10 Scariest Moments and Characters from Kids’ Movies and TV Shows

We expect movies and TV shows that are meant for children to be innocent and family-centric. And, for the most part, the movies and TV shows on this list fit that bill. However, some of the moments from them prove to be traumatizing for the younger members of the audience. Here are the top 10 examples of that. Also, just a note, this list begins at number 10 and ends at number 1.

The wind-up toy monkey from Toy Story 3 (2010)

The monkey is a Musical Jolly Chimp toy, and is a major antagonist, aside from Lotso Huggin’ Bear. The monkey (and, frankly, the real-life toy in general) looks disturbing enough, but in one scene, when Woody tries to subdue it from behind, the monkey turns around and opens its mouth and eyes in a very unsettling manner. Right in the viewers’ faces. So, yeah. Thanks, Pixar for that image.

The Scrooge marionette from The Polar Express (2004)

This one starts in an unsettling manner. The conductor and two of the main characters (none of them are named) go through a train car dedicated entirely to storing worn and used toys. The conductor and the secondary character go through the car while the third brings up the rear. Before he leaves though, a marionette (which is supposed to be of Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol) puts its hand on the main character’s shoulder. He turns around, and then the marionette begins to talk in a way that would make any normal person pretty uncomfortable. Then, the marionette is revealed to be controlled by the hobo on top of the train. Things escalate until the main character runs away. This scene isn’t in the book, either. So, thanks Robert Zemeckis, for that.

When the witches reveal themselves in The Witches (1990)

You’ve got to give kudos to the makeup artists for this one. In this scene, the witches remove their human disguises and they turn out to be horrifying creatures. In addition, two children were brought onto the stage and turned into mice, which probably scared young audience members even more.

Hexxus from FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

Voiced by the legendary Tim Curry, who also terrorized the 90s with Pennywise from Stephen King’s It just 2 years prior, Hexxus is also something that left 90s kids with a pretty harsh reality check on deforestation and pollution. His tone is one thing, but combined with the visuals of a skeleton/poison gas genie, viewers were in for a ride.

Mr. Toilet Man from Look Who’s Talking Too (1990)

If this one made you scared to use the bathroom at night, I don’t blame you. And, believe it or not, he is played by Mel Brooks.

The tunnel ride from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

If anything in the movie is most different from the book, it’s this. In the 2005 version, they have actual chocolate river rapids, which is what happens in the book. In this, though, the boat travels through what can only be described as 70s psychedelic exploitation. On top of this, there’s a chicken that gets its head cut off and a millipede crawling on someone's face. Mrs. Teavee is understandably traumatized by this (as were many audience members)

Woody getting dragged down by mutilated toy parts in the trash can in Toy Story 2 (1999)

In this one, Woody suffers a nightmare where Andy throws him away, and a mass of toy parts, like arms, grab him and pull him down. Andy closes the trash can, and Woody wakes up. Let me tell you first-hand that this one stuck with me for days after seeing it.

The nightmare walrus from Pingu’s Dream (1991)

This walrus character only appeared in this one sequence in this episode and no other episodes. In it, Pingu dreams that his bed moves around on its own, when an uncanny walrus pops out of nowhere. Pingu runs away, but the walrus chases him and eventually catches up. It then begins playing with Pingu like a toy. The bed tries to escape, but the walrus eats the mattress. While it’s distracted, Pingu and the bed frame escape, before Pingu falls off a cliff and wakes up as soon as he lands. The episode was initially banned in the UK in 2003 because the viewers understandably found it frightening. In fact, during a test screening, the walrus made roaring sounds, but that scared the kids even more, so the producers gave it human giggles instead. (As if that helped matters at all).

When the parents become pigs in Spirited Away (2001)

Here, the main protagonist and her parents are stuck somewhere in an abandoned theme park, and seemingly out of nowhere, there’s a buffet’s worth of food at one of the food stands. Even though the protagonist begs her parents not to eat, they do anyway. The protagonist goes off for a moment, and when she returns, the parents have turned into pigs, still eating the food there. According to the creators, they become pigs because the food was meant for spirits, and the pigs symbolize greed. From a child’s perspective (or anyone’s, for that matter), this one is pretty terrifying, seeing those you love devolve into (in this case) hideous creatures. It’s almost like a more kid-friendly, Japanese version of David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986).

Honorable mention: the incinerator from Toy Story 3 (2010)

The only movie that appears on this list twice, Toy Story 3 also gave us this tense scene which scared most kids. Here, the toys are sent to a trash incinerator with, seemingly, no way out. One of the most disturbing aspects in this scene is that the toys all close their eyes and seemingly accept their fate. I remember seeing this one in theaters when I was seven, and I heard about a guy whose 9-year-old daughter was scared.

Large Marge from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

And the number one scariest moment in a kid's movie? No surprise, it comes from a Tim Burton movie. This one, like some others on this list, was totally unexpected. That bone-chilling face she makes at Pee-wee is just, so, ugh. On top of this, the audience learns that she is dead the whole time, which doesn’t help much.

Which scene from a kid's movie scared you the most? And did that scene make it onto this list? Leave a comment!

Sources: Collider, BuzzFeed

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