Disney Songs That Will Definitely Make You Cry

With his comically large ears, Dumbo is the object of ridicule in his home circus. His mother, however, loves him all the same and does her best to protect him from the insults flung his way. When a group of kids refuses to leave Dumbo alone, his mother grabs one of them and spanks him with her trunk. Unfortunately, the circus ringmaster enters in the middle of the elephant's outburst and immediately declares her mad. He locks her away in a cage where she can't interact with Dumbo. 

In "Baby Mine," Dumbo visits his mother in her cage. Through the bars keeping them apart, the two elephants caress each other with their trunks while tears stream down Dumbo's face. He snuggles up in his mother's trunk and she gently rocks him back and forth, giving him just a little of the love he's craving. The song then cuts to the other circus animals, all of whom are able to cuddle with their young. Eventually, Dumbo has to walk away from his mother and face life alone once again. 

After Miguel makes his way back from the Land of the Dead, he realizes that his elderly great-grandmother, Coco, must remember her true father, Héctor, before he disappears from the afterlife forever. Although he's strictly forbidden from playing music, Miguel breaks the rules and plays Coco a song her father used to sing to her. "Remember Me" not only revives Coco as her life and memory fade, but it also corrects the family history and allows Miguel to pursue his one true passion, music. 

While Miguel sings to Coco, her entire demeanor changes. You can nearly see the moment that she remembers who her father is. When she starts singing along, it's all over.

Although Jessie first presents herself as Woody's rootin'-tootin' sidekick in Toy Story 2, this song changes everything. Jessie isn't just a fun cowgirl looking for her next adventure - she's a toy forgotten by the child she loved. 

With this song playing in the background, Jessie recounts her relationship with her kid, Emily. Emily played with Jessie obsessively, taking her everywhere she went and even mimicking her toy's outfits. As Emily grew up, however, Jessie was forgotten. Emily grew out of her favorite childhood toy, as so many of us do, and eventually gave Jessie away.

Jessie ends the story by saying, "You never forget kids like Emily or Andy, but they forget you."

In this scene from The Fox and the Hound, the widow Tweed finally realizes that Todd is no longer safe with her. When Cooper returns as a hunting dog, Todd is caught on Amos Slade's property. Convinced that the fox means to eat his chickens, Slade chases Todd to a nearby railroad track where his older hunting dog meets the wrong side of a train. Slade vows revenge on Todd, and the widow Tweed realizes she can't keep him safe. Cue "Goodbye May Seem Forever."

As this tune plays, Tweed puts Todd in her car. The happy fox tries to play with her, but her inner monologue recounts their emotional journey together and her need to say goodbye now. The song ends with an emotional Tweed taking Todd into the woods and leaving him there. She's trying to protect him, but the poor fox doesn't understand what's happening. All he knows is that he's being abandoned.

After losing her baby to Sabor the leopard, Kala the gorilla comes across the infant Tarzan abandoned in a tree house. His parents, too, have been slain by Sabor. Kala saves Tarzan and takes him back to raise him as her own, but her husband Kerchak immediately rejects the idea. Kala decides to do it anyway, though she quickly realizes that taking care of a human is not the same as taking care of a gorilla. 

After Kala nearly drops him, baby Tarzan bursts into tears. To calm him down, Kala sings this song. It's the first time she bonds with her new baby and it's guaranteed to hit you right in the feels.

In this older Disney movie, orphan Penny just wants a family. However, she's kidnapped by a woman named Madame Medusa who wants to force Penny to retrieve the largest diamond in the world, the Devil's Eye. While Penny reflects on her terrible position with tears running down her face, "Someone's Waiting for You" plays in the background. 

The song is sad and slow, but it talks about how there's someone out there who's waiting for Penny. While things seem bad right now, they're going to get better. The tune is certainly right, especially since Penny gets adopted at the end of the film. However, in the moment, it's terribly bittersweet.