For being such a whimsical brand, Disney sure knows how to throw a gut punch. From Bambi’s mom, to Ellie in “Up,” Disney has delivered some truly heart-wrenching death scenes that send everyone straight to tears.
But perhaps the most painful of all comes from a mid-90s Disney classic called “The Lion King.” You know where we’re going with this.
Yep, it’s Mufasa’s death. This one just hurts on so many levels, from seeing a father desperately try to save his son, to the agonizing betrayal, to Simba pitifully attempting to wake his father up, to laying under his paw one last time…sorry, does anyone have a tissue?
Turns out, that scene has an effect on more than just humans.
A woman named Zoe Ansary recently filmed her rescue dog, Bosco, watching the tragic moment, and it’s honestly so beautiful seeing how emotionally invested the sweet pup is.
“He cries at the same part I cried at when I was 4 😭,” Ansary’s onscreen text reads as poor Bosco wails while seeing Simba say, “….Dad?”
Grab a tissue and watch:
@bosco.and.the.fam Finally watched lion king together and this is what happened 😭😭😭 #lionking #doglionking #rescuedog #intuitivedog #sensitivedog #dogwatchingtv #tvdog #goodboy #dogsoftiktok #tiktokdogs #humandog #dog #fyp #foryoupage #wholesome #wholesomecontent
Ugh, shoots right to the heart, doesn’t it?
The video quickly racked up 15.9 million views on TikTok, with thousands sharing their awe at how perceptive Bosco was.
“Bro is conscious,” one person commented.
Another added, “He’s so sweet and smart.”
One person noted how this scene clearly has an effect on pretty much everyone, writing, “We ALL cry at the same part no matter what age or species 😭😭😭😭😭.”
Ansary ended up showing Bosco the live action remake, which premiered in 2019, to see if he would have a similar reaction.
Below is a video of him watching Scar double-cross Mufasa. You be the judge.
@bosco.and.the.fam Someone said show him the live action and show his reaction to Scar. He is defintley can sense scar is bad 😭 #rescuedog #intuitivedog #lionking #tvdog #dogwatchingtv #goodboy #lionkingdog #wholesome #wholesomecontent #fyp #foryoupage #dogsoftiktok
OMG—the way he whimpers and runs to Mom when the big bad shows up.
One person summed it up perfectly with their comment: “Dogs can really sense who is a villain.”
Humans might have a habit of projecting their own emotions onto animals, but with moments like these, it’s hard to deny that sentient beings do in fact have a shared sense of empathy and understanding for certain things.