Movie fans carry memories with them of their childhoods filled with animations that they loved so dearly and were inspired by. As the art of movie-making progresses with its creativity and plots, some animations have admittedly taken a turn for unexplored themes and perplexing graphics. These films have introduced into kid films the dark side of life and the despair in societies.
Most adults might say these children's stories are veering more towards being adult content because of their chilling and shocking visuals and premises that could easily terrify any child or adult. Most of these films are familiar and even regarded as classics in animation. It turns out that happily-ever-after isn't always the case. Here are some children's animations that adults have found too daunting to watch.
The Black Cauldron
The 1985 animated movie The Black Cauldron is a dark and eerie story that follows a young boy who is tasked with protecting a magical pig and finding a powerful cauldron of ultimate power before the evil horned demon king does. The storyline is a typical children's fantasy and adventure plot with haunting visuals and the demon king himself is quite traumatizing with his evil powers and skeletal appearance. The film is slow-paced and suspenseful and carries the semblance of fear and danger at every turn. This animation is considered one of Disney's darkest releases.
Monster House
A 2006 release, Monster House is quite a controversial animated movie. For movie fans it's a clear "I love it" or "I hate it". The story follows a young boy who is struggling with puberty as well as getting dangerously involved with his neighbor, an old and cranky man who appears to loath children. The main character and his friends become suspicious of his house and come to realize that the house is possessed by the man's wife. The worst parts are the scenes of her rage-fits which lead to her eating people and monstrously chasing the main characters looking to take their lives.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Director Tim Burton is known for his unique depictions of horror themes. The children's animation, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a terrorizing film filled with cadavers, ghoulish monsters, creepy songs, and the kidnapping of Santa Claus.
This film has become a cult classic since its release in 1993 with a conflicting plot of good intentions and possessed evil creatures. The scenes can be very cringing and the monsters traumatizing for children and adults alike. Still, this film is an interesting play on a blend of Christmas and Halloween and how the two absolutely don't mix.
Watership Down
In the world of children, bunnies are supposed to be cute and fluffy and completely harmless. In the 1978 animation Watership Down that concept is thrown completely out the window. The entire animation is about death, massacre, and carnage. Most critics of the film have described it as completely traumatizing especially when watched as a child. The concept of the film is cruel as it depicts a blissful world turned upside down by tyranny and rebellion. The film is based on the novel written by Richard Adams where he depicts the shortcomings of human society through the lives of rabbits and other animals.
Coraline
The movie Coraline is filled with imagination and wonder for a young girl who is having a hard time adjusting to her new home while also dealing with neglectful parents. The film is complex and when Coraline discovers a new world filled with an inviting and tempting other reality, things turn ugly. She is confronted by monsters disguised as her loving and "perfect" version of her parents.
The concept can definitely be terrifying for children and adults find it disturbing as well. The creatures are haunting especially the "other" mother who turns into a spider-like skeletal being. Coraline must find a way out of the terrifying reality she is trapped in and save her real parents as well.
The Last Unicorn
This classic 1982 children's animation will give any adult a scare. The Last Unicorn follows a white unicorn, Amalthea voiced by actress Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby, The Great Gatsby, The Omen) as she embarks on a horror journey of dark magic, demons, and ghosts in search of any other unicorns left alive on earth. The dark path she rides is a web of devilish and violent encounters that would terrorize any child or adult. Still, this film is a great classic and considered a passion-filled vintage animation.
Fantasia: Night On Bald Mountain (1940)
The 1940 animation was produced by Walt Disney himself. Fantasia is one of the most unique animations in history to this day with amazing artwork and music composition. In a particular short, an intense musical note by composer Modest Mussorgsky, who was inspired by the Russian legend of dark magic and secret congregations of witches. The concept of a legend of a Russian Witch has also been seen in other movies such as the Baba Yaga in John Wick. Folklore can be very terrifying and that is the case in Night on Bald Mountain. The visuals in this short are eerie with a strong macabre theme that can be spine-chilling for any viewer.
Grave Of The Fireflies
In the World War II animation Grave of the Fireflies, a Japanese boy is left in charge of his young sister during the devastation of wartime as they struggle to survive. For fans of Japanese animation and Studio Ghibli, this movie will be a shock as the storyline progresses and the consequences of war are too blatantly displayed.
The concepts are traumatizing for any child and terrifying for any adult to watch as the sorrowful ending either leaves viewers in tears or in complete horror. Director Isao Takahata delivered a devastating blow with this 1988 hand-drawn animation.
The Secret Of NIMH
The film, The Secret Of NIMH is one of those animations that one watches as a child and knows there are sinister things going but the adventure aspects keep the film fun. The film follows a widowed field mouse who is seeking answers and is looking after her three small mouselings at the same time. There is a lot of science and dark magic involved with great artwork including a few scary characters that horrify and linger on the mind.
The Plague Dogs
The beginning of this movie sets the course for the entire premise. A dog is being tortured and experimented on to the point of its death and resuscitation by a bunch of creepy and mad scientists at a research facility. The movie The Plague Dogs is one of terror and fright as these dogs try to escape their mad captors and after finally breaking loose from the facility, a dog hunt ensues bringing them to the brink of death at every turn. The animated movie depicts a few characters dying in their attempt to capture the dogs as well as the dogs plunging to the ocean as their last hope for survival. With death and suspense at every moment, this film is one that leaves viewers both children and adults wincing.