Flavorwire

It’s easy to see Hollywood as a detestable machine. Between the unnecessary remakes, sequels, prequels, talking heads, and the advertising onslaught, it’s enough to make a true cinephile scream. There are great things about Hollywood, though. Sometimes we’re treated to a tale that thrills us to the edge of our seat or touches us profoundly — and sometimes those stories happen off screen. The Internet is abuzz with a report about a terminally ill Trekkie. Director J.J. Abrams — who is normally extremely secretive about his projects — granted the man’s dying wish: to see the upcoming film, Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams screened the unfinished movie for a fan named Daniel who has been diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live. According to Dan’s family, they “enjoyed it immensely as a film and as a gesture.” We rounded up other heartwarming stories that restored our faith in Hollywood. Grab a tissue or two, and meet us after the jump.

Pixar movies look like they’re for children, but their stories are universal tales that tug at the heartstrings. Several years ago, the animation company granted a 10-year-old girl’s dying wish. Colby Curtin suffered from a rare form of vascular cancer and was too ill to get to a movie theater to see the film she desperately wanted to — 2009′s Up. Curtin’s family got in touch with Pixar, and the company flew an employee to her house with a DVD of the film (then, only in theaters). Colby passed away hours after seeing the emotional movie about an elderly man who fulfills a promise to his deceased wife and follows his dreams. “When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie,” said Curtin’s mother, Lisa. “I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.”