It can be a rough movie, but it's SO wonderful as well.
For us, it hit a lot of buttons! While we had absolutely no problems conceiving DS, one or two things have prevented another baby so far, and it hurts us almost daily. We also don't have the ready cash to adopt, and don't have the credit to get a loan, and cannot imagine asking others to help us get the money to adopt. So there we are.
Little Russell is so cute, and reminds me of the pictures I've seen of DH when he was a kid. Although DH's parents didn't divorce, they should have...my parents DID divorce, and I grew up desperately just wanting to have my dad around (even though he wasn't worth the sadness)...DH's dad (named Russell) was absent for a lot of the time as well, and we both dealt with fathers who made empty promises.
Obviously Russell's situation makes us sad as well.
But Dug is so wonderful and loving...the animation is incredible...
Of course I'm sad for Carl, but on the other hand, they did have very long lives, and it's something we all face. The saddest part for me was that he didn't think their lives had been full...don't want to get into more for those who haven't seen it.
Of course the bad guy was so bad, and the way they ended his story line was a difficult one (if you watched the special features, you know they really wrestled with what to do and how to do it), and there are scary parts.
But ultimately I think it's a beautiful movie.
DS likes it quite a bit, though he doesn't get why DH and I start crying almost instantly at the beginning, and he HATES the part when Carl loses his temper with the construction guy, he will leave the room for that. But the rest of it he adores.
OP I hope you watch it again. We've found that we respond very differently to it depending on what else is going on at the time.