Children’s animated programs can have some frightening themes, never mind for children, but sometimes for adults too. Just because it’s a cartoon does not exclude it from being scary, and some kids’ cartoons, in hindsight, are probably too scary for children at all.
Here are 18 animated kid’s programs that are super scary.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Directed by Henry Selick, this is a classic animated kid’s movie. The storyline and script keep children entranced and captivated. However, this film has a lot of scary elements. The animation style is quite creepy, and all the pumpkins and skeletons give it some scary horror vibes.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Land
Scooby-Doo, scary? Not normally, but Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island has so many monsters and ghosts that it departs from the usual soft-hearted Scooby-Doo animation series. What begins as a standard Scooby-Doo adventure quickly descends into voodoo, ghost pirates, zombies, and vengeful cats.
Watership Down
What looks like a sweet movie about cute bunny rabbits is a pretty dark, gory cartoon that has sadly traumatized generations of children. In some scenes, we see rabbits with red eyes rip each other’s throats out; that’s nice. But this cartoon was made in 1978, so we are pretty sure this kind of animation wouldn’t be made for kids today.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Half film, half animation, this hybrid children’s movie is iconic. It is still rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, some of the scenes in this film are pretty scary, like whenever Christopher Lloyd’s character, Judge Doom’s eyes pop out, or whenever he gets squashed by a steam roller and pops back up again.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
This brilliant kid’s animation is about a forest inhabited by magical fairies who fight to save it from greedy tree loggers and oil-hungry city slickers. Rated 6.5 stars on IMDB, this kid’s animation has magical vibes. But it also has some super scary vibes, as there’s an ominous monster that lives in the engine oil of the tree-cutting machines and a bat, played by Robin Williams, who is disfigured from medical experiments.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid, I hear you ask. But hear me out; we know this one sounds unusual, but when you think about it, Ursula, the black, giant octopus witch who sucks the souls out of young mermaids and turns them into seaweed, is a pretty scary concept for kids, right?
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Although we are used to happy-go-lucky storylines from Wallace & Gromit, this one takes a slightly darker turn. The animation is creepier than usual, and the plot is definitely a scarier departure than for this animation series.
Frankenweenie
This animated film has some quite scary themes. It tells the story of a boy whose pet dog passes away, which he tries to bring back from the dead via some creepy Frankenstein-esque experiments.
The Wind in the Willows
Rated 7.9 stars on IMDB, this award-winning animated series follows the adventures of a mole who decides to leave home and explore the world. On his journey, he makes friends with a rat, a badger, and a toad. Together, the group experiences the horrors of Wild Wood, which is actually pretty scary whether you’re a child or an adult.
The Spine of Night
Rated 6.4 stars on IMDB, The Spine of Night is set in a magical fantasy land. This animation features warriors fighting a malevolent force. However, it has some ultra-violent scenes that would be super scary for any children watching.
He-Man: Masters of the Universe
Made in 1983, this is an iconic children’s animated cartoon series, and it still has 7.5 stars on IMDB. However, the He-Man cartoons have some super scary elements, especially Skeletor, an evil skeleton that He-Man must defeat.
ThunderCats
Another iconic kids’ cartoon from the 80s, ThunderCats, is a brilliant animated series. However, one thing in these cartoons is extra scary for kids: Mum-Ra, yes, a zombie mummified wizard whom the ThunderCats must constantly battle against. This animated children’s cartoon might be scary in some parts, but it’s still a brilliant animated series, and it scores 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
9
This animated kid’s film is simply called 9. It’s about a rag doll who awakens in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by war between humans and machines. The rag doll holds the key to humanity’s salvation. This is a great plot, but it’s also extremely scary for children.
Dungeons & Dragons
This children’s cartoon features multi-headed dragons with magical powers, monsters, zombies, and skeletons, which is frightening enough. Add in the fact that the kids in the animation are always trying to get home safely, but they never do, and we have an all-around fear-inducing kids show.
ParaNorman
This family/horror animated film is about a boy living in a creepy town under attack from zombies, ghosts, and ghouls. With his ability to talk to ghosts, Norman and his friends try to save the day.
The Canterville Ghost
Rated 6.2 stars on IMDB, this animation is about a ghost that has been haunting the grounds of his stately home for over 300 years. Sir Simon de Canterville has successfully scared off all inhabitants until an American family moves in, and things change.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
This cartoon, an animated adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows,” was made in 1949. It’s rated 6.9 stars on IMDB and has some seriously creepy vibes.
Corpse Bride
The title gives a lot of information about this animation. Its storyline follows a young man who mistakenly awakens a corpse by practicing his wedding vows near her grave. The fact that this film has corpses and people being resurrected from the dead is scary enough.
