History TearJerker / DisneyThemeParks

* ''Ride/WondrousJourneys'' reaches its DarkestHour as Disneyland appears to fall into ruin. While the orchestra cues up "[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Mufasa Dies]]," everyone shares a good cry. WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} begs the ocean, "You have to choose someone else!"... but then [[HopeSpot her Grandma Tala's stingray form swims past]], optimistically singing an excerpt of "I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)."

* ''Wondrous Journeys'' reaches its DarkestHour as Disneyland appears to fall into ruin. While the orchestra cues up "[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Mufasa Dies]]," everyone shares a good cry. WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} begs the ocean, "You have to choose someone else!"... but then [[HopeSpot her Grandma Tala's stingray form swims past]], optimistically singing an excerpt of "I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)."

* On the Kilimanjaro Safari ride at Animal Kingdom you chase down poachers that have captured Little Red, a baby elephant, after shooting Big Red, the mother. WordOfGod says she survives, but the idea of the baby elephant, who can't survive away from Mommy, being forced away like that...
** According to Disney insider Jim Hill, in the original script Big Red didn't make it, and the riders saw her (simulated, of course) corpse in the climactic stretch of the ride. This drove so many kids to tears that it ruined the whole ride, so the script was changed and the prop removed before it formally opened. So it could have been a ''lot'' worse.

** Also from ''The American Adventure'', the "Golden Dream" sequence.

** Happily Ever After really kicks things up a notch with the use of "[[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Go The Distance]]" just before the grand finale. It got to the point that crying during the show became [[MemeticMutation a meme]] within the Walt Disney World fandom.
** While reactions over Enchantment were rather divisive, many agreed that the use of "[[WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} I Am Moana]]" towards the finale was a tear-shed worthy highlight.
* "So Close" from ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' already sounds melancholy by itself. The part of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' when Belle says, "I love you", to a dying Beast feels wrenching enough in its original context. A scene in ''Ride/WorldOfColor'' manages to bring you even closer to crying by putting them together!

* "So Close" from ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' already sounds melancholy by itself. The part of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' when Belle says, "I love you", to a dying Beast feels wrenching enough in its original context. A scene in ''Ride/WorldOfColor'' manages to bring you [[UpToEleven even closer]] to crying by putting them together!

* The end of ''Fantasmic!'' Just seeing Mickey steering the Mark Twain and knowing that, in Disneyland, good always conquers evil...
* The finales of Spectromagic and Wishes. They're just such a wonderful sight to see and it stays true to the Disney magic. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth always does it too during the We Go On finale.

* The "Two Brothers" sequence from ''The American Adventure'' at Epcot and the current version of ''Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln'' at Disneyland. Depicting, as per the title, two brothers living at the time of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar American Civil War]] who turn against each other when one decides to fight for the Union, and the other decides to fight for the Confederacy. [[spoiler: [[DownerEnding Only one of them comes home alive...]]]]

* After news broke of Creator/RussiTaylor's passing on July 27, 2019, Elyse Willis (who co-wrote [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013 "Carried Away"]]) [[https://imgur.com/a/uHLDcXy shared a picture of her and Russi during a recording session for "Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway"]]. [[Ride/MickeyAndMinniesRunawayRailway The attraction]] will mark Russi's final performance as Minnie Mouse.

Just because Disney theme parks are the happiest places on Earth doesn't mean they don't have the capability to [[TearJerker make people cry]], although it's not over [[Creator/DisneyAnimatedCanon movie events]]...

* After news broke of Russi Taylor's passing on July 27, 2019, Elyse Willis (who co-wrote [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013 "Carried Away"]]) [[https://imgur.com/a/uHLDcXy shared a picture of her and Russi during a recording session for "Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway"]]. [[Ride/MickeyAndMinniesRunawayRailway The attraction]] will mark Russi's final performance as Minnie Mouse.

Just because Disney theme parks are the happiest places on Earth doesn't mean they don't have the capability to [[TearJerker make people cry]]...

It's not just the [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney movies]] that are capable of [[TearJerker starting our waterworks]]. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] can also do this, only this time, it's in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] can also do this, only this time, it's in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] can also this, only this time, it's in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] are also doing this, only this time, it's in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] are also doing this, this time, in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney Theme Parks]] are capable of doing so, this time, in real life.

It's not just the Disney movies that are capable of starting our waterworks. The [[Disney Theme Parks]] are capable of doing so, this time, in real life.

* "So Close" from ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' already sounds melancholy by itself. The part of ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' when Belle says, "I love you", to a dying Beast feels wrenching enough in its original context. A scene in ''Ride/WorldOfColor'' manages to bring you [[UpToEleven even closer]] to crying by putting them together!
** And on top of that, it comes right on the heels of the scene showing Mufasa's death in ''Disney/TheLionKing''. Playing "So Close" while showing Simba try to wake up his dead father is just Disney taking your heart and shattering it into a million pieces.

* After news broke of Russi Taylor's passing on July 27, 2019, Elyse Willis (who co-wrote [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013 "Carried Away"]]) [[https://imgur.com/a/uHLDcXy shared a picture of her and Russi during a recording session for "Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway"]]. The attraction will mark Russi's final performance as Minnie Mouse.

* Just imagine being someone who's visiting Walt Disney World in a once-in-a-lifetime experience, leaving the Magic Kingdom, your favourite place on Earth, on the Ferry, seeing the castle all lit up and beautiful, and knowing that it's the last time you're going to see it.
** And before leaving the ferry, once you leave the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d38dgwYz9E Mickey Mouse himself can be periodically seen on top of the train station, waving goodbye to guests and wishing them a safe trip home]]. This really hits home for people who are leaving Walt Disney World and won't be back for a very long time.
* ''Anytime'' an attraction gets permanently closed down, as this isn't like some old movie or TV show that you can watch anytime you want. When an attraction gets removed, it's gone. '''Forever'''. You can only experience it again via videotape, and that's not even close to the experience of visiting it in person. The worst part is that there has been some truly beloved attractions that have been lost over the years. For instance, just ''try'' to look at the pictures of ''Horizons'' getting torn down and not get emotional.
** Even sadder is when remnants of the attraction are left, either as tributes to the past (like the Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland) or because Disney was too cheap to remove it (like the [=PeopleMover=]/Rocket Rods, Motor Boat Cruise, and Submarine Voyage prior to the beginning of construction of the ''Finding Nemo'' version, which is still running). The empty [=PeopleMover=] tracks are still a point of contention for Disneyland fanatics.
** The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World closed in August 2017, becoming the last operating attraction from the park's opening day to close.
* Whenever a Meet and Greet character is retired. Unless they're brought out for a special event, you'll never be able to meet those characters ever again, or ever period if you missed your chance to meet them. Becomes a heartwarming moment when they ''do'' return, such as the time when [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OWzNjQ0zdHM Dreamfinder made a surprise appearance at the D23 expo]] after he and Figment were absent from the parks since 1995 or 96.
** As of 2016, due to Disney having to make cuts to the Disney Theme Parks in order to focus on Shanghai Disney Resort, Lady Tremaine was retired as a walkaround at least in Walt Disney World. This caused some Disney World fans to become pretty sad after hearing the news.
** Marie from ''Disney/TheAristocats'' also ended doing meet and greets at the Magic Kingdom around the same time Lady Tremaine did. So far, there have been no reports of when she will show up again. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_439.jpeg This photo shows Marie with a character handler giving a final farewell wave to guests as she's leaving her meet and greet area]]. One anonymous character handler that was with Marie even mentioned how sad they were about this.
** [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Phineas and Ferb's]] meet and greet closed after meeting guests since 2011. Unlike Marie and Lady Tremaine, the fact that the boys are TV characters means it's incredibly unlikely they will ever appear again. For all the fans that the show has, this really hits them hard if they never had the chance to see them, and for those who have been able to, it's really sad when you consider how fun and energetic they were. They have also recently been removed from the Move It Shake It Dance and Play It street party, meaning they no longer show up period.
* One of the saddest incidents to occur at any of the parks is the death of Deborah Stone, an 18-year old Disneyland employee who was crushed in a freak accident on the now-defunct ''America Sings'' attraction. The fact that she was said to be a wonderful and caring human being that had great ambitions for the future makes it even more tragic.
* [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160925100559/https://thedistractionnetwork.com/images/gay-off-pics-118.jpg This story]], combined with SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming|Moments}}. A twelve-year-old girl came out to Mickey Mouse, asking if he'd still love her if she was a lesbian. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark The unknown actor playing Mickey at the time answered "yes"]].

* Just walking through the train station gate into the park sets a lot of people off. Many of them have been saving up their whole lives to be able to come to Disneyland/Walt Disney World and the realization that they finally made it just hits them.
** Seeing the Castle will do it too, a lot of the time.
* The characters. While some people may not like them, there is absolutely nothing more adorable than watching a four-year-old go up to Mickey - or Minnie, or Tigger, or their favorite Princess - for the first time and watching their face light up. The real Tear Jerkers, though, come when you watch kids from the Make a Wish program light up, because you know that it very well could be the last time they'll ever see the Characters, and many of the Make a Wish kids only have a limited time to live.

* For the bad kind of Tearjerker, leaving the Magic Kingdom, your favourite place on Earth, on the Ferry, seeing the castle all lit up and beautiful, and knowing that it's the last time you're going to see it. This can be lessened if you prefer the original Disneyland over the Magic Kingdom; after all, Disneyland is the only park that Walt was actually in.
* Most Disneyphiles know all too well about getting more than lumps in their throats going home from a vacation from the parks or disembarking off a Disney Cruise Line ship.
** Make that extra depressing if you ride on the Disney Magical Express on the way to the MCO (Orlando International Airport). That's especially true seeing the end of the onboard video.

* There is one photo that is currently online showing a Japanese lady hugging Mickey at Tokyo Disneyland taken just after the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
* The story behind [[https://i.imgur.com/Y3B8MAq.jpg this meet and greet image]] featuring the [[Disney/{{Cinderella}} Fairy Godmother]]. For those who don't feel like clicking, [[spoiler:the lady who got her picture with Fairy Godmother had a teddy bear with her containing the ashes of her dead child, and the Godmother hugged and kissed the bear as if the girl was still alive.]]
* On May 11, 2017, Wishes was shown for the last time after being the closing fireworks show at Magic Kingdom for over a decade. Many people in the crowd were in tears, Cast Members and guests alike.

* There is one photo that is currently online showing a Japanese lady hugging Mickey at Tokyo Disneyland taken just after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

* [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160925100559/https://thedistractionnetwork.com/images/gay-off-pics-118.jpg This story]], combined with [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]]. A twelve-year-old girl came out to Mickey Mouse, asking if he'd still love her if she was a lesbian. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark The unknown actor playing Mickey at the time answered "yes"]].

** As of 2016, due to Disney having to make cuts to the Disney Theme Parks in order to focus in Shanghai Disney Resort, Lady Tremaine was retired as a walkaround at least in Walt Disney World. This caused some Disney World fans to become pretty sad hearing the news.

* The characters. While some people may not like them, there is absolutely nothing more adorable than watching a four-year-old go up to Mickey - or Minnie, or Tigger, or their favorite Princess - for the first time and watching their face light up. The real Tear Jerkers, though, come when you watch kids on the Make a Wish program light up, because you know that it very well could be the last time they'll ever see the Characters, and many of the Make a Wish kids only have a limited time to live.