Most Heartbreaking Kids Movies

So the genre of children’s movies or kids movies is vast and there are many entries to it. Some are musical and fun, some are about nothing, some thrive off of cheap jokes and take no thought process to watch at all. But sometimes, very occasionally there is an entrance into the kids movie genre that is heavy and quite emotional. Now these are arguably the best kids movies, the ones that teach something and cause everyone that watches them (not just kiddos) to have a strong emotional reaction. This can be said for very few kids movies but we are going to list out the most emotional and sometimes heartbreaking movies for kids.

The Bridge to Terabithia

No surprise to anyone that this movie is at the top of this list. Bridge to Terabithia is arguably one of the most heartbreaking stories of all time, not just kids' stories. Like most people I was shown this movie after we read the book in school and just like most people, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Bridge to Terabithia is about two best friends who have so much trouble living in their actual lives that they make up this beautiful world with their extensive imaginations. Now this point is somehow more upsetting in the book because in the book they are 8. In Terabithia these kids are in control, they are the king and queen. They are the fastest, the most powerful. Now if it wasn’t sad enough that 7th grade kids felt the need for that level of escapism add in the ending. With one of the most upsetting endings in movie history, our leading boy comes home to find out that his best friend died. Going to Terabithia the rope swing breaks and she drowns in the river.

Iron Giant

Next up on this wildly depressing list is Iron Giant. I somehow never knew that the Iron Giant was played by Vin Diesel. The movie takes place in the 50s during the Cold War and is about a young boy that befriends this giant that was designed to be a weapon. Basically the giant and the boy begin to bond and the giant has a soul. He wins over the townspeople and they all begin to love him. But the military is trying to take down their weapon and they order a missile at the town. The giant saves the town by sacrificing himself and it's the most upsetting explosion of a robot ever. And though it has a hopeful ending it is a wildly emotional ride.

Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young is about the relationship between us and wildlife and wildlife and poachers, that should be enough to get you emotional. The movie literally opens with a poacher killing a mom gorilla and the human mother of our main character. Again there is an eventual happy ending (the bad guy even dies at the end, and it is very satisfying) but it's an emotional ride to get there.

These movies are absolutely incredible, truly impeccably written but part of their amazing writing is that they are emotional, and heartbreaking. Every one of them is worth the watch. Now our honorable mention here at the end is because it is not necessarily a movie that is targeted to children, it's simply about children. That would be Grave of the Fireflies…I haven’t even seen it yet because I have to mentally prepare myself. All I know is that it takes place in the firebombings in Japan and children die. You could not write something more crafted to make me cry.