Kids animated movies are supposed to be light and funny. They should be like a ray of sunshine because life is dark enough as it is. These kids animated movies broke the norm. They are as dark as they come.
Watership Down
The very beginning of the movie is after a bunny gets a vision of an impending apocalypse. You know a film is abut to go into dark territory when something as cute as bunnies get visions of death and destruction. Things only take a turn for the worse in Watership Down. Kids animated movies do not dwell into the areas this 1978 movie did. There are a lot of violent red-eyed bunnies that are seen killing other bunnies. Some scenes show bunnies being buried alive. The BBFC – the British children’s movies authority, was been criticized ever since for giving the movie a four years and older viewer classification. Watership down is one of the darkest kids animated movies ever made.
Coraline
At first glance, Coraline looks like any other of those typical kids animated movies. A young girl, frustrated with her friends and family, decides to venture out into a whole new parallel reality. The only problem is – this parallel world is not what it seems. there are some deep, dark secrets to this world the young girl eventually figures out. Coraline is given an option. She now has the chance to become a permanent resident of this new world. It is then she realizes that this new world comes with a few terms and conditions that also includes but not limited to having your eyes sewn shut with buttons. That is straight up horror movie territory.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
The movie has major plot elements that revolve around racism, body-shaming, lust, power, and greed. Of all the Disney kids animated movies out there, this movie certainly makes for a strong case to make it to 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 travelling troupe is intensely discriminated against. Although the movie does not take that many cues for the original book (which is even darker), there are quite a few scenes that still make it way too crazy for the kids to watch.
The Last Unicorn
Despite what the name sounds like, The Last Unicorn is anything but being one of the friendlier kids animated movies. The 1982 film explores the story of well, the last unicorn of the world. In this unconventional fairy tale, there are no happy endings because nothing good ever happens to good people. That is one of the many messages the movie tries to convey to its kiddy audience. The Last Unicorn is one of the darkest kids animated movies ever made. It is stoic and melancholic. And the Red Bull character makes for a really harrowing villain. If you were 10 when you watched it in theaters for the first time, you would be traumatized for sure.
ParaNorman
Stop-motion kids animated movies are not exactly a well-explored forte of Hollywood. ParaNorman broke the norm when it was released in 2012. This is one of those kids animated movies that opens up to the dead and macabre unlike any other film. The entire premise of the movie is based on a kid losing one of his bestest pals. ParaNorman is an incredibly innovative movie that relies on classic stop-motion tricks to deliver a message about life and death too mature even for the adults to endure.
