19 Pixar Moments That Hit Like An Emotional Gut Punch

When most people watched Up for the first time, they probably weren't expecting a movie about an old man, a quirky kid, and a talking dog to have them bawling their eyes out in the first few minutes. Yet, that's the reaction most people face in this film. 

After Carl and Ellie meet as kids, the film shows their entire lives together in less than five minutes. It highlights the ups, such as their wedding and decorating their new house, and the downs, such as a miscarriage and Ellie slowing down in her later years. In a short amount of time, the audience falls in love with the couple, only to see Ellie pass away at the end of the montage. Despite the heartbreak Carl and the viewers feel, it's one of the most beloved parts of any Pixar film.

The toys know that the best thing for everyone is for them to move on to a new kid, but that doesn't make their final scene with Andy any less emotional. Andy hands off his toys to a young girl named Bonnie at the end of Toy Story 3. He tells her about each one before handing them over. But then, he notices that Woody is the last one in the box, even though Andy hadn't put him there.

Andy struggles to give up Woody because they've been through so much together. Yet, he knows all the toys will be better off with Bonnie. Andy and Bonnie play with the toys together, giving the toys one last wonderful memory with Andy. 

After realizing that Coco is starting to forget Héctor, Miguel knows he has to do something to stop Coco's dad from disappearing from the Land of the Dead. So, as soon as he returns home, Miguel rushes to Coco. He shows her a photo and plays a song to help regain her memory. At first, she has no reaction, but as he plays “Remember Me,” joy returns to her eyes, and she sings with him. It's a beautiful interaction between two family members, making viewers want to hold their loved ones closer after watching it.

In Onward, Ian and Barley's father died when Ian was a baby, so Ian always dreamed of getting to know him and spending time with him. Barley was old enough to remember his father, but he never got the chance to say a proper goodbye. After a spell goes wrong, the brothers go on an adventure with their dad's lower half, trying to finish the spell so the rest of their dad will appear.

In the end, there are only a few minutes left with their dad's full body, and Ian lets Barley have a moment with his dad instead of him. He realized Barley deserved to get a proper goodbye more than he did. Ian also discovered that even though he never knew his dad, he had Barley as a father figure in his life instead. So, after their dad disappears for good, the brothers share an emotional hug that's sure to make anyone's eyes water.

WALL-E captures one of the most emotional stories in Pixar history with very few words. WALL-E and EVE are robots programmed to complete a task on Earth, but they develop more complex emotions and fall in love with each other. So, when WALL-E gets nearly destroyed on the Axiom while trying to save the humans, EVE's reaction is devastating.

EVE holds WALL-E's limp body in her arms while pleading for him to be okay. When they return to Earth, she tries to fix him, but he ends up being a lifeless drone with no memory of her. Most audience members likely shed a tear when it seemed like WALL-E wouldn't be himself anymore. Luckily, EVE's kiss helped jolt him back to his old self, giving them an emotional reunion.

Montages with sad songs are the perfect way to grab at someone's heartstrings. In Toy Story 2, Jessie's story about her life with Emily is shown while the tear-jerking song “When She Loved Me” plays. Like most toys, Jessie's kid played with her constantly until she eventually outgrew her and put her in a donation bin. Jessie peering out the hole in the box as the car drives away is the most heart-wrenching moment of the film. It left many viewers feeling guilty about all the favorite toys they left behind over the years.