Top 5 Emotional Moments in Pixar Films

There are few sequences in all of cinematic history that are as guaranteed to leave all but the most hard-hearted of viewers with a lump in their throat as the three-minute montage detailing Jessie’s tragic past in Toy Story 2. Jessie, the energetic cowgirl voiced by Joan Cusack, reveals the details of her background to Woody (Tom Hanks) in the context of a dialogue-free flashback that is nothing short of heartbreaking, with the emotional quotient of the scene heightened considerably by Sarah McLachlan’s gut-wrenching performance of a song written by Randy Newman. (It’s also worth noting that the sequence is as powerful and affecting on its umpteenth viewing as it is on the first.)

Given that it possesses one of the most outlandish set-ups in Pixar’s history – an elderly man embarks on a trip to South America in a house held aloft by balloons – Up hardly seems like the sort of movie designed to elicit tears from its audience. But that’s exactly what filmmakers Pete Docter and Bob Peterson have accomplished, as the movie features an absolutely devastating four-minute montage detailing the highs and lows of hero Carl Fredrickson’s life with his beloved, Ellie. It’s an incredibly stirring stretch that effectively sets the movie’s plot into motion, and there's little doubt that the strength of Carl's love for his late wife triggers a few other palpable instances of emotion later on in the proceedings.

Leave it to Pixar to elicit an emotional response out of a sequence involving a villain. Ratatouille primarily concerns the rather underwhelming exploits of heroes Remy and Linguini, with their ongoing efforts at pleasing a picky restaurant critic named Anton Ego forming the basis of the movie’s rocky storyline. Their attempts finally pay off towards the film’s conclusion as they whip up a batch of the titular concoction, with Ego’s first bite of the dish instantly transporting him back to his childhood (where we see his mother cooking him the very same meal).  It’s an astonishingly moving sequence that perfectly encapsulates the impact that great food can have on even the most heartless of individuals.

It’s not a stretch to call WALL-E one of the most vividly-realized and downright memorable characters ever created by Pixar, which is no small feat considering that the character, a trash-collecting robot, hardly speaks a single word through the film’s running time. There’s nevertheless little doubt that WALL-E’s crush on a fellow robot, the comparatively sleek EVE, is far more compelling (and adorable) than one might have expected, thus ensuring that the sequence near the film’s conclusion in which WALL-E seemingly reverts to his original programming and forgets EVE is surprisingly heartbreaking. (By that same token, one can't help but feel a surge of happiness once WALL-E remembers EVE after a spark of electricity passes between the two.)

There is a scene towards the end of Toy Story 3 that’s as shocking and emotionally draining as any within animated film history, as Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang find themselves trapped within a huge incinerator from which there appears to be no escape. Rather than waste their last moments trying to find a way out, Andy’s toys instead accept their respective fates and spend their last few moments comforting one another and grabbing hands. It’s an astonishingly adult moment that almost seems too strong for a film geared towards children, which certainly cements its place as one of the most viscerally moving sequences within the virtually flawless trilogy.