Line #24 BittersweetEnding/AnimatedFilms


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5	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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10	As said on the main page, '''spoilers are unmarked'''.
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12	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'' ends with The Fabrication Machine finally being destroyed, and 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8's souls being released from the Talisman, so they're finally at peace. But the world is still badly messed up, and the remaining Stitchpunks aren't sure what's left. And the microbe-like creatures in the rain imply that they might've somehow restored life. [[GainaxEnding Probably.]]
13	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAdmiralAndThePrincess'' (aka ''The Blood Crystal''), the BigBad CourtMage has been defeated after his amulet (the Blood Crystal) has been shattered (killing him). But unfortunately, the titular admiral [[AndIMustScream forever remains a heron]], and the [[NiceJobBreakingItHero sorcerer's amulet was the only thing that could turn him back human]]. The admiral realizes this, knowing he and the titular princess can never be together now, and flies away. But not wanting to be without him, the princess begged her father the king and her nanny to turn her into an egret, knowing she won't ever become human again, and possibly not see them or her friends and subjects again. The movie ends with the two birds flying together (and helping lost ships) as the credits roll, accompanied by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mdvnqoenGc this song.]]
14	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfMarkTwain'': The ending to the Diary of Adam And Eve. Paradise is lost, but with the end of Innocence comes Love and the ability to grow and learn, and both Eve and Adam considers themselves better off at the end of their lives.
15	** The movie itself has Twain reaching the comet and "dying" as he hoped... but the two halves of his personality - the Light and the Dark - are able to reconcile and merge before doing so, and Twain becomes one with Halley's Comet as well. Taken together with Eve and Adam's ending, it's implied he's with his lost wife and in Eden with her.
16	* ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'': Charlie dies again, but he [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dies saving Anne-Marie]] and is allowed back into Heaven after [[ButNowIMustGo saying goodbye]].
17	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericaTheMotionPicture'': Washington realizes this in the end as he makes his address to the people, and sees the 'boorish' side of the {{Eagleland}} tropes start to form.
18	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanPop'': It took four generations of tragedy and loss, but Pete finally succeeds his family's long sought goal of becoming a musical star.
19	* ''Anime/AnimalCrossingTheMovie'': Margie leaves to pursue her fashion designer dream but Ai finally feels at home in Animal Town.
20	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Anomalisa}}'': Michael ends up going back to his boring and depressing life where everyone, including his family, continues to look and sound the same to him because of his Fregoli delusion. Things look more positive for Lisa however, who writes a letter to Michael expressing hope that they'll meet again and even appearing more confident in herself.
21	* ''WesternAnimation/AprilAndTheExtraordinaryWorld'': Not all of the kidnapped scientists live to be rescued, the talking lizards apparently all perish by either their own hands or the flames of the rocket exhaust, Darwin has to remain in the rocket to save the day, April never manages to find out how to make the Ultimate Serum work on humans, and it's left ambiguous as to whether or not Paul and Annette reconcile. However, the surviving inventors manage to advance technology to the point that it ends the Energy Wars, Pizoni is made head of the French Secret Service, April and Julius get married, civilization eventually coalesces into a Democratic Union, and in 2001, Darwin is found alive and well on the moon during a lunar expedition and enthusiastically tells (an aged, but still alive) April that he's coming home.
22	* ''Anime/{{Arrietty}}'': Arrietty and her family ultimately move away from the house, the Borrowers never ended up using the doll house like Sho's great-grandfather hoped, and Sho soon faces his operation. However, Arrietty and Sho tenderly part ways, exchanging tokens to each other, and it's implied that Arrietty and her family will live in a more hopeful and safe place. Sho never sees them again, but it is implied that he survived the surgery despite that fact that he was basically preparing to die beforehand.
23	* ''WesternAnimation/BaltoIIWolfQuest'': Aleu finally finds her place in life as leader of a wolf pack, parting on good terms with Balto before crossing the sea with them. However, it's unlikely that she'll ever see her old friends or loved ones again.
24	* ''WesternAnimation/BattleForTerra'': Jim dies but he's able to destroy the Terraformer and is hailed as a hero by the humans and the Terrians, who are living in peace.
25	* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica'': The boys recover the X-5 Unit and President Bill Clinton makes them honorary ATF agents but they don't receive any recognition for their heroics (since it has to remain top-secret), and fail to score (as usual), but at least they get their TV back.
26	* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoTheUniverse'': Beavis and Butt-Head don't get to score ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption again]]) nor do they return to 1998 and they have to keep quiet the events of the movie (again), but they get their old house back with a brand-new flatscreen TV. On the other hand, Smart Beavis and Smart Butt-Head are awarded for being the first duo to score.
27	* ''Anime/BelladonnaOfSadness'': Jeanne gets burned at the stake and Jean dies trying to rescue her, but it's heavily implied the rebellion against the upper class and social norms that she started will live on.
28	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBigSnit'' has a [[BlackComedy humorous]] example. The husband and wife have peacefully made amends... but they died in a nuke, both their spirits in Heaven blissfully unaware.
29	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} 2: Legends of Metru Nui'': Lhikan is dead and Metru Nui became uninhabitable, with its Matoran population evacuated to a different island and all their memories of their lives wiped. Vakama and his team fail to save the city, they give up their Toa powers and are not hailed as heroes, having to live a life of lies and secrecy, and guide the Matoran into a primitive tribal life with nearly no technology and no Toa to protect them. But the Matoran are alive and the legends of Metru Nui will live on in myth. [[BigBad Makuta]] is temporarily defeated but he would return to terrorize the Matoran. Though Metru Nui is lost, the Matoran would learn the truth and move back to their home after a thousand years.
30	* ''WesternAnimation/BirdBoyTheForgottenChildren'': Dinky and her friends fail to get off the island and Birdboy is shot and killed but the scrapyards could potentially become safer thanks to Birdboy decimating the Forgotten Children, and Birdboy's soul guides Dinky to a secret cave containing a tree which produces magic acorns, [[PassingTheTorch posthumously entrusting his task of reviving the island to her.]]
31	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBobsBurgersMovie'': All the property damage and murder is averted, and Calvin thanks the Belchers for saving him by giving them the money to pay off their loan, saving the restaurant. On the other hand, the loan only covers the current month, meaning Bob and Linda will have to repeat their efforts for the foreseeable future. Gene's big concert that he'd spent the entire movie hyping up only attracts the attention of his parents and Teddy, but he's content with the turnout and he gets a standing ovation. Tina gets a BigDamnKiss with Jimmy Jr., but just as little commitment as usual. Chloe still calls Louise a baby, but Louise doesn’t care what she thinks anymore and is willing to be seen without her hat once in a while, too.
32	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'': Parvana manages to get her weakened father out of prison thanks to the help of Razaq (who may die of the bullet wounds he received for it), and Fattema, Soraya, and Zaki manage to drive off the cruel relative who came to collect them against their will. But each group is stranded in the middle of the road the same night that a war is starting and bombs are approaching, so it is uncertain if either group will survive the night, let alone find each other later. But for now, they are happy to be together and to have a chance of reuniting later.
33	* ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'': Muska is defeated, Laputa's weapons are destroyed and Pazu and Sheeta head off to start a new life together but Laputa is now forever beyond humanity's reach.
34	* ''WesternAnimation/TheChipmunkAdventure'': The bad guys are arrested, and the kids make it home safe, but the question of who won the race is left unanswered, they receive no reward of any kind, and it's implied they'll be grounded.
35	* ''WesternAnimation/ACloseShave'': Wallace saves Wendolene, but true love is thwarted as he discovers she is allergic to cheese. Even Wensleydale.
36	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'': For Wybie's grandmother at least. Her twin sister still died, and has moved onto the afterlife thanks to Coraline freeing her soul. But it's implied that Coraline and Wybie will tell her what happened with the Other Door and the Other Mother starving, so she'll live with the peace of knowing that the children are safe and her sister was avenged. She ends the movie gardening with Coraline and the neighbors, showing she'll be less of a recluse.
37	* ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'': Emily [[DidNotGetTheGirl breaks off her engagement to Victor,]] allowing him to return to his real fiancée. Even though she doesn't get to marry him, her soul is finally free to move on, and she ascends to the heavens in a flurry of blue butterflies.
38	* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon: In case they don't have a Happy Ending, then they'll end their films with this:
39	** ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'': In the final segment Willie the Whale is harpooned, but now he's in heaven, free to sing to his heart's content.
40	** ''WesternAnimation/MelodyTime'': Happens in two segments. Johnny Appleseed dies, but has left a huge legacy in his wake and is off to grow apple trees in heaven; while Pecos Bill gives up being a cowboy after the death of his fiancée Slue-Foot Sue, but Texas is implied to be a much safer place because of him.
41	** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'': Mowgli leaves the jungle for the man-village. Baloo is heartbroken as it seems likely he will never see Mowgli again, but Bagheera assures him that Mowgli is safer in the man-village, and that is where he belongs. It's made more bittersweet once realizing that this was the final film Walt Disney ever saw completed in his lifetime. In the sequel, Mowgli does see Baloo and Bagheera again, so the ending is softened.
42	** ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound'': After Tod and Vixey narrowly escape death at the hands of Amos Slade and Tod's former best friend Copper, Copper and Slade are attacked by a huge bear. Tod saves Copper's life but is injured in the process, leaving him at Slade's mercy, who in the end decides not to kill Tod after Copper induces Slade's HeelRealization. Tod and Copper depart with tiny smiles at each other and Copper returns to to the farm as the foxes watch him from afar. It's implied they never see each other again, though.[[note]]A book called ''A Narrow Escape'' serves as an unofficial sequel of sorts, where Tod and Vixey decide to show their two children, Tori and Tala, the world, at one point visiting Mrs. Tweed and Copper.[[/note]]
43	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' ends with the conflict between the Powhatan tribe and British settlers having died down. Chief Powhatan has accepted his daughter's love for an outsider. The British settlers come to see that Governor Ratcliffe was the only one really in the wrong. But also, John Smith was shot trying to protect Chief Powhatan from Ratcliffe, forcing him to return to England and leave Pocahontas behind. The lovers wave goodbye to each other with the strong possibility they may never see each other again. They eventually ''do'' see each other again in the direct-to-video sequel. John Smith is well. But by that point, Pocahontas has fallen in love with someone else.
44	** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'': Quasimodo [[DidNotGetTheGirl didn't win Esmeralda's heart]]. Yes, Esmeralda survived. Frollo's dead. And the people of Paris finally accept Quasimodo as one of their own. But he didn't win his love. Though he eventually ''does'' find love in the [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameII sequel]]. While bittersweet, it's certainly a kinder ending than that of [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the book it was based on]].
45	** ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Ray is KilledOffForReal, but he is [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence]], as he's seen appearing as a new star next to his star lover Evangeline. And at least Tiana and Naveen get together and the movie's main plotline has a HappilyEverAfter ending.
46	** ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'': Ralph and Vanellope destroy the virus, saving the internet, they manage to order the new steering wheel and fix ''Sugar Rush'', and Ralph returns to the arcade safe, but Vanellope chooses to reside permanently in ''Slaughter Race'' and doesn't go back with him, though both still keep in touch with each other and their friendship still goes on.
47	** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' while Pinocchio becomes a real boy after giving his life to save Gepetto, giving Gepetto the son he's always wanted, and Jiminy gets a badge for his recognition as Pinocchio's conscience, but the other boys including Lampwick who went to Pleasure Island are still donkeys, nothing is done for them onscreen, the implication is they may be donkeys for the rest of their lives, and the evil Coachman who did that to them gets away with it.
48	** ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'': Even though the friends have found Christopher Robin and faced their flaws head on, Christopher Robin still won't be able to come and see them as much. But it's okay, since Pooh knows he always has Christopher in his heart, and they truly will always be together, [[ArcWords forever and ever]].
49	** ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'': Lilo doesn't win the competition, but Stitch is revived and both are closer than ever before.
50	** ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': Downplayed. Although everyone has earned their happy ending and Atlantis is now thriving once more, Milo and Kida's story ends with them holding an Atlantean funeral for her father.
51	** ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'': Aladdin and Jasmine are finally married and Cassim is free of the Forty Thieves with a companion he can trust in Iago. However, father-and-son aren't likely to see each other again, given how Cassim is a wanted fugitive in the city that his son is going to rule and Iago leaves his friends to journey with Cassim.
52	** ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'': While Silver and Jim part as friends, and Jim is shown to be on the way to a better future, there's no strong indication that Silver and Jim will ever meet again.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/EthelAndErnest'': Ethel and Ernest are both dead but after long lives well loved and well spent.
54	* At the end of ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' the evil baron is killed, Katy has found a new home, everyone is happy... but then the West Wind returns and Unico must leave and forget his friends forever.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'': Kristofferson is rescued from the farmers, and Mr. Fox is now closer to his family than he's ever been, but a chance encounter with a wolf makes him realize that he's a product of his environment and not as wild as he believed he was throughout the film. All the animals have also been forced out of their homes by the farmers and now have to live in the sewer, but they're able to get by thanks to being within walking distance of a huge supermarket, where the amount of food they need to feed everyone will easily go unnoticed. It's best emphasized by Mr. Fox's final toast; while he earlier toasted to their victory over the farmers, he simply toasts to their survival.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest'': Zak has to leave the fairies and go back to his own people, and it's implied he and Crysta will never see each other again. But he leaves with a new-found respect for what he once thoughtlessly destroyed, and tells his friends that "things have gotta change."
57	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'': Ommadon is destroyed, the heroes are all revived, the wizards create a realm for magic and Carolinus sends Melisande to the future so she can be with Peter but the two of them will never be able to return to the world of magic as Peter had to deny everything about it in order to defeat Ommadon.
58	* ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'': Frosty is resurrected, but has to part ways with little Karen, since she has to go back home while he goes to live at the North Pole where he'll never melt. But every Christmas, he comes back to the village to visit Karen and the other children.
59	* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa'': Ed and Al finally get together again but they're both stuck in the parallel world for good. The brothers thought little of leaving their friends behind forever, which was especially heartbreaking for Winry. While Ed didn't really have a choice and decided to make sure the Gate could never be opened again by doing so, Al did.
60	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Granpa}}'': Granpa dies but leaves behind his memories with Emily.
61	* ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' combines it with Bittersweet Beginning. The movie opens with the protagonist, Seita, [[DeadToBeginWith dying]], at which point his spirit [[TogetherInDeath reunites]] with his toddler sister Setsuko. The two board the AfterlifeExpress, with most of the film being the [[HowWeGotHere tragic story]] of how they died in World War II. The ending shot is the two ghosts sitting peacefully on a bench, looking out over the modern, rebuilt city of Kobe.
62	* In ''WesternAnimation/GuillermoDelTorosPinocchio'' after surviving the the giant dogfish Pinocchio gives up his immortality to save Gepetto who accepts him as his son, but [[spoiler: Pinocchio doesn’t age but his father and friends Sebastian Cricket and Spazzatura the monkey all eventually pass away from old age, so he leaves to explore the world to find his purpose uncertain of when he will eventually die, and on top of that Candlewick’s fate is left unanswered as he is last seen searching for Pinocchio as the base is being bombed]].
63	* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'': Harry Canyon's story; He ends up with a lot of money after getting rid of the Loc-Nar, but he had to kill the archaeologist's daughter after revealing her true motives, leaving him by himself.
64	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyGoodLookin'': Crazy and the Stompers are killed and Vinnie leaves town for thirty years but when he comes back, he goes back to Rozzie to stay with and fight for her.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld'': Though the village and the dragons are saved from Grimmel and are still thriving, until the rest of the world is ready to live in harmony with them, the dragons retreat to live in the Hidden World, and fade into myth. Years later, when both have families of their own, Hiccup and Toothless reunite.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIllusionist2010'': Alice matures and gets a boyfriend. Tatischeff, however, hangs up his top hat and white rabbit for good, and departs. Alice also realizes how naïve she's been in thinking that Tatischeff could perform real magic, not to mention the guilt of knowing that all of the expensive gifts didn't actually come from thin air.
67	* ''Anime/JackAndTheBeanstalk1974'': Margaret and her family are saved, Hecuba and Tulip are no longer a threat, and Margaret is queen of the cloud kingdom. However, Jack is forced to cut down the beanstalk, the only thing connecting their worlds, to kill Tulip. The last scene implies that Jack will eventually forget Margaret.
68	* ''WesternAnimation/JackAndTheCuckooClockHeart'': Miss Acacia realizes that she returns Jack's love and returns to Edinburgh to tell him. They share a kiss, but, as Madeleine forewarned, this kills Jack.
69	* ''[[WesternAnimation/RankinBassJackFrost Jack Frost]]''. Jack frees January Junction from Kubla Kraus; however Elisa, while clearly caring about him [[BetterAsFriends as a friend]], falls in love with KnightInShiningArmor Sir Ravenal Rightfellow. Jack turns back into a spirit and blows one of his wintry gusts through their wedding, and Elisa comments that "an old friend just kissed the bride."
70	* ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie'': The Jetsons manage to convince Mr. Spacely to cooperate with the Grungies without destroying their home. But with the Grungies working at the plant, George is no longer needed there, so the family has to say goodbye to all their new friends and move back to Earth.
71	* ''WesternAnimation/JosephKingOfDreams'': Remember, the ending of this movie leads directly into ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', which means that the Hebrew descendants of Joseph and his brothers will be enslaved by the Egyptians for decades. Joseph also never gets to see his mother again.
72	* ''WesternAnimation/JoshuaAndThePromisedLand'': As in the Bible, only Caleb and Joshua are allowed into the Promised Land because the rest of the Hebrews worshiped the idol and Moses bashed a rock for water. Moses passes on his title of leader of the Hebrews to Joshua. Joshua then returns to the present day, parts ways with Chris, defeats some sort of demonic being, and has apparently made his family more happy by being happier.
73	* ''WesternAnimation/KaenaTheProphecy'': Vecanoi successfully passes its knowledge to Kaena, meaning she can now lead her people to advance without relying on Gods. However, it is destroyed in the process, dooming Axis as well, and Opaz is killed, which means Vecarians are now extinct.
74	* ''WesternAnimation/Klaus2019'': Smeerensburg is now a peaceful town, and Jesper and Klaus continue working together, making and delivering toys. But as the years go by, Klaus grows old and eventually joins his wife in the afterlife. However, he's implied to be continuing his tradition of Christmas gift deliveries.
75	* By the end of ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'', both of Kubo's parents end up dying by the end of the film, but he manages to defeat the Moon King. His parents' spirits in their true forms briefly return to him so he may send their boats down the river for the festival, ending the story. Also, Kameyo the widow poses as the amnesiac Moon King's second wife and tells him about Kubo being his grandson, meaning that Kubo still has family to take care of him. Lampshaded by Kubo at the end.
76	--> '''Kubo''': This was a happy story. But... it could still be a whole lot happier...
77	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' series:
78	** ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeIITheGreatValleyAdventure'': Littlefoot and his friends, their parents and Chomper's parents manage to drive away the eggnappers and seal off the opening to the Mysterious Beyond and Chomper is reunited with his Mama and Papa Sharptooth. But Littlefoot and his friends have to bid goodbye to Chomper.
79	** ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVTheMysteriousIsland'': Littlefoot and his friends get safely back home, but Chomper is once again separated from them, and it's brought up that him being a Sharptooth simply makes him too different for a friendship with the others to ever really work.
80	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'', the last unicorn (Amalthea) finds and frees her fellows, but at a price. As a human, the Lady Amalthea falls in love with Prince Lír. Returned to her immortal form, she can no longer stay with him (or even feel love anymore), so she leaves both her love and her two human friends behind to return to her home in the lilac wood. Even sadder, however, because she has experienced love, aging, and regret- experiences foreign to "pure" unicorns [[BlessedWithSuck she is no longer as innocent and aloof as others of her kind, separating her even from her own species]]. And yet, as sad as these things may be, she thanks Schmendrick for them. It is a good thing to have known love.
81	* ''WesternAnimation/LaurasStar'': Star returns to the sky, it being the only way it can survive, and the toys become lifeless again. However, Laura has grown from her experiences with Star and learned to appreciate her new home, and befriended Max; it's pretty obvious she'll be okay even without her new best friend.
82	* ''Anime/ALetterToMomo'': Ikuko is saved from her asthma attack and she and Momo make up for their earlier argument. Momo finally knows what her father wanted to write in his letter to her. However Momo must bid farewell to the trio, but thanks them for all they have done.
83	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittlePrince2015'': The Prince returns to his planet to learn his Rose has died, but accepts that she will always be an essential part of him. Meanwhile, the Girl gets into Werth Academy and manages to live a happy, less meticulous life with her mother, and although it's implied that the Aviator has passed away in the end, it wasn't before spending a little more time with the Girl.
84	* ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'': Vincent died too soon, and his death was likely an accident; during his lifetime he received no money or fame for the works that would go on to be priceless and beloved staples of art. However, he nevertheless managed to be an extremely prolific artist and was able to do what he loved and pursue his passion, which is more than most people can say.
85	* ''WesternAnimation/Luck2022'': The Land of Luck is fixed, with Babe and others in Good Luck now having a newfound respect for and connection with Bad Luck, as well as implications that Babe and Jeff have rekindled their relationship. Meanwhile, Sam has a new outlook on life, Hazel has a new family, and Bob chooses to stay with the two of them. However, Sam's luck remains as bad as ever, and she and Bob presumably never go back to the Land of Luck to see their friends.
86	* ''WesternAnimation/LuckyAndZorba'': Lucky learns to fly but leaves Zorba and the other cats.
87	* ''WesternAnimation/MagicGiftOfTheSnowman'': InUniverse. The story Landon tells Emery-Elizabeth ends like this. Charlatan is defeated and Princess Electra gets back her smile, saving the kingdom. However, Snowden melts. Averted for the actual special, which has a HappyEnding, as Snowden turns out to be real and still alive, and Emery makes a full recovery.
88	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicRiddle'': The will is found and Cindy marries Phillippe but Pinocchio and the dwarves turn back to wood, as their task is done. However, Pinocchio is brought back to life by Ertha.
89	* ''WesternAnimation/MaryAndMax'': Max forgives Mary and she comes to visit him for the first time with her newborn baby, only to find that he passed away, albeit peacefully, on the very morning that she arrives. And then Mary looks up to see that Max has laminated all of her letters and attached them to the ceiling in his home, the last things he saw before he died.
90	* ''Anime/Metropolis2001'' ends with the main character Kenichi stopping world domination... at the cost of his love interest Tima, a cute synthetic human girl who was used as a superweapon, driven mad by the effects of it and winds up falling to her doom despite Kenichi's futile attempt to save her. Oh, and he decides to stay in Metropolis while his uncle returns to Japan. The we see a radio in a junkyard, and we hear Tima's voice saying "Who am I?". The original Japanese release and the English theatrical release of the film have a picture after the credits depicting a shop named "Kenichi & Tima Robot Company" with Tima visible in the window (or possibly driving the truck as the person looks similar to Tima). This could imply that Kenichi succeeded in rebuilding Tima (even though it would be unclear whether he had managed to reactivate her), or the Tima in the window could only be a painting or picture. It wouldn't seem like a good idea to reactivate her.
91	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMissingLink'': Man develops into a more civilized society, at the cost of wiping out various other species in the process. Also, Oh spends the remainder of his days on Easter Island with Igua and Croak.
92	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'': Axis is reversed, Earth is saved, and Char is terminated at last, but Amuro also dies in the process.
93	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'': Zucchini and Camille are adopted by Raymond, but are forced to leave their friends at the orphanage behind, though Zucchini writes a letter to the orphanage children, reassuring them that he still loves them.
94	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': Jack finds out that, despite his success as the Pumpkin King, he is not suited to be "Sandy Claws" and he nearly ruins Christmas for everyone, but the experience restores his vigor for Halloween. Meanwhile, Santa moves like clockwork to save the holiday and fix the damage, later delivering a gift of snow to Halloweentown, showing no hard feelings and Jack is delighted to share this. He also goes to Sally, expressing he wants to be by her side and sit under the stars. The audio epilogue shows that Jack and Santa became great friends, and Santa visits regularly and sees that Jack and Sally have children. Jack admits that, even though it was a chaotic night, he would do it all over again.
95	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOldLadyAndThePigeons'': The gendarme is able to escape from the old lady but he now acts like a pigeon due to the trauma of the whole thing.
96	* ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'': The Furlings manage to make it back in time to save Michelle, some humans clean away the remaining poison, the inhabitants of Dapplewood come back and the Furlings are reunited with their families. However, the plantlife of Dapplewood is still damaged, and some of the animals had been killed by the poisonous gas (including Michelle's parents).
97	* ''WesternAnimation/OurFriendMartin'': Martin ultimately goes back to his original time period to reset the sequence of events and make sure all the good he does will restore the present, but given history, it ultimately costs him his life. Miles though has his friendships with Randy, Maria and the new one with Kyle all restored, the true value of Martin's actions and their impact—with Miles also getting an A on his report—are all fully realized and appreciated and the students create a mural in Martin's memory while intending fully to continue his work moving forward as well.
98	* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon'': Chang'e fails to resurrect Houyi but she and Fei Fei help each other come to terms with the deaths of him and Fei Fei's mother. Fei Fei and Chin return home with the former accepting the latter and his mother as her family, though without Bungee, who stayed behind due to falling in love with Jade Rabbit.
99	* ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie'': The good news is, EverybodyLives (except the BigBad, who committed suicide in the prologue), and Tokyo is saved from being reduced to rubble by {{Killer Robot}}s. The bad news is, BigBad Eiichi Hoba won a PosthumousVillainVictory: they weren't able to stop his plan to end the Tokyo Bay urban renewal project, they were only able to ensure the least negative of the possible outcomes of his XanatosGambit.
100	* ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' franchise:
101	** ''WesternAnimation/ABoyNamedCharlieBrown'': Charlie Brown loses the spelling bee and his newly gained respect from the kids, but with some encouragement from Linus, he realizes the world's not over and he still has a lifetime to be winner.
102	** ''WesternAnimation/ItWasMyBestBirthdayEverCharlieBrown'': Linus becomes enamored with Mimi, who explains that she's staying at her grandmother's place for a few days and helping her garden. It turns out the day of Linus's birthday is the day her parents are picking her up, yet she asks them to stop by Linus's house, where she can give a proper goodbye to him, as well as a flower and a kiss. Linus laments about Mimi leaving and never seeing her again, but Woodstock cheers him up by whistling "O Mio Babbino".
103	* Creator/{{Pixar}}:
104	** ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'':
105	*** Jackson Storm lost his winning streak, and Lightning has won his bet with Sterling and gets to keep his job, but the fates of Bobby Swift, Brick Yardley, and the other veterans remain unknown, and it's likely we'll never see them again.
106	*** In a subversion, it's somewhat too sad to see Lightning gotten too old to compete, but it's comforting to see he hasn't given up the sport after sharing the victory with Cruz. He transitioned into being a racing coach like his deceased mentor Doc Hudson for a new racer, Cruz, who has accomplished her dream of becoming a racer when she (and a few others) thought she wouldn't.
107	** In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', Mike and Sulley are expelled from the university but they become the close friends that they were in the first movie. Also, they work their way up from being mailmen in Monsters Inc. to eventually become a scarer and assistant team, fulfilling their dream. Mike surrenders his life-long dream of becoming a Scarer and settles for being a Scare assistant. It's a lower position than what he aimed for, but he feels like an equal as he is the one in charge of coming up scare tactics.
108	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Rémy, Linguini, and Colette successfully service Ego, who gives a glowing review for Gusteau's while not minding the fact that rats run the kitchen. However, the public do mind; it doesn't take long until Skinner and the health inspector expose everything, causing the restaurant to close and taking Gusteau's posthumous legacy and Ego's reputation as a food critic with it. Despite this, Ego helps fund a bistro serving ratatouille, employing Rémy and Colette as cooks and Linguini as waiter. Rémy's colony live above the bistro and have access to all the food they want.
109	** ''Franchise/ToyStory'':
110	*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': Andy may inevitably grow out of his old toys in the future (and he does - see WesternAnimation/ToyStory3), but when that happens, at least Woody will still have Buzz and all his other friends with him, to Infinity and Beyond.
111	*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': The toys now have a new loving owner, but they have lost many of their friends to yard sales, donations, and breaking, and will likely never see Andy again.
112	*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'': Gabby Gabby now has an owner and Forky is reunited with Bonnie and the toys, but Woody has sacrificed his voice box to Gabby Gabby and decides to stay behind with Bo for the time being, meaning he cannot go home with Bonnie and will presumably never see Buzz and the others again (or at least not for a long time), but he knows there are other toys out there that need owners, and wherever he goes, he'll always have his friends with him.
113	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Ian completes the spell to fully resurrect his father during the last few moments before the sun sets. However, Ian gives up the chance to actually talk with Wilden face-to-face in order to save New Mushroomton from the dragon and allows Barley to properly say goodbye to their father instead because he realizes he had a father figure all along in his older brother. He also becomes much more confident thanks to his new magical powers. In Barley's case, while he's able to get closure in his father's death during the last few moments of his resurrection, he still has to deal with the fact that this is the last time they'll ever get to talk. On the other hand, he gets a new van and Ian surprises him by hiring a paint job artist to design a mural of the brothers going on a quest on the side of it, and he becomes much more respected due to his knowledge of magic since people are rediscovering it. Also, while technology is still prevalent, the brothers' journey has inspired several people, such as the pixie bikers, Corey, and Officer Bronco, to begin to use and embrace their natural powers and the brothers themselves have a much closer relationship.
114	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'': Joe returns to his body and resolves to treasure his life to the fullest. While he does show 22 the beauties of life on Earth, he will likely never see 22 again due to her starting a new life and incarnating as a different person, and even if he ''does'' she won't remember him due to souls' memories becoming erased before birth.
115	** In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei manages to find balance between her friends and her family but the [=SkyDome=] is heavily damaged and her mother is in debt to the city of UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} to the tune of 100 million dollars.
116	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
117	** ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'': Latios is dead but Annie and Oakley are defeated, the Soul Dew is returned and the city is saved from destruction.
118	** ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'': Lucario sacrifices himself to save the Tree but is shown to be reunited with Sir Aaron in the afterlife and is recognized as a hero in the kingdom.
119	** ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea'': Samiya is saved and the Phantom is arrested, but May and Manaphy still have to say goodbye.
120	* ''WesternAnimation/PollyWorld'': More sweet than bitter. Polly and her friends don't win the ''Roll Like That'' competition, but that doesn't matter to Polly anyway because her father, John, finds out his fiancee Lorelei's true colors and real intention to send his daughter to boarding school--he breaks up with Lorelei, rehires his butler, Samuel, and cancels Polly's boarding school plans.
121	* ''Anime/PomPoko'': Their attempts at driving off the housing development unsucessful, the surviving Tanuki who can transform do so and join the human world, leaving those who can't to a short life of scavenging. However, the public televised appeal some of Tanuki made to humanity at least kept the situation from becoming much worse. The final scene sees a small group of them singing and dancing joyfully on an empty golf-course, all that remains of their forest home. Even the song that plays over the credits is bittersweet.
122	* ''WesternAnimation/TheProphet'': Almitra begins to speak again having been inspired by Mustafa. Mustafa is still executed by firing squad, but his inspiration lives on and Almitra and Kamila save his works. In the end the pair watch the ship Mustafa was bound for sail away with his spirit aboard.
123	* ''Anime/PorcoRosso'': Pretty much all of the characters get a happy ending except for Porco himself, who disappears after facing off against the Italian Air Force. However, it's hinted by Fio that Porco is living in hiding and it's implied his curse is broken.
124	* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'':
125	** Ashitaka (permanently healed of TheCorruption) and San fall in love, but they do not get together because San is unable to forgive other humans. Ashitaka promises to stay close enough to see San on a regular basis. Oh, and Irontown and the forest are both destroyed (though the forest is getting better...).
126	** Despite Irontown being destroyed, the inhabitants decide to start anew, this time being closer to nature rather than opposing it.
127	** And TheStinger shows that the forest will, indeed, make a full recovery due to the presence of a {{Call Back}}/{{Brick Joke}} - near the start, Ashitaka mentioned that the presence of the Kodama meant the woods was healthy. Guess what you see at the very end before the final credits?
128	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''. Homura [[EarnYourHappyEnding earns her happy ending]] by creating a world where Madoka and Sayaka are still alive and Kyubey is under her control. She does this by stealing Madoka's powers in order to become a demon. It's implied that Homura's new world won't last, and she even tells Madoka, now an AmnesiacGod, that they'll become enemies someday. It's also left unclear how much Sayaka remembers, as she held out against Homura's efforts to alter reality for the longest. At the very least she has WistfulAmnesia. It's interesting to note that both the endings of the [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica original series]] and ''Rebellion'' are bittersweet in opposite ways. In the original series ending, two of the main characters are essentially dead, and it's stated the others will soon join them. Despite this, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the ending's tone is uplifting. In direct contrast, ''Rebellion'' ends with all the main characters alive in an ideal world...]] and yet [[DownerEnding the ending's tone is depressing.]]
129	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRedTurtle'': The father lives and dies on that island, but at least he dies in his sleep, and in the company of the mother no less. This also counts for the mother as well, who mourns for her husband until she changes back into a sea turtle. Content with the life she lead with him, the red turtle returns to the ocean.
130	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'': Miguel, Tulio and Chel are able to prevent Tzekel-Kan from leading Cortes to El Dorado and head off for a new adventure but they lost all their gold and El Dorado has been sealed off for good.
131	* ''WesternAnimation/RobotDreams'': Robot and Dog never reunite after much heartache from their separation, but they both move onto happy new friendships.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/RonsGoneWrong'': Barney uploads Ron's programming into the cloud to replace the standard B-Bot software, but is forced to sacrifice Ron in the process. On the other hand, Marc regains his position as CEO of Bubble after blackmailing Andrew, and as shown in the epilogue, Ron's memory literally lives on as all the other B-Bots exhibit the same malfunctions he had. Furthermore, Barney finally earned friends of his own and has become more outgoing as a result of Ron's influence.
133	* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'': Winterbolt is no more, Sam Spangles is sent to jail for his misdeeds, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Scratcher disappears,]] the storm is finally over and Jack Frost revives the Frosty family. However, Rudolph has to go his separate ways with Frosty to stay in Lilly's circus (at least for now).
134	* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
135	** ''Anime/SailorMoonRTheMovie'': Fiore dies but his spirit is free, the Xenian Flower is destroyed and Tuxedo Mask is able to revive Sailor Moon.
136	** ''Anime/SailorMoonSTheMovie'': Princess Snow Kaguya is destroyed but Luna lets go of her feelings for Kakeru so he can go back to Himiko. However, she does reconcile with Artemis.
137	** ''Anime/SailorMoonSuperSTheMovie'': Queen Badiane is defeated and the children are returned to Earth but Sailor Chibimoon has to say goodbye to Perle.
138	** ''Anime/SailorMoonEternal'': Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask break their curse, Nehellenia is destroyed, the Amazoness Quartet regain their true forms as Sailor Guardians and Chibi-usa herself finally becomes an official Sailor Guardian. But Helios has to leave Earth for Elysion.
139	* ''WesternAnimation/SamsonAndSally'': Samson has a family with Sally but he feels let down by Moby Dick, who wasn't able to help him, and it's implied humanity is done for.
140	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSeaBeast'': The age of monster hunting is over, it's implied the King and Queen will face punishment for their crimes, Maisie is HappilyAdopted by Jacob and keeps Blue as a pet. They had to part ways with Red, but Maisie is happy knowing Red won't be in danger and she'll live a great life. Also, it's left unknown what became of Jacob's relationships with his crewmates, especially Captain Crow.
141	* ''Anime/TheSeaPrinceAndTheFireChild'': Syrius and Malta both die, but Glaucus sends them to heaven to let them recreate the harmony between water and fire with their love.
142	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'', the wall did not manage to keep the Vikings out, and there were numerous casualties. Brendan, Pangur, and Brother Aidan managed to escape the carnage and the Book of Kells was finished years later, but during this time Brother Aidan died of old age, and the Abbot believed Brendan was dead for several years. He and Brendan are finally reunited in the last scene of the movie, however, aside from a brief, chance reunion in her wolf form, it's quite likely Aisling and Brendan will never see each other again.
143	* ''WesternAnimation/ShinboneAlley'': Archy accepts Mehitabel's decision to return to Shinbone Alley but it's probably not going to turn out well for either of them in the end. Then there was her kittens...
144	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmallOne'': Small One gets sold and the boy will never see him again, but he doesn't go to the tanner, he's off to a great destiny, and Joseph is a gentle man who promises he'll be well cared for.
145	* ''WesternAnimation/SongOfTheSea'': Saoirse is saved from dying, her song is able to send the Daoine Sidhe home, and Ben has grown to truly love her, but Bronagh is now gone from the human world forever and Saoirse could only stay behind by sacrificing her selkie side. Nonetheless, the story ends on the note that Ben and Saoirse's family is no longer broken as it was before, and Saoirse is finally able to speak without needing her selkie coat.
146	* ''Anime/SpiritedAway'': it's implied that Chihiro [[VictoryGuidedAmnesia won't remember her adventures]] in the Spirit world, just like she didn't really remember Kohaku, or already thinks it was AllJustADream. The English dub either leaves that part out or implies that she has kept the strength she gained over the course of her adventure. (There is a limit to how much bittersweetness Disney will tolerate.) Even in the Japanese version, there's a possibility that her memories could be unlocked given the right stimulus, just as Haku's were when she told him his real name. This looks especially likely when you remember that Haku promised her that he'd look for her, and that the family appear to have lost several days if not weeks by the time they return to the car.
147	* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanVsTheElite'': Superman manages to prove his point and show everyone that his way of thinking is better than the Elite's, but it took mass shock therapy where he scared them into realizing it. The display may well have caused nightmares in the witnesses for years to come.
148	* ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'': Lord Cob is defeated and the world's balance is restored but Arren leaves to turn himself in for killing his father. However, he promises Therru that he will see her again.
149	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTripletsOfBelleville'': Madame Souza and the triplets rescue Champion and escape Belleville but it's then revealed the whole movie was an elderly Champion reminiscing on the adventure and Souza, the triplets and Bruno are long dead.
150	* ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'': Lord Kuruku is defeated and his victims have been returned to normal but Unico must once again leave his friends, just like the last time.
151	* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'': The rabbits manage to live happily on the warren, but Hazel dies of old age. On the other hand, Hazel peacefully crosses over into the afterlife, which is one of the main points of the story, so it's not exactly upsetting as there's a time gap between most of the film and the ending.
152	* ''WesternAnimation/WendellAndWild'': Kat and her allies save the town and the Klaxons are arrested for their crimes. Wendell and Wild make amends with their father and have a chance to build the Dream Faire they always wanted. However, the magic hair cream wears off and Kat has to watch her parents die for a second time, albeit this time it's more peaceful and they get to say their goodbyes.
153	* ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'': Anna comes to terms with her abandonment issues and learns to appreciate her adoptive family but only at the price of learning the tragedies that consumed her biological family. She finally appreciates what she has because it represents everything her parents and grandparents lost.
154	* ''WesternAnimation/WishDragon'': Long saves Din from Pockets while at the same time earning redemption and entry to the spirit world. However, he is unable to grant Din's final wish to save Li Na's father so he makes a deal to return to Earth and grant the final wish. This means he has to serve another ten masters, but he at least wants to impart wisdom instead of being insufferably cynical and looks forward to do a better job, though it also ends with him parting ways with Din.
155	* ''Anime/WolfChildren'': Ame leaves his mother and sister to go live in the woods as a wolf, but Hana comes to terms with it, realizing he's an adult. Yuki goes off to live in the dorms of her new middle school, and Hana continues to live in their house out in the country.
156	* ''WesternAnimation/WorldOfTomorrow'': The young Emily safely returns to her own time period, but the cloned Emily is left to die in sixty days due to a meteor, not to mention that young Emily will eventually grow up into her cloned self.
157	* The ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'' TV special "Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears" although the aliens' plans are thwarted and the clones of Yogi and Boo Boo are defeated leaving them in suspended animation, Boo Boo's girlfriend Snulu goes to outer space to fight in the space war to prevent further invasions, and the implication is they never see each other again.

Context BittersweetEnding / AnimatedFilms