A toddler’s reaction to 'Lion King’s saddest scene is making grown-ups cry

Disney's "The Lion King" is a classic story that can make even the strongest person cry. The 1994 animated movie is as much of an inspirational epic as it is heartbreakingly crushing, especially its scene where "The Lion King," a.k.a. Mufasa, dies. A mom from Mississippi, Michelle Cleveland–who goes by @michellencleveland on TikTok–recently posted a video sharing the reaction of her 3-year-old daughter as she watched this painful scene on her television. “She had to go hug her daddy,” Cleveland revealed in the video caption.

The video opened with Cleveland’s daughter, Lucy, dressed in a pair of pink clothes. She was sitting on a sofa with a bowl of popcorn by her side. Her face seemed engrossed in a movie that she was watching on the TV. Suddenly, as emotional music played on the TV, she clenched her fingers. The camera panned around to display their home’s TV screen where the character of Simba from “The Lion King,” was shedding tears after the tragic death of his father, Mufasa.

As Lucy watched Simba, son of Mufasa, shed tears on the screen, she appeared drenched with emotion. “Oh no! His dad died. It's sad. He’s crying,” she exclaimed, almost on the verge of crying. With teardrops starting to wet her eyes, she got up from the sofa, mumbling, “Dadda!” Her gaze still fixated on the TV screen, ran towards her dad, Darrell, who was sitting in the opposite corner. Her dad, also teary-eyed, took her in his arms and gave her a tender embrace while she cried.

Cleveland's emotional video garnered over five million views. People who watched Lucy’s reaction echoed her sentiments and said they would have reacted the same way, whether as an adult or as a child. “20 years later, and I still react the same way when I watch this part,” said @gigidoro7. @madu wrote, “I cry until today seeing this scene.” @magicaleo813 shared, “This got me all choked up.” “Oh... her eyes. Even though it's a cartoon, you can see in her eyes that she is going through a lot of emotions. She needed her dad's layer of protection,” added @brie.cee. Some people pointed out how the movie scene made even the toddler’s grown-up dad cry. In a comment, Cleveland revealed that Darrell lost his dad when he was seven years old.

Meanwhile, Cleveland shared with Newsweek that Lucy never “shed an actual tear.” When she noticed her dad was sad, she ran to hug him—but just minutes later, she was happily dancing to “Hakuna Matata." The song, featured in the film, marks the moment Simba befriends other animals during his exile. Cleveland shared the video in hopes of encouraging other parents not to shy away from showing their children films where the main protagonist experiences tragedy. "It is important that children learn about death, dying and grief. These types of movies introduce those concepts."

You can follow Michelle Cleveland (@michellencleveland) on TikTok for more family-related content.