For some reason studios keep insisting on making movies geared toward children completely traumatic. I've cried more during Pixar movies than at funerals. But this isn't a new trend at all. If anything, they've toned down how sad and disturbing kid's movies used to be and only used depressing elements to advance the plot instead of just psychologically torturing us. Here are 13 terrifying moments from children's movies that explain why our therapy bills are so high now.
1. "All Dogs Go To Heaven" - Charlie Goes To Hell
![kids movies, sad kids movies, scary kids movies, traumatizing kids movies]()
Ah, there's nothing children love more than watching an adorable cartoon dog being sucked into the pits of hell surrounded by fire, brimstone, and skeleton creatures that want to consume their flesh. Thanks for that one!
2. "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" - The Ant's Death
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After the kids befriend an adorable little ant, they're attacked by a scorpion, which should convince even the cheapest homeowner to spray their yard for dangerous insects. The kids escape, but in the process we watch that sweet, caring ant be brutally murderer by the scorpion.
3. "Ernest Scared Stupid" - The Troll
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I have no idea why our parents let us watch this movie because it was completely traumatizing. The troll was a little too creepy for a children's movie and was made even more terrifying by the fact that he would grab unsuspecting kids and turn them into wooden statues where he'd keep their souls forever.
4. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" - The Dip
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I understand that we were supposed to see how evil and ruthless Judge Doom is, while also seeing the power of The Dip, but did it really have to be that pitiful little shoe that kept squeaking and begging for his life while he was melted alive? Good lord.
5. "Home Alone" - The Furnace
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If you weren't terrified of going into your basement before watching Home Alone, you certainly were when you saw Kevin's furnace light up, come to life, and start growling out his name like some sort of crazed incubus from hell. Sure Kevin eventually overcame his fear, which is great for him, but for the rest of us we were terrified of grabbing the laundry because it was just a matter of time before our furnace came looking for us.
6. "Return to Oz" - The Wheelers
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The entire sequel to The Wizard of Oz was horrific, but there was just something soul rattling about a bunch of creeps that looked like a David Bowie-themed gang who had wheels instead of hands or feet and psychologically tortured children and chickens alike. The sound of their laugh is the stuff of nightmares.
7. "My Girl" - The Funeral
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Watching Thomas J be slaughtered to death by a swarm of bees was traumatic enough, but then you realized his funeral was going to take place in VADA'S HOUSE! She gets to walk downstairs from her bedroom and see her best friend lying there dead and all as a result of him searching for her lost mood ring. This is hell. This is literally what hell must be like.
8. "The Lion King" - The Stampede
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Look, visually it's an absolutely stunning scene with an incredible score. However, a child does not care about technical achievement in a film. To a little kid, the only thing they know is that Simba's dad just got tossed off the side of a cliff and freaking died. Then to make it even worse, Simba comes over and starts poking around at his dead body trying to get him to wake up. Thanks for ruining my life, Disney.
9. "Gremlins" - Stripe's Death
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If you only want to see Stripe's death, skip to 44 seconds in this video, but it's worth watching all of their deaths to realize what a traumatizing movie The Gremlins was and how violent their deaths were. After all, the gremlins just wanted to party and have fun, but that didn't stop locals from stabbing them, melting them, and jamming them into a blender.
10. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" - The Boat Ride
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There's no way that scene was intended for children, right? There were visuals of chickens being beheaded, worms crawling across human faces, and Wonka singing some creepy song about the flames of hell. You can take that golden ticket and shove it, Wonka.
11. "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" - Large Marge
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So Pee Wee is stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to find a ride when a creepy truck pulls up. Marge is obviously terrifying as a normal human, but out of nowhere when her face turns into some sort of demented creature, life as we knew it would never be the same. If she's not reason enough to never hitchhike, then I don't know what is.
12. "The Land Before Time" - Littlefoot's Mom
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There was no such thing as an implied death back in the days of these cartoons. We could have just picked up on hints that his mom had passed away, but instead we get a full-on traumatic scene of him sitting next to his mother's dying body in the rain begging her to get up. Why don't you just rip out my heart and throw it into a dumpster?
13. "The Never Ending Story" - Artax's Death
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If you can watch this entire scene and not have your day completely ruined, you are dead inside. Plan a funeral for your soul, because it is cold, dead, and empty. Where are the tissues?
1. "All Dogs Go To Heaven" - Charlie Goes To Hell
Ah, there's nothing children love more than watching an adorable cartoon dog being sucked into the pits of hell surrounded by fire, brimstone, and skeleton creatures that want to consume their flesh. Thanks for that one!
2. "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" - The Ant's Death
After the kids befriend an adorable little ant, they're attacked by a scorpion, which should convince even the cheapest homeowner to spray their yard for dangerous insects. The kids escape, but in the process we watch that sweet, caring ant be brutally murderer by the scorpion.
3. "Ernest Scared Stupid" - The Troll
I have no idea why our parents let us watch this movie because it was completely traumatizing. The troll was a little too creepy for a children's movie and was made even more terrifying by the fact that he would grab unsuspecting kids and turn them into wooden statues where he'd keep their souls forever.
4. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" - The Dip
I understand that we were supposed to see how evil and ruthless Judge Doom is, while also seeing the power of The Dip, but did it really have to be that pitiful little shoe that kept squeaking and begging for his life while he was melted alive? Good lord.
5. "Home Alone" - The Furnace
If you weren't terrified of going into your basement before watching Home Alone, you certainly were when you saw Kevin's furnace light up, come to life, and start growling out his name like some sort of crazed incubus from hell. Sure Kevin eventually overcame his fear, which is great for him, but for the rest of us we were terrified of grabbing the laundry because it was just a matter of time before our furnace came looking for us.
6. "Return to Oz" - The Wheelers
The entire sequel to The Wizard of Oz was horrific, but there was just something soul rattling about a bunch of creeps that looked like a David Bowie-themed gang who had wheels instead of hands or feet and psychologically tortured children and chickens alike. The sound of their laugh is the stuff of nightmares.
7. "My Girl" - The Funeral
Watching Thomas J be slaughtered to death by a swarm of bees was traumatic enough, but then you realized his funeral was going to take place in VADA'S HOUSE! She gets to walk downstairs from her bedroom and see her best friend lying there dead and all as a result of him searching for her lost mood ring. This is hell. This is literally what hell must be like.
8. "The Lion King" - The Stampede
Look, visually it's an absolutely stunning scene with an incredible score. However, a child does not care about technical achievement in a film. To a little kid, the only thing they know is that Simba's dad just got tossed off the side of a cliff and freaking died. Then to make it even worse, Simba comes over and starts poking around at his dead body trying to get him to wake up. Thanks for ruining my life, Disney.
9. "Gremlins" - Stripe's Death
If you only want to see Stripe's death, skip to 44 seconds in this video, but it's worth watching all of their deaths to realize what a traumatizing movie The Gremlins was and how violent their deaths were. After all, the gremlins just wanted to party and have fun, but that didn't stop locals from stabbing them, melting them, and jamming them into a blender.
10. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" - The Boat Ride
There's no way that scene was intended for children, right? There were visuals of chickens being beheaded, worms crawling across human faces, and Wonka singing some creepy song about the flames of hell. You can take that golden ticket and shove it, Wonka.
11. "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" - Large Marge
So Pee Wee is stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to find a ride when a creepy truck pulls up. Marge is obviously terrifying as a normal human, but out of nowhere when her face turns into some sort of demented creature, life as we knew it would never be the same. If she's not reason enough to never hitchhike, then I don't know what is.
12. "The Land Before Time" - Littlefoot's Mom
There was no such thing as an implied death back in the days of these cartoons. We could have just picked up on hints that his mom had passed away, but instead we get a full-on traumatic scene of him sitting next to his mother's dying body in the rain begging her to get up. Why don't you just rip out my heart and throw it into a dumpster?
13. "The Never Ending Story" - Artax's Death
If you can watch this entire scene and not have your day completely ruined, you are dead inside. Plan a funeral for your soul, because it is cold, dead, and empty. Where are the tissues?