10 Cartoon Episodes That Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry

Ah, cartoons! The perfect medium to fix a bowl of cereal, curl up in a blanket, and… reckon with the horrors, losses, and emotionally overwhelming certainties of life to the point of tears?! No, animation isn’t just for kiddos anymore. It’s long been a vast umbrella of artistic expression for all ages, who want to experience all emotions. Some animated shows are pure comedies, others are action-packed adventures, and many blend genres together like a kid who wants Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles. 

But the best and most memorable animated shows aren’t afraid to tug on your heartstrings and get your waterworks going. Due to their creators’ courage and invention, these shows are more than willing to dive into emotions headfirst, no matter the age range of their audience. Now, grab yourself a box of Kleenex and get your therapist on speed dial as we run down 10 cartoon episodes that are guaranteed to make you cry.

“Adventure Time” is one of the best Cartoon Network shows ever made. The series is sublimely silly, a burst of unbridled energy that feels like a 12-year-old boy right on the cusp of discovering Adult Swim. In the Season 4 episode, “I Remember You,” that energy was molded into something bittersweet, even tragic.

This episode mostly sidelines the main characters, Jake (John DiMaggio) and Finn (Jeremy Shada), in favor of highlighting Marceline the Vampire Queen (Olivia Olson) and the Ice King (Tom Kenny). In earlier seasons, these two characters were antagonistic to Finn and Jake. Marceline soon becomes an ally to the duo, however, while the Ice King’s villainous schemes are generally depicted as silly and ineffectual.

In “I Remember You,” these characters are put in a touching and tear-jerking relationship with each other. The Ice King has memory issues, and Marceline wants him to write a song to help him remember where he came from. What the two uncover gives the audience a radical recontextualization full of anguish, regret, and ultimately, camaraderie. As for the title song, “Remember You,” which scores the episode’s final moments … well, if you weren’t crying before, its simple melodic pleasures will open the floodgates.

There’s not much plot to the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” episode “The Tales of Ba Sing Se,” but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the show’s best outings. It’s comprised of six vignettes following various characters in a day in the life in Ba Sing Se. Most of these vignettes are simple; a character goes on a date, a character goes to the spa, etc.

And then, there’s “The Tale of Iroh,” a segment that devastates the viewer. Within the actual episode, Iroh (Mako) goes for a seemingly recreational walk, stopping at a market and helping some passersby along the way. Then, he reaches his destination: A tree at the top of a hill. And we watch him prepare a memorial and sing a melody for his dead son, Lu Ten, whose birthday falls on this day.

This quiet, profound act of tribute is enough to make anyone’s lip quiver with emotion. But then, a title card hits us: “In Honor of Mako.” The voice actor for Iroh, Mako — a legendary actor with countless credits — died of cancer after recording this role, making “Avatar: The Last Airbender” his final television credit. To allow the man an opportunity to speak and sing on the beautiful, but inherently temporary, circle of life is an act of power; to transparently communicate to the audience this metatextual circumstance is nothing short of heartbreaking.

“Batman: The Animated Series” is, ostensibly, for children; An adaptation of one of the most ubiquitous and beloved superhero comics of all time. Yet during its critically acclaimed run, it dove headfirst into the darkness, presenting tales rife with maturity, edge, and ample emotion. This cocktail was mixed to its arguable peak in “Heart of Ice,” one of the series’ best episodes that rewrote our cultural conception of Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara).

In just 20 minutes, writer Paul Dini crafts a tragic, sympathetic backstory for Mr. Freeze, one marked by death, corruption, and an unrelenting desire for vengeance. This, naturally, rings as relatable to Batman (Kevin Conroy), who must thus evolve and expand his own mission of stopping Gotham’s criminals wherever they come from.

The conflict is marked by agony for poor Mr. Freeze, who has responded to his circumstances with emotional, and literal, coldness. You can’t help but feel for Dr. Victor Fries as he tries to coat his feelings in ice — even as he shoots innocent people with a dang freeze ray! As for the episode’s resolution, it will bring a tear even to the most chilly viewer.

One of the best animated shows for adults, “BoJack Horseman” is whiplash-inducing — a cartoon packed with talking animals delivering absurd jokes at a quick pace that also dives into the bleakest human experiences, with agonizing candor and thoroughness. In Season 3’s “That’s Too Much, Man!,” the tonal balance is upended in favor of tragedy, self-destruction, and actions that might be unforgivable.

The title character, voiced by Will Arnett, reunites with his former sitcom co-star, Sarah Lynn, voiced powerfully by Kristen Schaal. Sarah Lynn was a child when they worked together, and has since struggled with addiction and a hard-fought sobriety. But here comes BoJack Horseman to enable her, cascading the both of them into a haze of alcohol and drugs.

The episode is structured as a series of quick vignettes, as both characters lose time in blackouts. Attempts at making amends and other aspects of recovery are gestured at, but this is ultimately a journey to, and past, rock bottom. All of this leads to the final scene, taking place at a planetarium, rendered in silhouette. It is rife with such hopelessness that it will force tears out of the viewer. It’s simply too much, man!

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Philip J. Fry (Billy West), the lead character of “Futurama,” is a dumb-dumb, much to the viewer’s delight. But he’s a dumb-dumb with heart, needs, and a giant capacity for love. These endearing qualities are on full display in Season 4’s “Jurassic Bark.” If you’re a “Futurama” fan, you already know the ending, and you’re already sobbing.

If you’re not, let’s paint a quick picture. Fry lives in the 3000s after having been cryogenically frozen for a millennium. When he discovers that his beloved dog Seymour has been fossilized and displayed in a museum, he comes up with a ploy to clone the poochie. Bender (John DiMaggio), Fry’s best friend who happens to be a vulgar, hard-drinking robot, gets jealous at this new figure of Fry’s attention, leading to a rash decision.

There are ultimately two forms of closure in this episode, one for Fry and one for the viewer. Fry’s closure is one of acceptance in moving on from the unrelenting nature of time. Our closure, in the form of a montage set to “I Will Wait for You,” is about the power of unconditional love. The episode is guaranteed to leave you in tears.

Moving back to children’s animation, “Hey Arnold!” was always one of the grittier, more heartfelt ’90s cartoons. It gave us realistic characters coming of age and learning hard-fought lessons while living in the heart of the city. And in Season 1’s magnificent “Arnold’s Christmas,” real-world, almost overwhelming, traumas and issues are presented with accuracy, sensitivity, and ultimately, joy.

Arnold (Toran Caudell) participates in his apartment building’s Secret Santa, drawing Mr. Hyunh (Baoan Coleman), a Vietnamese-American immigrant. Arnold wants to get his gift right, so meets up with him to get to know him. Mr. Hyunh tells the harrowing story of his experience during the United States’ invasion of Vietnam. He gave his daughter, Mai (Hiep Thi Le), to American soldiers, deeming the separation worth it so his daughter could have a better life in the U.S. Years later, Mr. Hyunh emigrated to America himself, but never reunited with his daughter. Arnold then takes it upon himself to find Mai as Mr. Hyunh’s Christmas present.

This is heavy, heavy stuff for a kids’ cartoon, but the show’s creative team threads the needle with aplomb, taking the goal of educating its young audience and blending it with an emotional plot worthy of any Christmas classic.

The emotional arc for Ash Ketchum (Veronica Taylor in the U.S. dub) from “Pokémon” is simple, made readily apparent in the theme song. He wants to be the very best, like no one ever was, by catching and training as many Pokémon as possible. Then, in Season 1’s “Bye Bye Butterfree,” one of the best episodes in the anime’s Ash Ketchum era, he is thrown an absolute hand grenade of emotional warfare — one that makes him grow up in ways he (nor his young viewers) never could have expected.

One of Ash’s many Pokémon is a Butterfree (Rikako Aikawa), a butterfly with big eyes and an adorable smile. In this episode, Ash learns that it’s Butterfree mating season, which is pretty salty for a kids’ show. Team Rocket wants to take advantage of this season to poach a bunch of Butterfree, and Ash must stop them.

This leads to a decision Ash makes — and it’s hard to spoil a fate promised by the episode title, but spoilers ahead — to let his Butterfree go and join the rest of its species in freedom. Tears are shed, emotions swell, and all across the world, children who were expecting just another Poké-adventure got Poké-traumatized instead.

Another Nickelodeon millennial classic, “Rugrats” follows the adventures of a friend group of toddlers, the titular rugrats (though current millennials may relate more to the parents by now). In the Season 4 “Mother’s Day” special, we learn more about Chuckie’s (Christine Cavanaugh) late mother (Kim Cattrall), and his father’s (Michael Bell) difficulties on how to talk to his son about her.

It’s an honest and difficult story, one that conjures some memories of the “Sesame Street” episode where Mr. Hooper’s death, and necessitates conversations about grief and memory. Chuckie is so young, he doesn’t remember his mother that well, but her absence is felt in his friends’ celebration of Mother’s Day. Chuckie’s dad is so worried about hurting his son, that he wants to hide her from him.

Eventually, the conversation happens, and it is beautifully helmed. Chuckie’s reconciliation with his mother’s death — not to mention the discovery of a poem she wrote to him — shatters the heart before rebuilding it anew. The kids are going to be alright.

In “The Simpsons,” Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) has a difficult relationship with his brainier daughter, Lisa (Yeardley Smith), and a downright volatile relationship with his rebellious son, Bart (Nancy Cartwright). But Homer’s relationship with his infant daughter, Maggie, is one of the purest elements of the show. And in Season 6, Episode 13, one of the great Father’s Day TV episodes, we learn the origin story of their father-daughter bond.

Told through flashbacks framed by Homer telling Lisa and Bart the story of Maggie’s birth, “And Maggie Makes Three” makes a cynical case about working-class suburban existence before sweeping the leg with one of the most emotionally charged, heartwarming images of the entire “Simpsons” run.

In the past, Homer quits his job at the nuclear power plant to work a dream gig at a bowling alley, though it’s less financially secure. When Marge (Julie Kavner) reveals that she’s pregnant with Maggie, Homer has to eat crow and head back to the power plant, where his evil boss, Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer), presents him with an even more evil plaque: “Don’t forget: you’re here forever.”

As the episode wraps back to the present, we see how Homer deals with this stagnation, and it is one of his most unchecked expressions of fatherly love in television history. Mmm … tears.

While “South Park” does often end with its classic “You know, I’ve learned something today” morals, there aren’t many critics or fans who would refer to it as a sentimental show. Much of Season 15’s “You’re Getting Old” follows the series’ typically irreverent, vulgar mode, with Stan’s (Trey Parker) 10th birthday triggering an identity crisis that results in him seeing and hearing literal feces where things he loved, like music and video games, used to be.

The ending punches everyone in the gut, revealing that all of the metaphors are smuggling genuine heartbreak and regret. In a montage scored to Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” we watch Stan’s mom (April Stewart) and dad (Parker) realize a harsh truth about their marriage. Stan’s friends, Kyle (Matt Stone) and Cartman (Parker), hang out without him. And we see Stan settle into a new form of surrender, seemingly convinced life is nothing but — to put it clinically — “feces.”

It’s an astonishing storytelling move for the long-running show. We’re all getting old, and there’s nothing we can do about it … except cry.