Animated movies that deal with grief and loss
Last updated: February 12, 2026
Grief is an emotion that is hard to describe. It can come from many things but, especially when losing someone from your life, whether they pass away or your contact with them is broken. Many movies give their own take on the subject and there are plenty to choose from. This is a list of four such animated movies.
Over the Moon
When Fei Fei's dad announces that he is going to remarry, her view of true love falls to pieces. Her mother passed away some years earlier but she thought that her parents were truly in love, similar to the story of Chang’e on the moon and her love, Houyi. Unable to accept her new stepmother, brother, and especially her father moving on, she decides to build a rocket to the moon to get proof of Chang’e’s existence and the power of true love. But when she eventually meets Chang’e, she has grown cold and cruel from her own grief. The pair learn from each other, and some new friends, a healthier way of grieving. Where acceptance of the present is just as important as the memories of the past.
Memoirs of a Snail
In Memoirs of a Snail, main character Grace has lived an unlucky life full of loss. Her mother died giving birth to her and her twin brother, and her dad died early during their childhood. After becoming orphans the twins are separated between different foster families and so, Grace loses her brother too. It’s due to all this loss and her constant feelings of not fitting in that leads her to bad coping habits.
Like starting to hoard all things snail-themed and even shoplifting said items. She also tends to overeat which gets worse when she falls in love with a manipulative death feeder. But with the help of her best friend Pinky, an older lady who has never let life get in her way, Grace learns the importance of dealing with grief in a healthy manner and letting go of the past that causes her harm.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes on
Marcel is a tiny talking shell that lives with his grandma Nana Connie. A filmmaker, Dean, wants to make a documentary about Marcel, which starts out as a way for him to show his shell life and how he overcomes his daily tasks in a gigantic house. However, Marcel soon reveals that shells live in communities, and that they are usually made up of 20 or more shells. But his whole family, besides Nana Connie, has been missing for over two years.
With the help of Dean he starts searching for his family through the internet and even gets a guest spot on the TV show 60 Minutes. However Nana Connie's health is declining, which makes Marcel scared of leaving her alone. When she eventually passes away, he has to work through his grief and fear of what has become of his family to find out what happened to them.
Up
After losing his lifelong partner and love of his life Ellie, Carl turns into a grumpy and stubborn old man. Thinking of all the things the pair missed out on doing before her passing, has filled him with bitter regret. But after an accident that leaves him court-ordered to move out of the house they built together he decides on one last adventure that they both always dreamed of.
The morning of the move his house rises from the ground by the many balloons he has tied through the chimney. But his journey to the Paradise Falls is turned on its head when he realizes that the Boy Scout Russell was still on his porch when the house lifted. Throughout the movie the two bond and Carl is reminded of Ellie’s happy nature and realizes that she thought their life together was the best adventure she ever had.
