Animated films are often aimed at children, though their popularity spans all ages. However, the target audience doesn't stop the subject matter of these films from being sometimes dark and scary — which this list is here to investigate.
Everyone has that film from their childhood that has given them some form of mental scar, be it sad, scary, or just plain weird. It's part of the aging process, at this point. This list isn't particularly in any order of the tamest to the most traumatizing animated films, but it does cover most of the main contenders for the darkest animated movies for children.
Updated April 25th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There have been a lot of amazing and beautifully animated children's films over the years, with an abundance of family-friendly titles using the medium to offer up colorful worlds filled with unique characters that kids definitely enjoy watching. That said, sometimes studios can be a bit overbearing with the macabre and dark, creating children's animated films and family-friendly adventures that end up looking more like nightmare fuel than anything else. There have been quite a few of these dark and foreboding films over the years, even if they're wonderfully well-made. Here's a look at even more children's movies that are incredibly dark.
14 The Nightmare Before Christmas
When it comes to dark children's movies, man look to Tim Burton, a director responsible for bringing some of the most unsettling "family films" to life. Although many of Burton's movies are rated low enough for both adults and children to view them, they usually include intense imagery, with ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, that could be considered nightmare fuel for any unsuspecting kiddos.
One of the best films that Burton ever crafted was The Nightmare Before Christmas, a musically-infused animated film about the Pumpkin King of Halloween and his desires to do something different, a path that leads him to take the mantle of Santa Claus for a night. The movie itself is fantastic, with great animation, beautiful musical scores, and a heartwarming story, but it was definitely "dark" for most kids. In fact, Disney originally released it through Touchstone Pictures on the grounds that the movie was "too frightening for kids."
13 The Dark Crystal
Jim Henson was a master craftsman when it came to the creation of Puppets and Puppet-like creatures. After all, the puppeteer was responsible for bringing the world The Muppets and all of their associated adventures. But not all of Jim Henson's creations were as vibrant and kid-friendly as The Muppets or the cast of Sesame Street. In 1982, the visionary would lend his talents to The Dark Crystal, a film that attempted to craft a narrative about a "chosen one" but ended up giving kids nightmares thanks to its visuals.
There is quite a bit of dark imagery found in The Dark Crystal but the Skeksis, in particular, were responsible for scarring kids. The creepy bird-like Puppets were shocking enough when standing still but the second they began moving around and speaking it made things so much worse.
12 Coraline
Coraline is perhaps one of the best films that Studio LAIKA ever produced. It's beautifully animated, featuring a painstaking claymation process and features some of the most beautiful imagery to come from the medium in 2009. It's rated as a Family/Fantasy film but those that watched it with their young ones may have inadvertently scarred the kiddos thanks to the heavy themes and rather terrifying imagery found throughout the film.
What starts out as a seemingly beautiful adventure for Coraline Jones hits a serious dark point about midway through the film. The sharp and abrupt turn is enough to shake any kid, or adult for that matter.
11 ParaNorman
ParaNorman came out during a time when 3D-animated movies were all the rage, attempting to capitalize on the success of films like Corpse Bride and Coraline (which was also made by LAIKA). While it didn't manage to beat out the two films before it (in terms of worldwide box office gross), it was well-received and managed to spark a cult following in the years after its premiere. It's easy to understand why it was popular too, thanks to its impressive animation and solid story.
That said, some themes featured in the "kids' movie" were a bit on the heavier side. Although it keeps it all hidden under the facade of a colorful and macabre adventure, ParaNorman deals with themes of isolation, dark thoughts, and trauma. All of this is capped off by a main theme that runs directly through the historical aspects of the Salem Witch Trials.
10 All Dogs Go To Heaven
Let's kick things off with a lovely tale about some pet dogs. Billed as a "comedy-drama," the film is part musical and part sheer sadness. All Dogs Go To Heaven features murder, drinking, demons, and more, all of which make it a questionable film for kids to watch. Or adults, for that matter.
The film follows, essentially, a bunch of criminal dogs around the underbelly of a city. Audiences witness an imprisoned little girl fall deathly ill, as well as multiple fights between canines. There's a lot of death, a lot of fire, and not so much heart-warming content.
9 The Brave Little Toaster
The Brave Little Toaster is a delightful story about some outdated appliances returning from where they were thrown out, to reunite with their owner. Cute, right? Wrong. This may as well be called "baby's first horror film," considering its themes and the frightning imagery that runs throughout.
For a start, there is a clown-filled nightmare that the toaster envisions, and a harrowing hallucination that Blanky has. The appliances get stuck in quicksand and nearly drown, one nearly gets kidnapped, and the vacuum literally starts to lose its after short-circuiting. Like All Dogs, there are barely any uplifting moments to bring this film back to the heartwarming side.
8 The Last Unicorn
Surely the kids will love a film about a pearly-white unicorn! Cut to two hours later and…well, not so much. The Last Unicorn has been regarded as a disturbing film for years now, and it isn't hard to see why.
The story itself is bittersweet: it follows the unicorn in search of her kind after they have been chased away by a giant, flaming, Red Bull. Through the film she falls victim to many sad fates. She's turned into a mortal woman, kidnapped, berated for being "too late," turned back into a unicorn after falling in love as a human... and then remains as an outcast unicorn in her society.
7 An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
Don Bluth, the creator behind All Dogs Go To Heaven, is back again. This time he's brought An American Tail, which is widely regarded as one of the saddest kids' films ever.
It follows Fievel, a small mouse emigrating with his family to America, who gets thrown from the boat and loses his parents. From there, nothing good happens. He ends up getting into some trouble as he searches for his parents, including forced labor and political issues. The film does actually end with Fievel finding his family, but there's heartbreak and dark themes along the way.
6 Watership Down
There aren't many people that haven't seen the monumentally terrifying Watership Down. And that's not the cute Netflix version that came out recently — it's the 1978 animated horrorshow.
Like the book it was based on, Watership Down wasn't actually intended for kids, but somehow it a low enough rating that parents decided to take them to see it. The film has some pivotal scenes that have stuck with many. The cave-in of the warren, which suffocates many rabbits, is the biggest shocker; however, throughout the film, there are plenty more scenes of bloodied fields, rabbit culls, and gory fights.
5 Grave Of The Fireflies
Although this technically isn't a kids film, any child that has seen the other Studio Ghibli films will no doubt find it eventually. The movie is rated as a 12+, but that likely isn't enough to put anyone off.
Grave Of The FIreflies is set during World War II, following a brother and sister separated from parents. The story is no less harsh than the premise. Scenes of bombs dropping from the sky, starvation, death, and destruction are met with beautiful scenes to break up the sadness; however, it only serves to make the tragedy hurt that much more. Maybe stick to Ponyo for a Ghibli movie night with the kids.
4 The Black Cauldron
Another misunderstood animated film is The Black Cauldron. Like Watership Down, this was not meant for the younger audience that seemed to flock to it. The film was unfortunately viewed as the one that nearly killed off Disney's animation teams, and is regarded as one of the worst titles it has ever released.
The subject matter and scenes in the movie served to scare a lot of children and leave nightmares in its wake. There are no jokes, there is no singing, and most landscapes are dark and shadowy. The plot is terrifying too, featuring graphic deaths and armies of skeletons galore.
3 Bambi
This one hardly needs explaining. Bambi is a classic Disney movie following a family of deer, nestled in a delightful woodland setting. They spend their days mingling with rabbits and other wood folks, and nothing bad happens at all. Right?
If only. Bambi, the baby deer taking center stage, is struck with tragedy soon after he enters the world. The pivotally sad scene is when Bambi's mother gets shot by hunters, and the small fawn struggles to take in the reality of the situation. Not only that, but the forest starts to burn down thanks to humans, too.
2 FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Deforestation is a great subject to place at the center of a kids' movie. Especially deforestation that sees fairies that live in the wood, and feel the pain of the trees that are cut down.
This is all coupled with a villain trying to elevate himself to god-status, animals that have suffered at the hands of experimentation, and a plot of sacrificing oneself to save others. Together, it creates a dark and gloomy film that doesn't quite fill children with a fun feeling. There's also an uncomfortable "relationship" between a human and a fairy that just doesn't quite seem right.
1 The Secret of NIMH
Possibly the film regarded as the darkest that is aimed at child audiences is The Secret of NIMH. Based on the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien, the movie features many scenes of rats and mice suffering at the hands of scientists, having experimental procedures thrust upon them.
The movie doesn't shy away from violence either, featuring fights aplenty as well as a near-death escapade for the main characters as they only just avoid drowning in mud. Oh, by the way — NIMH stands for the National Institute of Mental Health, which, considering their horrific experiments, only adds to the creepy air.