10 unforgettable onscreen animal traumas that have scarred us for life

Samantha HighfillMon, June 1, 2026 at 8:15 PM UTC

0

Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser on 'Dutton Ranch'
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+Key Points -

Dutton Ranch left a mark with its shocking fourth episode.

We're rounding up the onscreen animal traumas that have stuck with us through the years.

Yes, Mufasa is on this list.

If I'm being honest, the hardest I've ever cried in a movie theater was going to see Peter Jackson's King Kong in 2005. Mostly because I started sobbing the moment they broke that bottle over Kong's head on the island, and I didn't stop until that precious (enormous) gorilla was dead.

But that isn't the only animal trauma that's stuck with me through the years, a fact that I was reminded of when watching episode 4 of Dutton Ranch and listening to cows scream as they were slaughtered. Sounds fun, right? Anyway, thanks to Dutton Ranch for reminding me of some of my saddest viewing experiences!!

01 of 10

Rip kills their entire herd, Dutton Ranch

Kelly Reilly as Beth and Cole Hauser as Rip on 'Dutton Ranch'
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+

The Yellowstone franchise is no stranger to animal deaths. It's quite literally how the flagship series starts. But Dutton Ranch took it to another level in its fourth episode, when foot-and-mouth disease infected Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth's (Kelly Reilly) entire herd, forcing them to kill ALL their cattle. What's worse is we had to watch as they corralled them all into a massive grave and Rip shot them one at a time, ending on the poor calf that he saved from the fire in Montana. As he whispered, "You don't deserve this" to the calf, I just pretended that he was talking to the viewers, too.

02 of 10

Mufasa dies, The Lion King

Mufasa from 'The Lion King'
Credit: Disney

You knew Mufasa was showing up on this list, though I promise it isn't solely comprised of Disney deaths. But this was a must, because not only was our beloved king betrayed (by his brother!) and trampled, but we had to watch as his precious son nudged his face and begged him to wake up. I'll never forget the way his paw just ... flopped.

03 of 10

Shadow limps home, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Shadow in 'Homeward Bound'
Credit: Disney+

No mud pit could keep Shadow from his Peter (Benj Thall)!!! These were happy tears, of course — and so many of them — as Shadow was thought to be left for dead in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey after Chance and Sassy couldn't rescue him from a mud pit. But Shadow would do anything for his bestie, even if it meant limping all the way home like the icon that he was.

04 of 10

King Kong dies for love, King Kong

King Kong
Credit: Weta Digital Ltd/Universal Studios

If you don't get this, that's okay, but I will die on this hill. All King Kong wanted to do was love Ann (Naomi Watts), and there was no need to attack him!!! Especially not after you all forced him from his home. It's not like he wanted to come to New York City. He would've preferred to just stay home and be happy and in love! He deserved better.

05 of 10

Tod is abandoned, The Fox and the Hound

Tod in 'The Fox and the Hound'
Credit: Disney+

Just look at his little face. Poor Tod didn't understand why he was being dropped off in the wild, and his poor mother was just trying to keep him safe! Thankfully, Tod would end up finding other friends — and even making his way back to Copper — but why was that sequence of Widow Tweed dropping him off an hour long?!

Advertisement

06 of 10

Artax dies in the swamp, The NeverEnding Story

Artax and Noah Hathaway in 'The NeverEnding Story'
Credit: Warner Bros.

"You have to try!" The NeverEnding Story gave us NeverEnding Trauma with this one, because if watching a young boy lose his horse as it slowly sinks into a swamp doesn't get you, I don't know what will.

07 of 10

Littlefoot loses his mom, The Land Before Time

'The Land Before Time'
Credit: Universal Pictures

"I'll be with you, even if you can't see me." Well, I can't see you because my eyes are filled with tears!! Of course, Littlefoot's mom would go out after saving her kid's life, but the real question is: Why did she have to go at all??

08 of 10

Robert kills his dog, I Am Legend

Sam and Will Smith in 'I Am Legend'
Credit: Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros

Welcome to I Am Legend, where the end of the world isn't bad enough, so Robert's (Will Smith) one companion, his dog Sam, has to get infected too! Robert is then forced to kill his beloved pet. How, you ask? He has to strangle him to death. It's fine, nothing to see here.

09 of 10

Anything happens to the dragons, Game of Thrones

'Game of Thrones'
Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO

If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is my nightmare, you are correct, because I cannot handle it when anything bad happens to a dragon. I'm talking death, obviously, but even when Drogon was just ... sad in the Game of Thrones series finale? Yep, I sobbed.

10 of 10

Joe falls off the ferris wheel, Mighty Joe Young

'Mighty Joe Young'
Credit: RKO Pictures/Getty

Remember that scene where Joe rescued a child from a Ferris wheel and then literally FELL off of it? He was okay, thank goodness, but he was hurt, and that was enough for me.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”