Heartwarming / The Hunger Games

Book

• When Prim is chosen, she walks to Effie with dignity. It's only when Katniss volunteers to take her place that Prim's facade breaks, as she begs Katniss not to give up her life for hers. She makes Katniss promise to win, and come home.
• The entire town giving its "respect to the dead" salute to Katniss after she volunteers in place of her sister.
  • And the repeat during the Victory Tour by District 11, (Rue's home).
• Cinna's first meeting with Katniss. He treats her to lunch, asks her to put on her robe — Katniss had assumed he would want to see her naked — and apologizes when seeing how amazed she is that food is available in the Capitol if you push a button, having noticed she was starving. Cinna also clarifies that he requested District 12 and tells her they're not going to do a stupid coal costume. Instead, they're going to make her unforgettable, "the girl on fire". There is a reason why he and Katniss become fast friends.
• Cinna is the whole reason that Katniss became the Mockingjay, and it wasn't out of a desire to rebel. Instead, it was out of a desire to protect a scared teenager that took her sister's place and is yet to know what being a tribute to the games would truly entail. He chose District 12, and wanted to ensure that the "girl on fire" had a chance.
• Doubling as a Tear Jerker, but The Reveal that Peeta never wanted to win the games; his "strategy" with Haymitch was to figure out how to keep Katniss alive to the end. Presumably, that's why Cinna didn't attempt the same "boy on fire" that he did with Katniss, since Peeta didn't care about his image. Haymitch reluctantly agreed, which was why he was bristly towards Katniss about the separate training sessions.
• Peeta saving Katniss as well as Prim and their mother from starvation in the flashback where he threw the burned bread to her instead of feeding it to the pig like his mother told him to. Katniss wonders if he'd burned the bread deliberately, even knowing his mother would hurt him for it, so he could give it to her; she dismisses it as impossible since he'd have no reason to do that for her, but we know better. That very act is what enables Katniss to reclaim her will to live and take matters in her own hands and learn hunting.
• After Katniss smashes a bunch of plates in her room, the red-headed Avox shows up to try and clean them up. When she orders the Avox to ignore the mess, the Avox notices that Katniss has cut herself and cleans the wound for her.
• Despite Katniss actively trying to keep Peeta at a distance knowing they’d have to kill one another in the games, they can’t help but find themselves enjoying each other’s company. During the final hours before the games, Peeta confides in Katniss his desire to avoid becoming “just a piece in their games”, showing a degree of sincerity underneath his media savvy exterior.
• Before Katniss enters the Hunger Games, Cinna spends a moment with her and tells her that if he could bet, he would bet on her.
  Cinna: Good luck, girl on fire.
• Peeta running back to help Katniss after she dropped the tracker jackers. Not only does he risk getting himself stung again but he also blows his cover with the careers. Doubles as a Moment of Awesome, especially when he fights off Cato and takes a sword to the thigh because of it.
• Katniss offers to share her sleeping bag with Rue. It's especially heartwarming when you consider how up to that point, she's treated almost everyone else like a potential enemy.
• Katniss singing Rue a lullaby, then spreading flowers on her body, followed by the mockingjays taking up Rue's song, which, considering the symbolism of mockingjays, is also a Moment of Awesome.
• As thanks for her treatment of Rue, District 11 sends Katniss a sponsorship gift of bread that was originally meant for Rue. Thanks to Peeta, Katniss can recognize the bread as having come from Rue's home and makes sure to thank them out loud so they know she understood and appreciated its significance. As far as Katniss can tell, this is unprecedented in the history of the Hunger Games: the first time any district has sent a gift to a tribute from another district.
  • The bread was probably exorbitantly expensive, too: sponsorship gifts are very pricey anyway, and as the Games go on they get more expensive. Rue's community in District 11 was not a wealthy one at all, and had probably put up everything they had to send her that gift. Giving it to Katniss instead was a moment of significant generosity and kindness—especially considering that at that point Thresh was still in the game as well.
• Thresh saves Katniss when Clove pins the latter down, doubling as a Tear Jerker when he finds out Katniss avenged Rue. He then says he's letting her go. When they hear Cato coming, Thresh tells her, "You better run, fire girl."
• A tiny moment from Cato. He begs a dying Clove to stay with him, showing they were taking advantage of the two-player rule.
• The climax. Katniss and Peeta are the last two Tributes standing when the Game Makers sadistically revoke the rules change they made that would have allowed them to win together, meaning one of them has to kill the other. When Peeta tells Katniss to kill him, Katniss is so shocked and horrified that she tries to make him kill her instead. Her promise to Prim that she'd win, her promise to Rue that she'd win, her own desire to go home to her family- she forgets it all in an instant because she won't let Peeta die and go home without him. Even if she rationalises the stunt with the nightlock berries as her way of defying the Capitol's cruelty, even if she doesn't realise it yet, she already loves Peeta- she'd rather die with him than kill him and live on without him.
• Katniss throwing herself into Haymitch's arms after getting out of the arena. The way their relationship has developed at this point is really touching.
  • "Nice job, sweetheart."
  • And before that, when she hears him yelling outside her hospital room:
    ...I can't help having a vague, comforting feeling that someone is looking out for me.

Film

• Every friendship moment between Katniss and Gale. They're a pretty awesome team.
• When Cinna meets Katniss, the first thing he says is that she's very brave, and he's sorry that she is in this situation. They're not going to treat it as an honor. Katniss is surprised. He mentions with the chariot race he can make her into a star, so she gets a better chance at sponsors. They talk about how generally District 12 is coal-themed, but Cinna wants to ensure she's memorable. He says she deserves better than a "stupid costume".
• Rue in her chariot outfit; she's in overalls and wings, while Thresh is in a matching outfit. It's easy to overlook but in a Freeze-Frame Bonus, she's enjoying herself while riding in the chariot, and Thresh is acting like a Cool Big Bro standing protectively.
• Thresh and Rue's relationship. The look on his face when he sees her on the ceiling... those who see the scene by itself can easily mistake them for siblings.
• Caesar Flickerman, despite being an obvious Stepford Smiler at having to introduce children who end up dying a few days later, is Nice to the Waiter. He covers for Katniss when she has a bit of stage fright and gives opening points that allow her to win the audience over with her honesty. Caesar even encourages the crowd when Katniss offers to show off the flames. He also expresses sympathy for Peeta when he reveals that Katniss is the girl he loves, meaning they can never be together. You can see his relief at the end of the movie that Peeta got to be with Katniss.
• Cinna slips the Mockingjay pin to Katniss before she has to go into the tubes. It's technically not allowed, and he puts a finger to his lips so she doesn't give the game away, but she's touched by the gesture. Then he nods at her, wishing her good luck, as the platform rises.
• Katniss and Foxface run into each other after the initial slaughter. For a moment, they have identical terrified expressions, and time seems to stop. Then they go their separate ways. Book-Katniss says that instinct tells her not to trust Foxface with an alliance, but in the movie they seem to have a mutual respect.
• Haymitch is clearly disgusted by the sponsorship system and all of the schmoozing mentors are expected to do on behalf of their tributes. But as soon as Katniss gets burned, he jumps right in to get a sponsor to pay for medicine for her.
• Peeta running back to help Katniss after she dropped a tracker jacker nest on him.
• Rue rescues Katniss when the latter falls unconscious from the trackerjacker stings. Katniss wakes up, noticing her wounds are covered in medicinal leaves. Rue is hiding behind a tree, but Katniss thanks her for saving her, and keeping watch.
• The developing friendship between Katniss and Rue, climaxing in the scene where they sleep beside each other, almost like real sisters. It's very short but sweet as all heck.
  • Rue's Death is sad, but this gif of Katniss tickling Rue◊ will cheer you up.
• Peeta making a joke that draws a smile from Katniss—one as genuine as the smiles Gale drew from her.
  • Bonus points for this being an ad-lib by Josh Hutcherson.
• Peeta's reaction when Katniss finds him while screaming his name and hugging him in Anger Born of Worry. She tells him the berries he picked were nightlock and they're deadly. She hasn't realized she's fallen in love with him, but Peeta knows that she's not just playing a part.
• When it dawns on Katniss and Peeta that maybe, just maybe, they really will be able to go home again. Hell, any and all scenes in the cave count. "Then stay. Please?"
• It's for performance, but Katniss looks adorable in that yellow dress while snuggled in Peeta's lap for their post-game interview. Caesar's smile seems genuine when introducing the winners.
• The ending, which implies that unlike his attitude in the book, Peeta wishes to remain friends with Katniss after the Games.