Moviefone logo
Trending
'Wicked: For Good' Trailer
'Zootopia 2' Teaser Trailer
'Superman' Trailer
'Ironheart' Trailer
Buy TicketsHighlightsNew MoviesTV ShowsStreamingMovie ChartsVideosWhat to WatchIn TheatersMovie TheatersComing SoonMovie ReviewsMoviefone TVMade In HollywoodNewsCelebritiesNetflixPrime Video
BrickBrickOpusOpusSinnersSinnersA Hard PlaceA Hard Place28 Days Later28 Days LaterBallardBallardIt's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaIt's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaToo MuchToo MuchPoker FacePoker FaceFoundationFoundation
Squid Game: Season 3 - Final Round Teaser Clip
Squid Game
Shadow Force - Kerry Washington Exclusive Interview
Shadow Force
Lilo and Stitch - Spaceship Escape Clip
Lilo & Stitch
Relay - Riz Ahmed as Tom
Relay
Lilo & Stitch - Car Ride Scene
Lilo & Stitch
Relay -Sam Worthington Scene
Relay
Thunderbolts* - Official Behind the Scenes Clip
Thunderbolts*
Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 - Peter Dinklage Character Poster
Dexter: Resurrection
Ironheart - Official Trailer
Ironheart
Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 - James Remar Character Poster
Dexter: Resurrection
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Pedro Pascal at Berlin Fan Event
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
My Life with the Walter Boys Season 2 - Ashby Gentry as Alex
My Life with the Walter Boys
Words of War - Sean Penn Exclusive Interview
Words of War
Eddington - Emma Stone at LA Premiere
Eddington
Cleaner - Daisy Ridley Exclusive Interview
Cleaner
The Running Man - Glen Powell as Ben Richards
The Running Man
  1. News

22 Kids Movies That Really Messed Up Your Childhood

Jesse Schedeen
March 27, 2017 - 1 min read

by Jesse Schedeen

Animals dying? Fur coats made of adorable puppies? Peel-off faces? These and even crazier things happen in some of our favorite “kids” movies. Some of you might still be in therapy because you watched some of these effed-up movies as a kid.

'Pinocchio' (1940)

Long before the disobedient kids on Willy Wonka's tour met with unfortunate endings, a whole generation was scarred by Pinocchio and his human friends turned into donkeys and sold into a lifetime of slavery -- all because they unwisely sampled a few vices like cigarettes. Harsh!

'Dumbo' (1941)

We're not sure what's worse with this early Disney classic -- the psychedelic freak-out that is the "Elephants on Parade" sequence, or the trauma of seeing young Dumbo ripped away from his mother. And that's not even counting those ridiculously racist crows...

'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory' (1971)

For 95% of its runtime, the original "Willy Wonka" is a perfectly charming and very family friendly adventure. But then that terrifying tunnel sequence comes along, and Mr. Wonka suddenly morphs from kindly candyman to dispenser of nightmare fuel. 

'Watership Down' (1978)

"Watership Down" scarred an entire generation of young minds in the late '70s. If you want your children to watch scenes of realistically-animated rabbits being killed in a horrifically gruesome fashion, then by all means pop in this DVD. 

'The Dark Crystal' (1982)

We love puppets, but they tend to be a little creepy-looking. Then there are the horrific monstrosities on display in "The Dark Crystal." When even your hero characters look like demonic hellspawn, maybe you've taken your fantasy movie a little too far.

'The Secret of NIMH' (1982)

Outside of "Ratatouille," it's pretty rare to see rats cast as the heroes in animated movies. But "The Secret of NIMH" did a bang-up job of showcasing just how horrific life can be for innocent rodents in a world full of killer farm machinery and twisted laboratories.

'Something Wicked This Way Comes' (1983)

Look at that image. In what way, shape, or form does this grisly horror movie qualify as being kid appropriate?

'Cloak & Dagger' (1984)

So let's see if we can get this straight. This movie involves innocent people being shot and killed over a video game cartridge, and also armed government agents trying to kill a the kid from "E.T."? That's not a kid's movie; that's a glimpse into a fascist dystopia.

'Gremlins' (1984)

For a family-oriented movie with a heavy Christmas motif, "Gremlins" sure can be pretty dark and violent when it sets its mind to it. Along with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," this film was responsible for sparking the creation of the PG-13 rating.

'The Neverending Story ' (1984)

We're still not over the traumatic death of Artex the horse in the Swamp of Sadness. The creepy Gmork wolf did nothing to help us sleep at night, either. And can you imagine those large-boobed Sphinx statues being in a kids' movie today?

'The Black Cauldron' (1985)

Disney's animation department was in pretty rough shape in the '80s, and apparently their strategy here was to follow the example of dark, disturbing fantasy movies like "The Secret of NIMH." Needless to say, Disney fanatics weren't pleased.

'The Goonies' (1985)

We'd be screaming our lungs out too if we were stuck in a freezer with a stiff. No amount of ice cream is going to make up for that kind of childhood trauma!

'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' (1985)

Perhaps it's a good thing that trucker "Large Marge" transformed into whatever the hell that eye-popping monster was: It probably discouraged many kids from ever hitchhiking.

'Labyrinth' (1986)

Jim Henson's terrifying puppets struck again in this dark fantasy adventure. One of them even urinated in a fountain for some reason. Couple that with a middle-aged David Bowie gyrating at and obsessing over a 15-year-old, and you have one very NSFW kids movie.

'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988)

Jessica Rabbit's ultra-sexy dance number was (let's face it) just a tad too steamy for the youngsters. Not to mention the revelation of evil, Toon-torturing villain Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) as the scariest Toon of them all!

'All Dogs Go to Heaven' (1989)

Sometimes we think Don Bluth's great mission in life is to traumatize young moviegoers. Here, Bluth forced children to confront their own mortality -- and that of their pets -- as he explored the saga of a heroic dog who just couldn't seem to stay dead. Yep, that sentence just happened. 

'The Witches' (1990)

If children weren't terrified by the prospect of witches hiding among them before this Roald Dahl adaptation hit theaters, they certainly were after seeing these unsightly crones turn a heroic young boy into a mouse. The bright side? At least the movie changed the book's bleak and depressing ending.

'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1996)

Disney flirted with darkness once again in this dark adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel. The results were great, story-wise, but we can't say younger viewers took a shine to the twisted, lecherous villain Frollo. 

'101 Dalmatians' (1996)

In hindsight, it's pretty bizarre that audiences ever wanted to see a movie about a woman whose life's ambition is to slaughter dozens of puppies and stitch a coat out of their skins. But between this remake, its 2000 sequel, and the 1961 original, apparently puppy slaughter is a hot topic.

'Spirited Away' (2001)

A lot of strange things happen in this Oscar-winning anime classic, but the most disturbing is when our 10-year-old heroine sees her parents transformed into pigs before her eyes.

'Coraline' (2009)

Fact: Moving sucks when you're a kid. But at least we never moved to a remote house that contained a portal to another world where an evil doppelganger of our mother kidnaps children and sews buttons over their eye sockets.

15. 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' (2016)

After a string of underwhelming releases, Burton had the good sense to tackle something very much in his wheelhouse for this 2016 release. Sort of an X-Men movie by way of YA fantasy, "Miss Peregrine's" mostly makes up for its undercooked story with a strong sense of visual style.

Disneymovies
Jesse Schedeen
Article by Jesse Schedeen
Freelance Writer

Related News

Kenneth Branagh Joins ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
Kenneth Branagh Joins ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
Disney Developing ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Live-Action Sequel
Disney Developing ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Live-Action Sequel
Best Pixar Movies Ranked
Best Pixar Movies Ranked
TV Review: ‘Ironheart’
TV Review: ‘Ironheart’
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to Appear in New ‘Spider-Man’ Movie
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to Appear in New ‘Spider-Man’ Movie
Movie Review: ‘Elio’
Movie Review: ‘Elio’

More News on Moviefone

Movie Review: ‘40 Acres’
Movie Review: ‘40 Acres’
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ TV Spin-Off in Development
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ TV Spin-Off in Development
Best Scarlett Johansson Movies of All Time!
Best Scarlett Johansson Movies of All Time!
‘Night at the Museum’ Reboot in the Works
‘Night at the Museum’ Reboot in the Works
'Very Young Frankenstein’ TV Series in the Works
'Very Young Frankenstein’ TV Series in the Works
Hailee Steinfeld Joins Miles Teller in ‘Winter Games’
Hailee Steinfeld Joins Miles Teller in ‘Winter Games’
  • New Movies
  • Movies In Theaters
  • Movies Coming Soon
  • Movies Streaming Now
  • TV Shows
  • Best Movies
  • Best TV Shows

Follow Moviefone

FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTikTokRSS

Movie and TV Reviews

Superman poster
Superman
Movie Review
90
Ballard poster
Ballard
Season 1
TV Show Review
55
The Sandman poster
The Sandman
Season 2
TV Show Review
70

Top Movies

Brick poster
Brick
57
Opus poster
Opus
A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
57
Sinners poster
Sinners
Dance with the devil.
76

Top Series

Ballard poster
Ballard
She's the last chance for lost hopes.
71
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
More Gang for your buck.
83
Too Much poster
Too Much
33

Latest Trailers

'Chief of War' Trailer3:01'Chief of War' Trailer
'The Morning Show' Season 4 Teaser Trailer1:16'The Morning Show' Season 4 Teaser Trailer
'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Teaser Trailer1:01'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Teaser Trailer
'Acapulco' Season 4 Trailer2:14'Acapulco' Season 4 Trailer
'Alice in Borderland' Season 3 Teaser Trailer1:34'Alice in Borderland' Season 3 Teaser Trailer
'Miss Governor' Trailer1:56'Miss Governor' Trailer
Moviefone logo

Join our Newsletter

Movies
Best Movies to WatchTop Movies Right NowWhat to Watch TodayMovies in Theaters This WeekUpcoming Movie Releases2025 Movie Release CalendarBrowse Movies by Keywords
TV Shows
Best TV Shows to BingeTop TV Shows Right NowNew TV Shows This WeekTrending TV ShowsTV Shows by KeywordsLatest TV Show TrailersExclusive TV Show Clips
Streaming
Streaming Now & UpcomingWhat's New on NetflixTop Picks on Prime VideoNew Releases on Disney+Popular Movies on HuluWhat to Watch on MaxStreaming Now on Apple TV+
Showtimes
Showtimes & TicketsMovie Showtimes in LAMovie Showtimes in DallasMovie Showtimes in New YorkAll U.S. Movie TheatersAMC Theatres ListingsCinemark Theatres Listings
Videos
Movie & TV Show VideosLatest Movie TrailersMoviefone TV EpisodesMade in Hollywood InterviewsExclusive Movie ClipsCelebrity InterviewsMade In Hollywood Teen
Movie GenresSummer MoviesHoliday MoviesFamily MoviesTV MoviesDocumentary MoviesHorror Movies
TV GenresHistory TV ShowsThriller TV ShowsMystery TV ShowsAnimation TV ShowsDrama TV ShowsFamily TV Shows
NewsMovie NewsTV NewsMovie PhotosBehind the ScenesBest Movies EverMarvel Cinematic Universe
CelebritiesTom HardyTimothée ChalametHayley AtwellHenry CavillMargot RobbieJames McAvoy
Movie ReviewsWickedRed OneGladiator IIWallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlHereticWe Live in Time
FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTikTokRSS
AboutContact UsSitemapTerms of ServicePrivacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 Moviefone Media LLC
Asset 1This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.