Tear-jerking Moments

This will contain spoilers for the movies/shows being discussed, since most of these will be character deaths.

There are some people who claim that popular culture isn't sad because it isn't real, and there are even more people who claim that to be more true of animation. I don't believe that to be the case. Instead, I find that movies and t.v. shows (curiously not books) tend to make me cry more than anything else, and that is especially true of animation. Animated t.v. shows, and especially movies, have always been, in my opinion, the saddest creations in popular culture. Thus, I give you the saddest, most depressing, and most heartbreaking scenes of all cinema.

Anime

Anime, or Japanese animation, comes in many genres and styles, and while some of these feature kick-butt action or adorable romance, nearly all have at least one depressing scene. These usually involve a character death or sad premise.

Both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are sad (especially the former), due to their premises of moral sin, death, and body dismemberment. While the shows as a whole are sad, there is one scene that is the same in both version; and possibly the saddest scene in all of anime. Fans of FMA know what I am talking about- the death of the beloved character Maes Hughes. What makes his death so heart-wrenching is how likable and relatable the character was, as well as his undying devotion to his beloved wife Gracia and their little girl Elicia. His death was sudden and changed the direction of the story, as well as the motivation for Roy Mustang, one of the central characters and best friend of Hughes. To see Mustang shed a tear, and utter "It's a terrible day for rain" just shows how much he cared for him and the effect he had on others. Equally sad is his daughter's naïve reaction, and the genuine tears shed by Armstrong, who is usually over dramatic. To see them cry like they did just breaks my heart.

Cartoons

It's hard to find sad moments in western animated shows, since they are very hesitant to kill a character. But, there are multiple other smaller scenes that are tug at your heartstrings. One of the shows that does this the most is Steven Universe. Within this show, there are many sad moments due to the characters and their confessions to each other. It does a really good job portraying their characters as humane and vulnerable, and that applies to just about every character. The character where this is especially true is Pearl. Pearl, who was basically Rose's bodyguard, is very insecure about her death and Steven's creation- although it is clear she loves Steven. This leads to complicated emotions and touching scenes between her and Steven.

The nature of the relationship between Steven and Rose is equally bittersweet. Rose, a benevolent and loving Crystal Gem, gave her life to create Steven. As a result, they have never met, and Steven only knows of her through other's descriptions and memories. That is, until he finds a video tape that Rose made recording how she fell in love with Greg (Steven's father) and the two had a child. It is a touching scene- it is Steven basically "meeting" his mom. The scene is personal, and it helps illustrate the innocence of Steven and the message of the show; love.

Animated Movies

There are so many sad animated movies, we'd be here all day if I listed them all. Instead, I will sort this into Disney/Pixar and movies not made by Disney/Pixar. 

Movies not made by Disney or Pixar

The saddest movies in this category would have to be Grave of the Fireflies, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Iron Giant, and The Land Before Time. Grave of the Fireflies was a movie about WWII that was just depressing the entire time. The Iron Giant and The Land Before Time have shocking and sad deaths that have really defined their respective movies, but besides for those deaths (The Giant's sacrifice and the death of Littlefoot's mother) the rest of the movies are fairly light-hearted. This is bias speaking, but of those movies, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the saddest. 

This might just be my complete obsession with the franchise, but I bawled like a baby when I saw How to Train Your Dragon 2. There is one scene (sort of two) that clearly stands out as being the saddest, and that would be the death of Stoick the Vast- Chief of Berk, wife of Valka, and father of Hiccup. What makes this death so unbearably sad is the circumstances under which Stoick died. We had spent the entirety of the first movie and t.v. show watching Stoick change his heart about dragons, and go from actively killing them to trusting and befriending them. To then watch this trust unravel as he is killed by none other than Toothless is really shocking. Toothless, who was being brainwashed by the alpha, actually at first attempts to kill Hiccup, his best friend. Stoick then saves Hiccup's life by taking a bullet for him and sacrificing himself to save him. What's worse, it was when we had just seen the long-lost family reunite. The movie itself really helps make this scene even worse by showing Toothless as unknowing of the sorrow he had caused, and Hiccup push him away. We then get the Viking ship burial, set to an absolutely gorgeous piece of music, "Stoick's Ship", as Hiccup fires the arrow and burns the ship. It is heartfelt and shows that this death is permanent. 

Disney/Pixar Movies

 These two companies just may be the kings of tear-your-heart-out-unbearably-sad movie moments.

Disney

1. The Lion King- Mufasa's Death. This scene is so recognizable and known for its profound impact on moviegoers, and is still considered to be one of, if not the saddest death in all of Disney. What really makes it sad is Simba's desperate plea for help and not even the chance to say goodbye.
2. Dumbo- "Baby Mine". While it's true his mom doesn't die, this scene is heartbreaking due to the fact that they are being separated- especially when you consider she was protecting Dumbo and Dumbo is so young.
3. Big Hero 6- Too many scenes to count! This newer movie has at least three separate moments that will get the waterworks started- Tadashi's death, the videos Tadashi made when prototyping Baymax, and Baymax's Iron Giant-esque sacrifice at the end of the movie. The reason these scenes are so sad is because Tadashi and Hiro are parent less, so when Tadashi dies, Hiro essentially has no immediate family left. This extends into his research, which is why Hiro is so upset when Baymax dies- Baymax was a little part of Tadashi he still had. This same reason is why the video scene is so emotional- much like the video of Steven's mother, it shows the relationship in a different fashion.
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is another really sad movie that is sad due to the premise of the movie. This is especially true during "God Help the Outcasts"- a scene that is sad due to its beautiful message about helping those less fortunate than you. 

Pixar

1. Inside Out- THE ENTIRE MOVIE. This whole movie was just an emotional roller coaster that I counted crying four different times for. The biggest ones come at the end of the movie; when Joy is viewing the memory orbs, Bing Bong's death, and when Riley returns after running away. These scenes are so sad because they show the boundaries of the human personalities and what it is like when your entire world comes crashing down. It also reminds us how fragile we and are childhoods are; teaching us that they will inevitably end.  
2. Up- Ah, the infamous opening scene. This scene is known for being just utterly heartbreaking and tear-jerking. The reason why would be is that we rarely ever see old age in animation, so when it is explored like it is in "Married Life", especially when you consider Carl and Ellie never got to live out their childhood dream, you get a memorable, sad scene, Not to be overlooked, the rest of the movie has merit in terms of making you cry as well; in the scenes "Stuff We Did" and "The Ellie Badge"- really any scene in the movie that involves Ellie. In my opinion, "Stuff We Did" is the saddest, since we get to see more of their life through Ellie's lens, which adds a layer of emotion to the already emotional core.
3. Monsters, Inc.- This movie, while nobody dies, is still famous for its ending, in which Sulley must say goodbye to Boo, and we see the relationship end. It is particularly bad when Boo opens back up the door only to find her closet, and learns that goodbyes will be forever.
4. Toy Story 3 is mostly famous for its sad ending, when Andy gives his toys to Bonnie, but I believe that an earlier scene is sadder- the trash incinerator scene. There is no dialogue needed- the music and the toys' expressions say it all: that they know their time has come, and there is no way out. So, in an action that always makes me cry, they join hands and accept their fate together.   

Some of the other sad scenes include:
Toy Story 2- "When She Loved Me"
Finding Nemo- "Nemo Egg"
WALL-E- "Fixing WALL-E"
Brave- "We've Both Changed"    

videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwXg6eYf66w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vnVAghBs8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS9bQNS6Q8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7OgeB00ubo&list=PL8Y14NIvJGJM4LPIsoyoHTEC9DnU_aIQw&index=12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcIdajJJZQU&index=17&list=PL8Y14NIvJGJM4LPIsoyoHTEC9DnU_aIQw