Is Mufasa's death the saddest of any Disney movie?

[Dark Huntress]

Actually, none of Disney's movies have really affected me emotionally (for an 'emotional' person, I have no feeling or compassion). That being said, the saddest part in any of Disney's movies (and this is super hard cu like I said none of them made me sad) was, I believe, probably...hmm...I guess, Mufasa's death. Disney doesn't make sad movies. >:(

[Sigurd]

That one scene in the fox and the hound doesn't even begin to approach that level of sadness.

Surpasses it, if you ask me.

Are we talking about death scenes only? If so TLK is the 2nd, maybe third saddest death scene in a Disney movie. In my opinion. "Up" beats it in death scenes for sure. Either way, it's not the saddest and oddly enough you replying to me telling me I am wrong, hasn't changed my mind lol. IT's not the World Issues forum, you can't prove someone's opinion on a work of fiction to be wrong like you can on real world things that actually have proof and evidence

If we are talking general sad scenes then plenty of other Disney films and scenes are leagues ahead of TLK in the eomotion scale for me/
To name a few:
Homeward Bound
TLK2
Aladdin
Fox And The Hound
Toy Story 3
I would at least put those five Disney films above TLK in sad scenes. I do think TLK is the better overal film, just not the saddest.

I can't think of any Disney film that has so many strong emotion-triggering scenes as TLK, it has for example the opening scene, Mufasa's death, the Simba and Mufasa-scene, Mufasa in the clouds-scene, final battle and so on. But to the point, I think Mufasa's death is the saddest in any Disney time since we see the main character's reactions to this and so much happen to him after that. In other Disney movies we don't really see the characters reactions to the deaths so much, for example when Todd's mother dies in The fox and the hound.

[Chizuna]

As a kid, when Mufasa died, I didn't have such a emotional reaction to his death nor to his speech to Simba in the clouds as much as I did for the Fox and The Hound. I think it was because I felt friends were more important and to see two of the friends fighting/ not getting along was so shocking that I would get upset over it. Plus, I never really understood the whole concept of death yet.

However, as I'm a lot older now, TLK is definitely the most tear jerking Disney movie for me because I have lost people who I've loved and blamed myself for it, so I could easily sympathize with Simba. The scene where Mufasa speaks to Simba again is such a beautiful scene because it captures the raw feelings of wanting to talk to that lost loved one if even for one moment.

[Meskhenet]

Although Mufasa's death was sad I wouldn't say it is the saddest. In my opinion, I feel that the death of Bambi's mother was the saddest. For a few reasons:
1) The Villains- In "The Lion King" we all know Scar is the villain before he murdered Mufasa and he was visible. In "Bambi" the obvious villain is man but he is never seen but heard when he fires his weapon.
2) Realization of the dead relative- After the stampede, Simba's face was twisted into horror and shock when he saw his father's fallen body. To me it seems he knew his father had passed on but he was having a difficult time accepting the fact that his father would no longer be by his side. Bambi on the other hand didn't know about his mother's death until "The Great Prince of The Forest" told him that his mother could no longer be with him and was told to follow him. Before hand, after he escaped the hunter, he didn't realize his mother was missing until he got to the thicket.
3) How the parent die- Mufasa was murdered by his own brother during the stampede because he was thrown off the cliff face after he heard his brother whispered the words "Long live the king!". Bambi's mother resulted after she was shot by the hunter.
4) Reasons for the death- Mufasa died because he saved Simba from the wildebeest stampede caused by the hyena trio Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed after they were signaled by Scar. I have to admit Mufasa gained some nobility points for jumping into the frantic herd without hesitation. Bambi's mom died because she found blades of grass defrosting from the snow after the hard winter. She sensed danger was nearby and her main concern was ensuring Bambi's survival. We don't see the mom fall but we can assume she died after we hear the gun shot and she was absent from the camera's view.

[Luigi Severus]

I don't think I even cried, but, yes, it is.
I usually cry at something that's not sad, but, rather happy...

[InsaneSeagull]

One of the saddest, definitely. It's actually one of rare Disney scenes that made me cry, along with the end of Fox and the Hound, and Bambi's loss of his mother.

But yeah... the way he died, all of a sudden, really is an emotional moment. I can't say if it's really THE saddest, as most of the emotions I get about movies are different, but it's very strong, nevertheless.

[Tsuki]

It is one of the saddest I have to say. Cry everytime :'(. But for me, the saddest Disney death was Bambi's Mother. Although we didn't see what happened like in the Lion King, the sense of loneliness and confusion is more evident here IMO. But yes I agree with what Abigail Beatty has said

[Meskhenet]

Haha thanks Tsuki!

[Ninaroja]

To chip into the whole Bambi's mother/Mufasa comparisons, I think Mufasa was a much more developed character than Bambi's mother was at the point of death in their respective movies. Yes, both characters are shown to care for their children very much, but I feel like the bond between Simba and Mufasa was highlighted much more in TLK than Bambi and his mother, so when Mufasa dies the seperation is much more painful. Well, for me it is, anyway.

[PrincessKiara]

If we`re comparing the deaths of Bambis mother and Mufasa, I honestly have to say I find the passing of Bambis mother (or that scene in the film) sadder. Yes, Mufasas death is awful and heartbreaking, but so is Bambis mother.. I feel very bad for Simba when he loses his father, but I feel even worse for Bambi because his mother was his whole world. In terms of how well the parent child relationships were portrayed, I think they were both done well, but it is important to remember how much Bambi counted on his mother, he was too young to be independent when she died. Simba had a whole pride of lionesses in addition to Sarabi who would have raised him after Mufasas death (if we pretend for a sec it was an awful accident rather than murder) but Bambi was all alone. Yes, his father took care of him, but until the day his mother got killed, Bambi had no idea he even was his dad.. imagine that awkward relationship.

But I digress.

The two death scenes are handled very differently, and I personally feel that the passing of Bambis mother is sadder.
Usually when there is an on-screen death in a Disney movie it is a villain that gets killed off, not a beloved character, so in terms of deaths you`re meant to feel sad and upset about, I can`t think of very many..