17 Scenes From Kids' TV Shows And Movies That Were So Devastating, They Ripped My Heart Out Of My Chest And Cut It Up Into A Million Pieces

Note: This post contains mentions of eating disorders.

Kids' TV shows and movies aren't supposed to be overly emotional — because, you know, they're for KIDS. But occasionally, a scene from a kids' show or movie will just take us all by surprise and make us sob, or scream, or both.

And TBH, it takes a LOT to make me cry, so these deserve some sort of award. Get your tissues, because here are the most heart-wrenching scenes from kids' movies and TV...

1. I gotta start with the most obvious one: the first ten minutes of Up. It's the most beautiful representation of a love story I've ever seen, including how it feels to lose a loved one. If I ever need to cry, this is my go-to.

2. I don't remember really anything from Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, except for one scene that tore me to pieces: when Justin forgets who Alex is. She tries to remind him she's his sister in a lovingly honest way. It's a rare moment where Alex is actually being serious, and it made me super emotional.

3. And speaking of Disney shows, we have to talk about *that* episode of That's So Raven: "True Colors," the one where Raven is discriminated against because she's black. It's extremely well done, and I'm genuinely surprised this never got an award of some kind.

4. All of Inside Out had me in tears; that movie was just a compilation of SAD AF events. But the scene that broke us all down the most was Bing Bong's death. A beloved imaginary friend from childhood being forgotten as you get older? That's pretty much a nightmare for any of us that are terrified of adulting.

5. The Harry Potter movies are full of character deaths and heartbreaking moments, but I've chosen to include an underrated scene from the most kid-friendly movie in the series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The part where Harry finds the Mirror of Erised tops my list of saddest Harry Potter scenes, TBH. Seeing little Harry long for his parents just rips my heart out.

6. This one is obvious, but I had to mention it: Mufasa's death in The Lion King probably tops the list of saddest Disney scenes in history. But I honestly think I cried more during "He Lives In You" than Mufasa's *actual* death, though. If I ever need a good cry, that song will do it.

7. Full House had some pretty sad episodes. But the one that tore me up the most was "The Last Dance," the one where Jesse's grandfather Papouli dies. The acting in this episode is just so excellent, and the family dynamic feels impressively authentic.

8. If you watched Saved by the Bell back in the day, you should know exactly what I'm about to say. In the episode "Jessie's Song," Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills because of the sheer amount of pressure on her — and it's heartbreaking to watch.

9. I cried so many times during the Toy Story movies, but I think my heart physically stopped beating watching the toys fall down the garbage burning site in Toy Story 3. That was so freakin' intense, it makes me genuinely question the writing choice, and makes me never wanna watch the movie ever again.

10. In Zoey 101, when Chase finally told Zoe he loved her (through a TekMate text, duh), it was cause for celebration. But then, all our hearts broke when her phone fell into the fountain. Because OF COURSE it did. We lost the one chance we had at them finally being a couple, and even as an adult, it still hurts.

11. We already know I can't handle it when characters forget each other. So of course I couldn't handle the scene from A Little Princess when Sara screams "Papa! Papa!" while the police take her away. That one's a sure-fire tearjerker.

12. And I hate spiders with a burning passion, as most of us do, but when Charlotte dies in Charlotte's Web, it really strikes a chord. We grow to love her so much throughout that story, and to just take her away feels equally cruel and devastating.

13. We all grew up watching Lizzie McGuire, but perhaps you don't remember the episode "Inner Beauty," where Miranda develops an eating disorder. This episode is pretty heartbreaking to watch as it is, but it hits even harder once you're older and realize just how common these stories are, especially in young women.

14. I'm not a big fan of alien movies. But the scene when E.T. dies just HAS to make this list. E.T. whispering "stay, Elliott" just completely rips my heart out. And how can you not sob watching baby Drew Barrymore cry?

15. Watching Coraline as a child, I was basically just terrified the whole time. But as an adult, the concept of escaping to a parallel family hits a lot harder, and represents much deeper familial conflicts that kinda just fly over kids' heads. Now, when I watch this movie, I can't help but cry for Coraline.

16. Rugrats is one of the best kids' shows of all time, and it rarely touched on super serious topics. But the writers chose to do something brilliant for the "Mother's Day" episode: they showcased what loss and tough conversations look like for those whose mothers have passed away. It's beautiful, tragic, and so well done — I truly think it's the best TV episode in Nickelodeon history.

17. If you didn't start crying when Miguel started singing "Remember Me" to Mama Coco in the movie Coco, do you even have a heart?! Dare I say, I think that song is the saddest one in Disney history, and Mama Coco is just the sweetest character in the universe.

What's your favourite sad episode of TV or movie scene? Tell me in the comments below!