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[[caption-width-right:350:The very first of many animated tear jerkers...]]
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->''"That's not what your emotions want to see. They want to see the happiest of endings after the saddest and darkest of moments. Oh, yeah. Don't think this scene didn't fuck me up! You can keep WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'s mom; you can keep [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Simba]]'s dad. This is the scene that rips me to shreds!"''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''', "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B_PGCKk2zJw&pp=ygUbbm9zdGFsZ2lhIGNyaXRpYyBzbm93IHdoaXRl Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Disneycember]]"

Creator/{{Disney}}'s reputation for making some of cinema's most soul crushing movies has a genesis. ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' pulls on the heartstrings in a way few films of the era did, and started a [[TearJerker/{{Disney}} practice]] that has stood the test of time.
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* This doubles as a moment of heartwarming as well, but the scene with the Huntsman when he hesitates to kill Snow White, you can't help but feel bad for him. He didn't want to do it, [[YouHaveFailedMe but he knew it would be his death if he didn't]]. Regardless, he made her run for it instead.
** The reason he has an opportunity to kill her in the first place is because she's attending to a lost baby bird, and thus isn't paying attention to him. The juxtaposition of her kindness and what he's trying to do creates intense suspense, tears, and from there, relief. It had to be rough on the huntsman, too.
** Following this he breaks down and begs for the princess' forgiveness, whose reaction is mere confusion, forcing the Huntsman to desperately ShooTheDog.
** When the Queen first gives him his orders, he reacts in horror and begins begging her not to go through with it, until the Queen bluntly reminds him of the penalty of failure.
*** He calls her "the little princess." Remember, Snow White is ''fourteen.''
** It's brief, but whether or not Snow White knew the Queen really didn't like her, her reaction to the Huntsman telling her that [[WickedStepmother her own stepmother]] ordered her death is still a shock to her nonetheless. Or that maybe it isn't so much of a shock that [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen the Evil Queen]] ordered her death given how infamously she's viewed across the land by everyone. Snow White's fear and horror is easy to view both ways.
** On the topic, right after Snow White's terrifying journey through the forest. After being turned around and terrified by her fear-induced hallucinations, she eventually just kind of gives up and breaks down crying. Bonus points for when the animals come out and even they look concerned. Either this was an accident or it was on purpose and they're regretting what they did.
* A minor one, but when Snow White observes the messy house of the Dwarfs after she first arrives at their cottage, she has this thought:
-->'''Snow White:''' You'd think their mother would-- maybe they have no mother. Then, they're orphans. That's too bad.
** The thought alone is heartbreaking enough, especially since Snow White is an orphan herself. But as she says this, a young deer nuzzles up against his mother, [[HarsherInHindsight somewhat]] [[ProductionForeshadowing foreshadowing]] the crowning tearjerker of a later [[WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}} Disney film]]...
* "Someday My Prince Will Come." Why? Because we know full well, though Snow White doesn't, that back at the castle the Queen is plotting her demise via the poisoned apple. The thought of someone wanting to harm Snow White -a young, gentle person- is heartbreaking.
** On top of that, the reprise has Snow White making a pie for ''Grumpy'' right before the Queen shows up. Just imagine how poor Grumpy must have felt when he discovered this after the Queen's death...
** Combined with some FridgeBrilliance is the real meaning of the song. Yes, it's about marriage and romance...but what is the one thing Snow White has wanted more than anything else? To be happy with (presumably) the first person in her life who treated her with kindness and affection. It's sad to think that she might not get that happy ending that she so desires...
* The scene where the now-haggard Queen kicks the skeleton reaching for the water pail... while it can elicit both a sense of NightmareFuel and BlackComedy, the sight is pretty dang sad when one thinks of who that's could've been. Their only source of hydration or food just '''CENTIMETERS''' out of reach. Notably Creator/StevenSpielberg burst into tears as a child when he saw this scene.
** What's more, the setup is replicated in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' when visiting the Underground Waterway, which Terra gets to see first hand while the Queen has yet to transform.
* After the chase and death of the Queen, the soundtrack skips to what seems like complete and total silence (save for sound effects) for a full minute; after the musical chaos of the scene up to that point, it's the cinematic equivalent of a punch in the gut. The effect actually carries over into the funeral scene after the dwarfs return home to find Snow White dead even though there's actually very soft organ music playing in the background.
* The music during the funeral, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiaBr71Pqxo Chorale for Snow White]]." The piece is all organ in the film proper, but switches to [[PlayingTheHeartStrings chamber strings]] partway through the soundtrack version (the latter was also used in post-1962 foreign-language dubs of the film). Neither rendition is any less emotional.
* The shots of [[EverybodyCries the Dwarfs crying]]. ''Any'' shot of a Disney character crying is pretty saddening, especially [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Grumpy]], who is far in the corner of the room they're in, and begins to cry just as well.
** The first dwarf shown crying in close-up is ''Happy''. Seeing Happy distraught and crying definitely drives home the tragedy, as he was the most cheerful and optimistic of the seven dwarfs.
*** Not only that, but if you look at him carefully during the initial full shot, Happy has his head down, and then, just as it fades to his close-up, you can see him starting to open his eyes. It's like he was hoping it was all a just a bad dream, not wanting to believe that all of this was real. Of course, the comics about the movie don't joke around either when it comes to the funeral scene. Speaking of Happy, [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/tLuvVcWtSfPhz4O_hv9VOBTgQbSskSFvXhE1PeXWrZUhTAXObkMC4jLG1PYJH65TX7f6_RrQzFPIFUXH3tLgha2ihc9NA43G1Kxlxv-rps8qnA8sl1U85qf-Dn4nKJHVKIxfboMILg=s0 this page from one of the comic books adaptations]] has a panel that shows him crying in Sneezy's arms in utter denial, refusing to believe that Snow White is gone, and as Sneezy hugs him, he laments that now he will never be able to sing, dance or party around with her ever again.
** Bashful, Sneezy and Sleepy are silently crying, like Happy. Over the course of the movie, Bashful was one of the dwarfs who loved her the most alongside Dopey, and is shown to be quite romantic, as he loves the idea of true love. Some of his interactions with Snow White, such as blushing whenever she kisses him, imply that he has a crush on her, which is confirmed by Walt Disney himself. He liked this girl so much, and as far as the dwarfs know, she's dead now, even though he refuses to believe it. This has destroyed him inside for real.
*** Even more devastating, when the dwarfs were leaving, Bashful had told Snow White to "be awful careful, 'cause if anything would happen to you, I..." before getting a kiss from her. He probably meant to say something like "...I'd never forgive myself." or "...I'd be heartbroken." He couldn't even finish that sentence back then, but then he comes back home with the terrifying discovery that his worst fear had come true, and now with a broken heart, he's forced to live with this torment alongside his brothers for several months, judging by the time-skip in the final scene. Poor thing...
** Grumpy can't even bear to ''look'' at Snow White after all the crap he gave her. He ''had'' to have been wallowing in guilt over their vitriol throughout the majority of Snow White's stay. At first, he has his hand closed to a fist, as if attempting to hide his grief despite tears coming out of his eyes, but then his face softens and his body starts to tremble. After a few seconds, he just completely breaks down sobbing by a chair, covering his face with a hand and turning his back to the viewer. They say that you only realize how much someone means to you when you lose them, and Grumpy couldn't come back home in time to save Snow White, leaving him to feel guilty for not admitting that he grew fond her earlier.
*** What was the last thing Snow White said to him before the Old Hag arrives at the cottage? "Why, Grumpy. You ''do'' care." No doubt that was ringing over and over in his head. It's also possible that he found the gooseberry pie she made for him, and if that's the case, this just makes it even more gut-wrenching.
*** Also, when Snow White prays before she goes to bed, she asks for Grumpy to like her...turns out he does after all!
*** Keep in mind that Grumpy was originally voiced by Pinto Colvig, as in the original voice of WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}. You read that right, the guy who gave Goofy his SignatureLaugh managed to weep [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct convincingly]]!
** Then poor Dopey, who is pretty much the baby of the group, is so upset that he begins to [[CryIntoChest cry into Doc's shoulder]]. And Doc, who is crying himself, can only gently pat Dopey on the back.
*** Just to ''hear'' Dopey cry is heartbreaking, especially considering how he is pretty much [[TheVoiceless a silent character]]. On top of that, these are the only notable sounds he makes during the movie (save for a few others).
*** The minor fact that it transitions from the dwarf who neglected her (Grumpy) to the dwarf who loved her the most (Dopey).
** There are stories of how ''Snow White'' was allegedly the first animated anything to make an audience cry at the premiere. After months prior to the release of people calling the movie "Disney's Folly," saying that an hour and a half of color/animation would drive people mad, etc., a bunch of grown celebrities/film industry members broke down over the sight of a dead cartoon character.
** One has to also keep in mind that the story had already elaborated that Snow White ''[[DisneyDeath wasn't]]'' [[DisneyDeath dead]] and pretty much spelled out how she would be revived. Despite the film essentially spoiling its own HappyEnding, the dwarfs' mourning is played with such earnest pathos that you can only feel sorrow for them.
** This scene was influenced by [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-36-_-_Lamentation_%28The_Mourning_of_Christ%29_adj.jpg Giotto's fresco, The Lamentation.]]
** And the forest animals are in mourning too. They were Snow White's first friends in the film and they stand at the window, not even caring about the heavy rain, heartbroken at the loss of the princess. And remember how they realised the queen was the one in disguise and ran to get the Dwarves. They tried their best to save her and are probably wracked with guilt over whether they could have done anything differently.
** Probably the biggest reason this scene was such an effective tearjerker is because, apart from the mourning Dwarfs and Animals, the scene was played completely straight and realistically, with the exact same atmosphere you would expect at a real-life funeral. No epic soundtrack, no great meaningful speech, no symbolic magical events... just sadness and loss.
** This is the first tearjerking scene that inspired a lot of TearJerker moments in future animation.
* The transition between the funeral and the finale shows a time-skip, with text explaining that Snow White was still so beautiful, even in death that the dwarfs didn't want to bury her, and after making a coffin of glass and gold, they always watched over her. As the seasons pass, it's autumn first, followed by winter and then spring. Several months have passed, maybe even a year, and it's clear that all seven of them are depressed. After all this time, they are still unable to let go of their lost friend and living with the grief of losing her for several months, made worse by the fact that they couldn't save her because they didn't come back home in time, not to mention that all of this happened when she was alone. They are still '''mourning her'''. This is more gutwrenching because it's shown in a realistic way: mourning loved ones is something that may last years, even for life.
** The funeral-like atmosphere from the previous scene is still present, as after the scene where the dwarfs chase after the witch, [[SilenceofSadness they stop talking for the rest of the movie]], almost like they're dead inside. They don't sob, they don't bawl, they don't sigh, they don't even cry anymore, as if they had shed all their tears during the timeskip, and even when Snow White turns out to be alive, there are no gasps, no laughs, no happy cheering, no joyful screams, no sound comes of their mouths, not even Happy's chuckles. The last sounds we hear from them are Grumpy and Dopey's sobs in the previous scene, and the last spoken line from a dwarf was Grumpy warning everyone when the Queen was about to kill them with a boulder. (This was oddly averted with the Danish 1980 dub where the Dwarfs are faintly heard cheering, as well as the German 1966 and Dutch 1984/1990 dubs where they're also heard saying goodbye to Snow White as she leaves with the Prince.)
* It can be hard to tell since they're not wearing their hats, but when the dwarfs are surrounding Snow White's coffin and all placing flowers around it, ''Grumpy'' is the one who goes up to put the flowers into Snow White's hands after Doc and Happy open the coffin. Even almost a year later, he's still mourning the girl he realized he grew fond of too late, and is doing the most to honor her out of all the dwarfs.
* After the Prince kisses Snow White, he kneels by her coffin and lowers his head in despair. ''He himself'' had no idea his kiss would wake her up.
** And think about it from his perspective. They met and fell in love at the start, and he probably went back to the castle again to look for her, and of course would find no one with the queen having died too. He could have spent months searching for Snow White, only to find that she had died. The kiss was a farewell to the woman he loved and then lost almost immediately.
* The ''entire final scene'', with the reawakening being a TearJerker of the TearsOfJoy variant.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTga3XCEp10 1938 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation]] has the Dwarfs excited over the Queen's demise, but their happiness diminishes as Happy calls them over, having discovered the fallen Snow White. A similar funeral scene follows except with dialogue (as this is a radio program), but the performances of the Dwarfs as they choke back their tears are equally as saddening as their silent sorrow in the original film. Even Roy Atwell and Billy Gilbert reprise their roles here as Doc and Sneezy respectively:
-->'''Sneezy:''' Please-- ''(sobs)'' no goldenrods.\\
'''Doc:''' No... no-- no goldenrods, Sneezy.\\
'''Sneezy:''' ''(sobbing)'' 'Cause-- 'cause-- I'm-- I'm gonna sit beside her... and watch her all the time. ''(sniffs)''
** Later, when Snow White is awake from her spell, the Dwarfs are in tears again as she bids them goodbye.
* The most Tear Jerking/Heartwarming thing about this movie is not actually a part of the story. In Creator/DonBluth's guide to animation, Bluth himself, a former Disney employee, described the point during production where Disney ran out of money halfway through the film. With no way to finish, he had to go to the bank and beg for another loan in front of a board of executives. As an aid, he brought along fragments of the half-finished film, fragments which astounded the entire board. When finished, the Head Executive got to his feet and made what, for a business man [[TheGreatDepression at that time especially]], constituted a ''tremendous'' leap of faith into the complete unknown:
-->"Gentlemen, in fifty years time, nobody will remember the names of any of the people in this room. But they will remember the name ''Walt Disney''. I'm in."
** Perhaps what's even sadder is his prediction was correct. [[SmallRoleBigImpact His decision was the catalyst to one of the most important milestones in animation history, and yet his name has in all likelihood been lost to time.]]
* Assuming it can be considered canon, Queen Grimhilde's DarkAndTroubledPast in the prequel book "Fairest of All". Her actions are still evil, of course, but when you learn ''why'' she got that way, it's ''heartbreaking'' and puts her into WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds territory.
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