Animated films for children are supposed to be light and funny. They should be like a ray of sunshine because life is dark enough as it is. These animated kids movies broke the norm. They are as dark as they come.
boat down
The very beginning of the film is after a rabbit has a vision of an impending apocalypse. You know a movie is about to enter dark territory when something as cute as bunnies has visions of death and destruction. Things only get worse in Watership Down. Animated children’s films don’t dwell on the areas of this 1978 film. There are a lot of violent rabbits with red eyes who kill other rabbits. Some scenes show rabbits being buried alive. The BBFC – Britain’s children’s film authority, has since come under fire for awarding the film a rating of viewers aged four and over. Watership Down is one of the darkest animated children’s films ever made.
Coraline
At first glance, Coraline looks like any other of those typical children’s animated films. A young girl, frustrated with her friends and family, decides to venture into a brand new parallel reality. The only problem is that this parallel world is not what it seems. there are deep and dark secrets in this world that the girl eventually uncovers. Coraline has an option. She now has the chance to become a permanent resident of this new world. That’s when she realizes that this new world comes with a few terms and conditions that also include, but are not limited to, having your eyes sewn with buttons. This is straight up horror movie territory.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The film contains major plot elements that revolve around racism, body shame, lust, power, and greed. Of all the Disney animated movies for kids, this movie definitely makes a strong case for making it onto this list. The amount of unhealthy obsession the demented Mayor Frollo has for Esmeralda is not something to be taken lightly. He shows his love for Esmeralda by singing a song in her name, titled “Hellfire” for crying out loud. Esmeralda and her traveling troupe are intensely discriminated against. While the movie doesn’t take as many clues as the original book (which is even darker), there are quite a few scenes that still make it too crazy for kids to watch.
The last unicorn
Despite what its name sounds like, The Last Unicorn is anything but one of the most child-friendly animated movies. The 1982 film explores the story of Well, the world’s last unicorn. In this unconventional fairy tale, there is no happy ending because nothing good ever happens to good people. This is one of the many messages the film tries to convey to its child audience. The Last Unicorn is one of the darkest animated children’s films ever made. It’s stoic and melancholic. And the Red Bull character makes for a truly heartbreaking villain. If you were 10 when you first saw it in theaters, you would definitely be traumatized.
Paranormand
Stop-motion animated children’s films aren’t exactly a well-explored strength of Hollywood. ParaNorman broke the norm when it was released in 2012. It’s one of those animated kids movies that opens up about the dead and the macabre like no other film. The entire premise of the movie is based around a kid losing one of his best friends. ParaNorman is an incredibly innovative film that relies on classic stop-motion tricks to deliver a message about life and death too mature for even adults to bear.
