The 20 most heartbreaking movie deaths

Bing Bong’s death on Inside Out was arguably the most heartbreaking of any children’s movie death in film history. He sacrificed himself for Riley and symbolized the loss of childhood for many with a former imaginary friend. Few times has the death of an animated character been so palpable. 

The writers debated keeping Ben Randall alive at the end of The Guardian, and somewhere exists the footage of the alternate ending, but ultimately, they felt it would be more impactful for him to die. And they were right: it was more impactful. It was also way more heartbreaking. 

Klaus is the best Santa Claus origin story there is. It’s beautiful and inspiring, and even though it ends with heartbreak, it also ends with yuletide optimism and a strange sense of peace that doesn’t often accompany movie deaths. 

Howard Ratner wasn’t necessarily a good person, but he was finally about to get his life on track, and few things are sadder than someone not getting the chance to live up to their potential. His death at the end of Uncut Gems was shocking, frustrating, and, of course, heartbreaking. 

We knew Ellie as a character for about five minutes, and that was enough time to wreck us when she died. No matter how often we watch Up, Ellie’s death is still as sad as it was the first time. 

Sometimes, the deaths of the characters we knew for the shortest amount of time are the hardest to accept. Gertrude died right at the beginning of Jersey Girl, and tears didn’t flow for the loss of the character we barely knew but rather for the loss of the happy family of the characters we were about to get to know. 

You can’t talk about heartbreaking movie deaths without mentioning Jack Dawson. Whether or not he could’ve survived with Rose doesn’t matter here. What does matter is that he did die, and it was a slow, cold death that turned our hearts to ice, too. 

There’s a lot to be sad about in Schindler’s List. The entire premise is dark and upsetting, but the death of the girl in red is particularly heartbreaking. The moment you spot that red again among the black and white will shatter you and stay with you long after you finish the film. 

How Bruno and Shmuel die is terrible, as are the circumstances around their death, but what makes theirs arguably more heartbreaking than other movie deaths is the beautiful friendship they shared, which was unadulterated by hate and discrimination. 

Many a child’s first introduction to death in cinema was by way of The Lion King. But Mufasa’s death is almost more heartbreaking as an adult when you fully realize just how dark the circumstances are. There is nothing redeeming about Scar. Nothing. 

Jenny’s death was sad, but at least we had time to prepare for it by learning she was sick. We didn’t have nearly as much time to prepare for Bubba’s death, and we, like Forrest, hadn’t let the idea of his shrimp boat go. 

By looking at Dobby, it’s hard to understand what’s so lovable about him. But anyone familiar with the Harry Potter franchise knows that everything about him is lovable, and few deaths in the franchise were as heartbreaking as his. 

Les Misérables is a story with lots of death, and to some fans of the show, it might be hard to say which death is the hardest to watch. But for us, it’s Jean Valjean. He had spent his whole life trying to atone for a small sin of his past, and no one deserved to suffer less than he did. 

Even if you had read the book and knew Leslie’s death was coming, watching it happen on Bridge to Terabithia was a great childhood tragedy. Knowing it was coming might’ve made it even more tragic because you were forced to relive those emotions once more. 

Even though Aslan comes back to life, his death is painful. The Pevensie children had a deep love for the lion, and seeing them mourn the loss of what became a father figure to them was a tear-jerker, to say the least. 

Watching a child lose their parent is never easy, even on film. Jojo wrapping his arms around his mother's legs as they were hanging from the sky was enough to make even the hardest heart soften. 

Rue’s death in The Hunger Games was not easy to watch, but Prim’s was even harder to take. She was the entire reason Katniss entered the games in the first place, which in turn began the revolution. Her death made the whole mission almost seem in vain. 

Sometimes, animal deaths are just as sad as human deaths. Everybody fell in love with Marly in Marley & Me, and none of us went to the theater that day expecting a movie about a dog to end so sadly. Anyone who’s loved a pet can relate to the heartbreak at the end of this movie. 

Steel Magnolias does an excellent job of showing the complexities of grief. Just moments after Shelby’s funeral, M’Lynn is caught between sobbing over the loss of her child and laughing alongside her friends. It’s heartbreaking, beautiful, and painfully realistic. 

Lots of aspects of Noah and Allie’s relationship were problematic, but they loved each other, and their love was fierce and apparent. They loved each other in sickness and health, and in the end, they couldn’t live without each other, making their deaths sad and beautiful.