Toddler Gets Really Emotional During Cartoon About Lost Baby Penguin (Video)

Do toddlers have the capacity to feel emotions like compassion and empathy?

Some might argue that those emotional responses don't develop until later in life, but this video suggests otherwise.

In it, 2-year-old Raegan watches a scene from “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” in which a baby penguin loses contact with his mother and is being cared for by the Chipettes.

In response to the cartoon, the little girl cries tears of empathy, and when the baby is reunited with its mother, she cries tears of happiness and lets out a sigh of relief.

According to Raegan's father, the toddler, who lives in Aurora, CO, often cries at emotional scenes in her favorite cartoons.

It's probably the sweetest thing you'll ever see -- and it's proof that young children can feel a range of emotions, much like adults.

Citations: Compassionate toddler gets adorably emotional while watching cartoon about lost baby penguin (Daily Mail )