Top 20 Scariest Animated Movie Deaths
#20: Gaston
“Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
After an intense battle atop the Beast’s castle, it looks like maybe Gaston and the Beast might part ways without spilling any blood. Since the phrase “live and let live” is foreign to the egotistical hunter, though, Gaston literally stabs his prey in the back. This proves to be Gaston’s undoing as he loses his balance and plummets to his death. If you think Gaston could have miraculously survived the fall somehow, the animators ruled out this possibility by adding a skull and crossbones to his pupils. How subliminally horrifying!
#19: The Iron Giant
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“The Iron Giant” (1999)
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … the Iron Giant intercepting a nuclear weapon? In an effort to save the town of Rockwell from destruction, the metal-eating robot makes the ultimate sacrifice when he collides with a missile launched by the U.S. military. Much like Superman, whose heroic deeds help inspire this noble act, the Giant is a living weapon who chooses to use his powers to protect the innocent. While heroic, his death is also incredibly sad, as we witness it through the eyes of 11-year-old Hogarth Hughes - the Giant’s best friend and the only person who doesn’t think he’s a monster. Thankfully, the film’s final shot shows that even a nuclear blast won’t keep this Giant down.
#18: Agatha Prenderghast
“ParaNorman” (2012)
First appearances aren’t what they seem in this underrated dark fantasy film from acclaimed animation studio Laika. In his attempt to lift a witch’s curse on his hometown of Blithe Hollow, young Norman Babcock discovers a terrifying truth: the vengeful witch is actually an innocent little girl. In a gut-wrenching flashback sequence, Norman discovers that little “Aggie” Prenderghast was a medium like himself who lived in Blithe Hollow with her mother in the 1700s. Mistaking her ability to speak to the dead for witchcraft, the townsfolk put Aggie on trial and sentenced her to death. Killed by religious zealots just for being different, it’s easy to understand why this sweet little girl became a vengeful monster in death.
#17: Scar
“The Lion King” (1994)
Being something of a Shakespearean villain, it’s only appropriate that Scar is given a properly dramatic sendoff. Unlike Gaston, Scar survives his fall after fighting the film’s hero. It’s what’s waiting at the bottom of Pride Rock that leads to his ultimate demise. Turns out that Scar’s hyena lackeys don’t appreciate being thrown under the bus. As fire engulfs the area, the hyenas surround their former boss, maul him to death, and likely devour his carcass as the camera pans up from the massacre. Ah well, circle of life.
#16: Michelle’s Parents
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“Once Upon a Forest” (1993)
This oft-overlooked film’s environmental message is hammered home early on with a pair of tragic deaths. After an overturned tanker truck spews poison gas into the forest of Dapplewood, the young badger Michelle rushes home to make sure her parents are okay. In a panic, Michelle enters her gas-infested home, prompting her friend Abigail to go in after her. Warned by Michelle’s uncle Cornelius not to breathe in the gas, Abigail saves her friend, but can do nothing for Michelle’s parents, whom she finds dead in their kitchen. The sight of Michelle’s father slumped over the kitchen table and her mother sprawled out on the floor is a haunting image, especially for a film that refers to its characters as “Furlings”.
#15: Professor Ratigan
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“The Great Mouse Detective” (1986)
As hard as Ratigan attempts to present himself as a refined elitist, he’s really nothing more than a filthy rat. When his schemes fall apart, Ratigan lets the beast inside run rampant as he pursues Basil and little Olivia inside Big Ben. The use of sound and building music adds to the tension as Ratigan hones in on our heroes, practically ripping Basil to shreds with his claws. But as the clock bell tolls, Ratigan’s time on earth officially runs out, plunging him to an appropriate fate for a rat.
#14: Edwina
“Chicken Run” (2000)
Rule #1 about prison escapes? Not everyone makes it out alive. Then again, it would be a lot worse for the Tweedy farm chickens if they stayed put. Before Rocky the rooster arrives and inspires the chickens to make a break for it, the doom hanging over them is illustrated by poor Edwina. After failing to lay eggs, the hen is singled out by the evil Mr. Tweedy, who snatches her by the neck and hands her off to his equally sinister wife. Mrs. Tweedy takes Edwina to a shed and in silhouette, we see her bring down an axe on a chopping block. While Edwina’s death occurs off-screen, the later shot of chicken bones on the Tweedy dinner table leaves no doubt about her fate.
#13: Peter Parker/Spider-Man
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“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)
Even in a film overloaded with Spider men and women, losing even one of them is a lot to take in. When Miles Morales stumbles upon Peter Parker, there’s every hint that the elder Spider-Man will become an important mentor for the young aspiring hero. Sadly, that possibility is tragically cut off when Peter falls in battle and is ruthlessly executed by the Kingpin. It’s so sudden and unexpected that for a brief moment, it’s easy to think Peter somehow survived. Unfortunately, the next scene leaves no doubt as to Peter’s fate, as Mary-Jane is shown delivering a public eulogy for her dead husband. Although this particular universe gains a new Spider-Man in Miles, the death of Peter Parker hits hard.
#12: Stegosaurus
“Fantasia” (1940)
This is definitely one of the bluntest deaths in all Disney movies. In the film’s “Rite of Spring” segment, the peaceful lives of the herbivorous dinosaurs are interrupted by a ferocious T-Rex. All the dinosaurs successfully flee, with the exception of one slow stegosaurus. Being a Disney movie, you’d expect something to come along and save the innocent creature. While the stegosaurus puts up a good fight, his predator naturally triumphs. It’s a truly grounded depiction of nature, but that’s just what’s so scarring!
#11: Stoick
“How to Train Your Dragon 2” (2014)
When you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned. During a heated battle against the ruthless dragon trapper Drago Bludvist, Hiccup’s loyal Night Fury Toothless is turned against his friend. Under the control of Drago’s mind-controlling “Bewilderbeast”, Toothless launches a fatal plasma bolt at Hiccup, who’s saved at the last moment by his father Stoick. Unfortunately, the burly Viking is no match for dragon fire and succumbs to his injuries. In his grief, Hiccup drives Toothless away, as the knowledge that his own dragon killed his father is too much to bear. Having just reunited Stoick with his long-lost wife Valka, Hiccup’s desire to have both his parents in the picture goes up in smoke with his father’s passing.
#10: Maleficent
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“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Disney movie with a bigger, more exciting final showdown than “Sleeping Beauty.” In the film’s climax, the wicked Maleficent decides to bring her A-game to the table by calling on the powers of hell and taking on the form of a fire-breathing dragon in a garden of thorns. Thanks to the three fairies’ magic, though, Prince Phillip strikes Maleficent in her black heart with his virtuous sword. Thus, a ghastly villain meets her gruesome end, notably shedding some fairly graphic blood for a Disney movie.
#9: Doctor Facilier
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“The Princess and the Frog” (2009)
Dr. Facilier is literally dragged into hell in this scene from “The Princess and the Frog.” Facilier believes he has the upper hand with demonic powers on his side, but he underestimates Tiana and her sticky tongue. With his voodoo charm destroyed, Facilier’s friends from the other side appear to collect their debt. In satanic Mardi Gras fashion, an army of masks, dolls, and shrunken heads take Facilier to their world, whether he’s ready or not. The moral of the story: Don’t screw with voodoo.
#8: Optimus Prime
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“The Transformers: The Movie” (1986)
A good leader brings out the best in his or her followers … but they shouldn’t have to die to make it happen! Through Optimus Prime, an entire generation of kids found out the hard way what true leadership looks like. In a shocking first act twist, the Autobot leader sustains life-threatening injuries in a battle with his archnemesis Megatron. Instead of making a miraculous recovery, Optimus dies surrounded by his friends. With his dying breath, Optimus passes down the Matrix of Leadership to a young Autobot named Hot Rod, who seems ill-equipped to follow in Prime’s footsteps. While Optimus was resurrected the following year in the Transformers TV series, his death shocked us all.
#7: The Evil Queen
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“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
The Evil Queen might have succeeded in offing Snow White, but she soon learns that even monarchs can’t get away with murder. As the seven dwarfs race back to the cottage, the queen absconds up a nearby mountain and attempts to crush her pursuers with a giant boulder. When a lightning bolt strikes the cliff, though, the queen becomes the first of many Disney baddies to fall to their death. Even if the fall didn’t kill her, the boulder most certainly did, providing dinner for some lingering, hungry vultures.
#6: Ursula
“The Little Mermaid” (1989)
Ursula is already a pretty terrifying presence on her own. How can you make her any more intimidating? How about by having her grow like a hundred feet, giving her an all-powerful triton, and bathing her in a whirlpool of chaos! The only thing more frightening than Ursula herself is how she perishes as Prince Eric impales her with a ship, sending the sea witch to a watery grave. No matter how old you are, this is total scary overdrive and it was all brought to you by the dark magic of Disney.
#5: Littlefoot’s Mother
“The Land Before Time” (1988)
Many animated movies depict children losing a parent. But very few offer up scenes as emotionally traumatic as the death of Littlefoot’s mother. After witnessing his mother fight off the vicious Sharptooth, young longneck Littlefoot is separated from her during a massive earthquake. As a nightly downpour rolls in, Littlefoot finds his mother slumped on a pile of rocks, struggling to breathe and close to death. Distraught, Littlefoot begs her to get up but slowly realizes the truth as his mother tells him she’ll always be with him. As the camera pulls out, viewers are left with the haunting image of a son losing his mother, a reminder that at some point we’ll all face a world without our parents in it.
#4: Judge Claude Frollo
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
Frollo deludes himself into thinking that he’s a righteous man and soldier of God - when in reality, he’s committed every deadly sin in the book. His lifetime of sinning and hypocrisy finally catch up to him atop Notre Dame. Before he can do Quasimodo and Esmeralda in, Frollo finds himself standing under a crumbling gargoyle. Staring a devil in the face, Follo drops to his final resting place in a sea of hellfire and molten copper. It’s an end that’s as fitting as it is terrifying.
#3: Clayton
“Tarzan” (1999)
This death seems more like something out of a “Final Destination” movie than a Disney animated feature. Sure, there’s no gore, but there might as well be. In the midst of a jungle brawl with Tarzan, Clayton finds himself tangled in a cluster of vines. Unaware of the vine wrapped around his neck, Clayton gets reckless with his machete and hangs his head in defeat. The only glimpse the audience gets of the body is via its shadow, which is almost as haunting as seeing the actual carnage.
#2: Charlie B. Barkin
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“All Dogs Go to Heaven” (1989)
Although the movie’s title says it all, there’s really no way to properly prepare for watching a cartoon dog die. After escaping from the pound, Charlie B. Barkin is betrayed by his former business partner, Carface Caruthers. Carface and his accomplice Killer get Charlie drunk, blindfold him on a dock, and hurtle a runaway car at him, knocking the poor dog into the water. It’s unclear if Charlie’s cause of death is from the impact of getting hit by a car or from drowning. Either way, Charlie winds up at the pearly gates but that doesn’t excuse the fact viewers just watched an intoxicated German Shepherd get run over by a car. Are we sure this is a movie made for kids?
#1: So Many Dead Rabbits
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“Watership Down” (1978)
Featuring shocking scenes of violence against bunnies, this infamous animated movie has terrified adults and children alike for decades. In fact, no less than 63 rabbits die on-screen over the course of the movie’s runtime. Rather than settle on one scene in particular, here are a few disturbing standouts: Holly’s memory of the Warren’s destruction, which depicts nearly half of the film’s total bunny deaths; Bigwig choking on his own blood as he’s trapped in a snare; and of course, Bob the dog mauling the attacking Efrafa rabbits. Taken as a whole, these scenes add up to a film that would make even the most violent Disney production blush.
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