like a lifetime. From childhood sweethearts to married life, we watch them dream, struggle, and grow old together. Then tragedy strikes when Ellie passes away, leaving Carl alone with memories and an unfulfilled promise.

What makes this scene so powerful is how much emotion Pixar packs into such a short time. There are no words needed, just beautiful music and images that tell everything. The montage shows us that life is precious, even when it doesn’t go as planned.

This opening sequence changed animation forever and proved that cartoons could make grown adults sob uncontrollably in theaters.

2. Toy Story 3 (2010)

Growing up means letting go, and that’s exactly what Andy has to do with his beloved toys. As he prepares for college, he must decide what happens to Woody, Buzz, and the gang who’ve been with him since childhood. The toys face their own mortality in a terrifying incinerator scene that had everyone holding their breath.

But the real tearjerker comes when Andy plays with his toys one last time before giving them to Bonnie. He introduces each one with love and care, showing how much they meant to him. Saying goodbye to Woody is the hardest part.

This movie reminds us that endings are painful but necessary for new beginnings.

3. Finding Nemo (2003)

Tragedy strikes before the movie even really begins. Marlin and Coral are excited about their new eggs when a barracuda attack destroys everything. Marlin loses his wife and almost all his children, with only little Nemo surviving. This trauma shapes Marlin into an overprotective father who lives in constant fear.

Throughout the film, we watch Marlin overcome his fears to save his son. The journey across the ocean tests him in every way possible. When father and son finally reunite, all the pain and struggle make the moment incredibly powerful.

Finding Nemo teaches us that love means letting go, even when it terrifies us.

4. Coco (2017)

Memory is everything in the Land of the Dead, and Miguel learns this the hard way. His great-great-grandfather is disappearing because no one remembers him anymore. The movie explores how families pass down stories and keep loved ones alive through memory and music.

Everything builds to the moment when Miguel sings to his great-grandmother Coco, hoping to spark her fading memories. As the music plays, she slowly remembers her father and the song he wrote for her. Tears flow as she joins in singing.

This scene celebrates the power of family and reminds us that our ancestors live on through the stories we tell.

5. Inside Out (2015)

Riley’s emotions work overtime as she struggles with moving to a new city and leaving her old life behind. Joy tries to keep everything positive, but sadness has an important role too. The movie brilliantly shows how growing up means accepting that not everything can be happy all the time.

Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, makes the ultimate sacrifice to help Joy return to headquarters. His final words, asking Joy to take Riley to the moon for him, destroy every heart in the audience. He fades away with a smile, knowing he helped his friend one last time.

Inside Out proves that sadness isn’t the enemy—it’s part of being human.

6. Toy Story 4 (2019)

Woody has always been about loyalty and staying with his kid, but sometimes paths diverge. After years of being Andy’s toy and then Bonnie’s, Woody discovers there’s more to life than waiting in a closet. He meets Bo Peep again and realizes he wants something different now.

The hardest part is saying goodbye to Buzz and the others who’ve been his family forever. Their final hug speaks volumes without many words. Woody chooses to become a lost toy, helping other toys find kids instead of belonging to one himself.

This ending shows that it’s okay to change direction and choose your own happiness, even when it means leaving loved ones behind.

7. Soul (2020)

Joe Gardner spends his whole life chasing his dream of becoming a famous jazz musician. He believes that one perfect performance will give his life meaning and purpose. But after falling into a manhole (ouch), he ends up in the Great Before, where souls get their personalities.

Through his journey with 22, Joe discovers something surprising. Life’s meaning isn’t found in one big moment but in all the small, ordinary ones—like eating pizza, feeling leaves fall, or listening to music. His montage of simple memories hits differently than typical sad scenes.

Soul makes us cry because it reminds us we might be missing the beauty that’s already all around us.

8. Finding Dory (2016)

Dory has always been the comic relief with her short-term memory loss, but this movie reveals her heartbreaking backstory. As a child, she got separated from her parents and spent years searching for them while forgetting why she was searching. Imagine losing your family and not even remembering you had one.

Her journey to find them again takes her across the ocean and through incredible challenges. Every obstacle seems impossible for someone who forgets things constantly. But Dory’s determination and the help of friends lead her home.

When she finally sees her parents waiting for her, following the shell path they made years ago, there’s not a dry eye anywhere.

9. Luca (2021)

Summer friendships burn bright but often end too soon. Luca and Alberto discover the human world together, keeping their sea monster identities secret while experiencing freedom for the first time. Their bond grows strong as they dream about traveling the world on a Vespa.

But summer can’t last forever. Luca gets the chance to go to school and see more of the world, while Alberto must stay behind. Their goodbye at the train station, in the rain, captures that bittersweet feeling of childhood friendships ending. Alberto gives Luca his blessing to go, even though it hurts.

This farewell reminds us that growing up sometimes means growing apart from the people we love most.

10. Turning Red (2022)

Mei Lee transforms into a giant red panda when she gets too emotional, which is basically all the time as a teenager. But the real transformation is in her relationship with her mother, Ming. Their bond is suffocatingly close until Mei starts wanting independence and her own identity.

The movie captures the complicated dance between mothers and daughters perfectly. Ming’s own trauma and pressure from her mother created the controlling behavior Mei rebels against. When they finally confront each other in the spirit realm, both must accept that change is necessary and painful.

Turning Red makes us cry because it shows how love can sometimes hurt the people we’re trying to protect.

11. Elemental (2023)

Fire and water aren’t supposed to mix, but Ember and Wade prove that opposites can create something beautiful. Their romance explores themes of immigration, family expectations, and finding where you truly belong. Ember feels trapped by her duty to take over her father’s shop and honor his sacrifices.

Wade helps her see that she deserves to follow her own dreams too. But their different natures mean being together seems impossible. The moment when Ember thinks she must let Wade evaporate to save him tears your heart apart. Their love story shows that sacrifice comes in many forms.

Elemental surprises audiences with its emotional depth about identity and choosing your own path.

12. The Good Dinosaur (2015)

What if the asteroid never hit and dinosaurs evolved alongside humans? Arlo, a young Apatosaurus, loses his father in a tragic accident and blames himself for what happened. His journey home with a wild human boy named Spot becomes a story about facing grief and finding courage.

Though less talked about than other Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur packs emotional punches that hit younger viewers especially hard. Arlo’s vision of his father in the clouds, telling him he’s proud, brings healing to both character and audience. The father-son bond transcends death in a beautiful way.

This quieter Pixar entry reminds us that grief is a journey we all must travel.

13. Onward (2020)

Ian and Barley get one chance to bring their dad back for 24 hours using magic, but the spell goes wrong and only brings back his legs. The brothers embark on a quest to complete the spell before time runs out. Ian never knew his father, so this is his only opportunity to meet him.

The twist ending reveals that Barley sacrificed his chance to say goodbye so Ian could have the moment he needed. Ian realizes his older brother has been a father figure all along, filling that role without recognition. When Ian finally sees his dad, he lets Barley have the reunion instead.

Onward celebrates the family we have while honoring the family we’ve lost.