15 dog movies ranked by how much you’ll cry

8. Frankenweenie (2012)

Frankenweenie is a Tim Burton film about young Victor Frankenstein and his dog, Sparky. (The 2012 animated version is actually the second time Burton made the movie following the black-and-white short of the same name he made in 1984.) Victor doesn’t have many friends, so his father encourages him to take up a sport and try to be more active. He plays baseball, and hits a home run during his first game. Sparky chases after the ball — as all good boys do — and is hit by a car. His death leaves Victor utterly devastated, as Sparky was his only real friend.

Victor’s science teacher inspires him to try bringing Sparky back to life using electricity, in an odd reference to the original Frankenstein. The experiment works, and Sparky comes back to life, but then Victor’s classmates blackmail him into teaching them how to reanimate animals using electricity and all hell breaks loose.

There is a theory that Frankenweenie is a prequel to Corpse Bride and that The Nightmare Before Christmas finishes off the trio. According to some fans, the three main characters in these films are all the same man, and their dogs are the same dog. That honestly makes all of these films even sadder, as if Frankenweenie really needed any help with that.

This movie will make you cry if you’ve ever lost a pet and wanted to bring them back, because that seems like a pretty universal experience for animal-lovers. It will also make you cry if you’ve ever felt lonely or downtrodden and had your dog make you feel better with a wag of his tail or an unexpected cuddle.

Likelihood of making you cry: 5/10