Top 10 Annoying Kid Characters in Movies

“Jurassic World” (2015)

Even on an island filled with dinosaurs, boys will be boys. Their parents force the two brothers to go on a trip – by themselves – to Jurassic World, with the hope that they'll form a bond. It works, but at what cost to the viewers? Zach is your stereotypical teenage boy, who is only interested in girls, and spends most of his time trying to pretend that little brother Gray does not exist, before the Indominus Rex teaches him the importance of family. Gray, the less offensive of the brothers, is just a little too enthusiastic. To their credit, the brothers do improve as Jurassic World progresses, but the first half is a grind.

“The Mummy Returns” (2001)

Who doesn't love a know-it-all kid? Alex O'Connell is the son of Evelyn and Rick, the couple at the center of the Mummy franchise. The young rascal inherited his mother's love for history and his father's sense of adventuring, a combination that proves to be anything but a blessing. While Alex is definitely intelligent, he is painstakingly aware of that fact, and tries his darndest to ensure that everyone knows it. Obnoxious to a fault, Alex is also a magnet for trouble, forcing his parents to constantly come to his rescue.

“It Takes Two” (1995)

For better or worse, the Olsen twins are synonymous with the 90s. While Mary-Kate and Ashley have decent comedic timing, their ticket to fame stemmed from their biological similarities, and an ability to say things in tandem. “It Takes Two” is not the worst comedy, but after awhile, the humor of seeing the Olsen twins switch roles becomes an exercise in diminishing returns - before falling flat altogether. Amanda and Alyssa are depicted as being wise beyond their years, as they effortlessly manipulate the painfully brain-dead adults who somehow exist in this world.

“The Babadook” (2014)

Credit where credit is due, Noah Wiseman did a fantastic job as Amelia Vanek's troublesome son. Samuel is unpredictable, going on multiple screaming fits throughout The Babadook. At one point, the eccentric boy causes a car accident that very well could have killed both him and his mother. Amelia is still grieving over her husband's recent death, and Sam's erratic behavior makes a bad situation a hundred times worse. While Sam may show signs of being on the autism spectrum, the film doesn’t make that explicit, opting instead to leave it open to viewer interpretation. Again, we’ve got to applaud the performance that Wiseman delivered, but it was draining one to watch.

“Problem Child” franchise (1990-95)

Problem Child 2 exists to remind audiences that it can always get worse. Junior Healy is the original problem child, a kid so terrifying that he had to dress up as the devil for Halloween, as anything else would have made for a significant improvement. Yet somehow the sequel doubled up on the annoyance, focusing an attempt by Junior Healy and Trixie Young to out "evil" each other. These brats are loud, obnoxious, and borderline psychotic; their default reaction to most obstacles is seemingly to throw a firecracker and hope for the best - or rather, worst.

“Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)

Spiteful beyond belief, this arrogant wizard is the poster child for modern bullies. Acted to perfection by Tom Felton, Draco Malfoy was born into an admittedly intense world, but that hardly excuses his egotistical behavior. Hailing from a pure-blood family, Draco never missed an opportunity to put down the rest of the students, with Hermione offering an easy target due to her muggle-born heritage, and Harry, due to his orphaned savior status. After six movies of his narcissistic and snobbish personality, the extremely punchable Malfoy finally starts to see the errors of his ways. Dudley Dursley gives him a run for his money, but there is just so much more of Draco to hate.

“War of the Worlds” (2005)

Between this little girl and her older brother Robbie, War of the Worlds served as a fantastic cautionary tale highlighting the benefits of safe sex. Dakota Fanning is a charming actress, but nobody could have saved this character from herself. Rachel's defining personality trait is her ability to loudly scream for an absurdly long time, something that gets old almost immediately. When not trying to make our ears bleed, this young girl proves to be somewhat of a know-it-all, talking more like an adult than a child. She’s got two settings, and it’s hard to say which is worse.

“Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace” (1999)

Poor Jake Lloyd... his movie career could not have gotten off to a worse start. The prequel trilogy established how Anakin Skywalker turned into Darth Vader, a process that proved far more annoying than anyone could have expected. Apparently, one of the most feared characters of all time started as a whiny and insufferable little kid who loved to say the word “Yippee!” While Lloyd hardly turns in an Oscar-worthy performance, and the character arguably gets worse in the sequels, Anakin feels like the world’s most annoying little brother in The Phantom Menace. Child prodigy characters are hard to pull-off successfully, and sadly, high midichlorian count be damned, Anakin didn’t make the grade.

“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971) & “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” (2005)

This spoiled girl turned annoying into an art form. With the exception of the angelic Charlie, the golden ticket winners are all rather awful. The worst of the bunch however, is Veruca Salt, a girl who desperately needs someone to tell her “no”. The personification of greed, Veruca genuinely believes that she deserves the world on a plate. If this arrogant child asks for anything, she not only expects to get it but that she'll be pushed to the front of the line. Thankfully, much like the viewers, Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas were not impressed, and gave the little girl and her father a lesson in appropriate behavior and parenting.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Dennis Mitchell
“Dennis the Menace” (1993)


Howie Jr., Stevie, Jordan & Baby Chrissie
“Krampus” (2015)


Alex Mason, Jr. & Kate Mason
“Mr. Nanny” (1993)

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984)

Let's start with the positives; for a child, Short Round is quite brave. And, that's about it. In Temple of Doom, this walking stereotype acts as Indy's side-kick, because babysitting and archaeology go hand-in-hand. Short Round's over-the-top accent is grating, his high pitched voice is painful, and his cringe-worthy dialogue tends to undercut some of the film's darker moments. Of course, the blame should not be placed on Jonathan Ke Quan, as he turned in a fun performance for The Goonies the next year. Luckily for Short Round, Kate Capshaw's Willie attracted most of the negative press, but as far as annoying kid characters go, he’s number one.