Top 20 Creepy/Dark Songs from Animated Kids' Movies

This is one of those songs that radiates “It’s a Small World” energy. It’s upbeat and deceivingly cheery, but there’s something so downright unsettling about it at the same time. Maybe it’s because we often associate older-sounding music with being creepy, or maybe it’s because, unlike “It’s a Small World”, we know for certain something sinister is going on in this scene. Pinocchio, in all his childhood innocence, is being swindled by the typically shifty fox character. The scene radically exudes “stranger danger”. It only gets scarier once Jiminy Cricket catches wind of what’s going on and we see his point of view through odd, distorted angles. At least Pinocchio is the only singing doll here…

Ah, yes, the absolutely wild deviation from Dr. Seuss’ standard formula. The number definitely goes harder than it needs to. And, in all fairness, it doesn’t start out so dark. We’ve got a rainbow in the clouds, some impressive guitar-playing, and some rather enthusiastic forest animals. But before long the Once-ler is slipping into Slytherin-reminiscent attire, and a sense of foreboding starts to build in this ridiculously catchy number. Axes fly, trees fall, and an almost comically realistic montage of corporate greed overwhelms the scene. This song puts the term “scaling” into new perspective. A giant, towering Once-ler is scarier than it needs to be and the message is made even gloomier with the current state of environmental affairs IRL.

This is some great directing. Tamatoa, the giant coconut crab, not only looks menacing in his grandiose size and low angle shots, he’s also decidedly frightening with the lyrics he sings. Make no mistake, Tamatoa doesn’t care for glam and gold so much as he does his meals, which is the whole reason he prioritizes being “shiny”. It lures other animals who live in the sea and the crab, in turn, has himself a nice lunch or dinner. Apparently, he isn’t very picky with what comes his way, because he has every intention of eating humans and demigods too. He’s about as subtle as the surface of his shell, we’ll just say that.

Madam Mim’s character design is already terrifying enough, never mind when she begins to sing and dance. We’ve got yet another case of supersizing, which always succeeds in startling us, but the tiny bird-sized Madam Mim is pretty unnerving too. As if that wasn’t enough, we quickly get to see just how far her shapeshifting abilities extend. So, what’s the verdict: do we think she’s creepier with a pig snout, or as the beautiful lady that so obviously has something unnatural about her. Our vote goes to the cat form, but anything with those piercing green eyes and shrill voice is bound to give us the heebie-jeebies.

Peggy Lee is a voice we always associate with warm, full, strong exuberance. Nothing like the high, thin voices of the Siamese cat twins from “Lady and the Tramp”. The unearthliness of the characters can probably most be attributed to their designs and how they move so fluidly in sync. Although the song really isn’t very long at all, it’s awfully recognizable and you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who doesn’t hear the well-known lyrics in their minds when faced with an actual Siamese cat. We’re not sure if all Siameses are as sneaky and slippery as these two, but this song certainly made our younger selves believe as much.

This is a rather beautiful but spine-chilling melody. The scene begins with the three good fairies lamenting over Aurora, who’s just succumbed to her hundred-year sleep. While “dark” or “creepy” aren’t the first adjectives you’re likely to use to describe the sound, it still carries a weight that always seems to make our hearts heavy. It’s undeniably eerie watching the fairies put the whole castle into a quiet, morose slumber. The idea that the whole kingdom will come to a standstill for the next century is pretty dark, especially when you consider the only people who would’ve been awake for the duration of it. By the time the last candle has been delicately snuffed out, we’re left with goosebumps.

If you’ve feared astral projection since you were a kid, we may have some answers for you. As he falls asleep, we see Winnie the Pooh transported into a nightmare sequence that goes a few steps past unsettling. Heffalumps, in case you’re curious, are the elephant-like creatures you see in the sequence, while Woozles are the ones sort of resembling weasels. The latter are actually known for stealing honey, which certainly puts the dream into a bit more context for the character. The talent of the composers is apparent, and we bet they had a lot of fun crafting this bit – but it was a lot less fun for us and Pooh Bear! Poor thing, look at him… He doesn’t deserve to be scarred like this!

Yeah, so this is terrifying. The whole trippy, psychedelic art style would have maybe been okay on its own if not for the very weird imagery accompanying it. Plus, they managed to make the music sound so foreboding, our stomachs are twisting uncomfortably even now! If you’ve got very young children, do them a favor and don’t let them watch “Dumbo” until they’re just a little bit older. You remember the scene of Dumbo crying over his mom, right? The trauma is strong with this one. Like, seriously, what is that grotesque elephant-head monster? We’re good to never see another pink elephant again, thanks.

As far as villain numbers go, this is definitely one for the history books. We obviously knew Mother Gothel was evil before this, but her song shows us exactly how she scares Rapunzel into compliance and likely how she’s been doing it since she kidnapped her. The worst part is that, while she’s exaggerating, Gothel definitely isn’t lying. The world’s a scary place. Of course, the role of a parental figure or guardian is to teach their kids to navigate that scary world, not fear it so badly they never want to leave. Another example of fabulous directing, this scene plays wonderfully with lighting, shadows, and lyrical cues. Still, the spookiest part of it is watching Gothel’s maltreatment of Rapunzel play out right in front of us.

There’s a lot to be put off by in this scene. For one, young Kovu doesn’t deserve to be manipulated by Zira, especially not when he’s just a cub. For another, Zira’s lyrics, when you really pay attention to them, spell out some pretty nasty desires. Not only does she long to kill Simba, but his wife and daughter are mentioned too. Actually, she makes no attempts to hide her ideal outcome. “Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me.” It doesn’t get much darker than that. The rest of the song goes on to detail how she’ll raise Kovu to take his vengeance and turn him into a killer. Yeah, we don’t really feel like dozing off right now…

Voodoo man Dr. Facilier is here to facilitate your dreams. While trying to rope Prince Naveen into his dark schemes, Facilier sings this seductive song telling him about his past, present, and future. It may seem that Facilier is showing Naveen the future he dreams of, but when you listen a little closer, he is actually predicting Naveen’s fate as a frog. Though it’s never said explicitly, as Facilier simply refers to the source of his powers as his friends from the other side. When his voodoo dolls, masks, and talking heads join in on the spooky rhythm, it is clear he is talking about evil spirits.

The humans have gone too far: they have caused so much pollution that the evil spirit Hexxus uses all the smog and oil to resurrect his powers. Don’t let this song’s bluesy beat and smooth sax distract you from the disturbing message. The entire movie, and this song in particular, warns against the true cost of pollution and deforestation. As Hexxus prepares to ooze all over FernGully, he sings this love song to all the animals he’ll consume, the trees he’ll destroy, and, most importantly, to the greed of humans that brought them together.

Also affectionately known as “Kill the Beast”, this song shows how mob mentality takes over and turns the townspeople into a murderous horde. Much like how real life incidents of mob violence begin, this tune starts as a whisper, rumors passing between the townspeople, and quickly erupts into a rallying cry by Gaston to storm the castle and kill the Beast. Gaston plays on the townspeople’s fears and calls to them to literally grab torches and pitchforks like a scene straight out of any classic monster movie.

Governor Ratcliffe has been looking for the perfect justification to invade Chief Powhatan’s land, and now he has it. After an altercation between John Smith and Kocoum that results in Kocoum’s death, John is taken to pay for his crime. Ratcliffe wastes no time sounding the drums of war and marching on the quote unquote savages. And the Native Americans prepare to defend themselves. What makes this song so dark is how deeply rooted in truth it is. It’s a pretty heavy message in a kids movie that wars are fought because cultures distrust each other simply because they are different. Ratcliffe sings, “they’re not like you and me, which means they must be evil.”

As green smoke billows from the ground, Scar walks straight towards you, so close it almost feels like he’s going to walk right out of your screen. Scar is not a subtle character and there is no beating around the bush when he sings flat out about murdering his own brother and nephew to take their throne. Like any good tyrant, he promises his subjects extravagance in exchange for their support and obedience. Dark and creepy are definitely two descriptions for this song; Scar is as menacing as ever and the mise-en-scène perfectly conveys just how dangerous the character is.

Rasputin, the evil sorcerer, tried and failed to destroy the entire Romanov line. As punishment, he was sentenced to an eternity in purgatory. When a new opportunity to complete his dark purpose arises, he goes off on this evil villain soliloquy about how he tried to kill Anastasia as a little girl, and is now back to finish the job. Though the somewhat campy visual of his minions acting as his backup singers and dancers is a bit disarming, it’s overpowered by the terrifying imagery used throughout the scene. “Once Upon a December” is also worth a mention. Despite how delicate and beautiful it is, Anya is dancing with the ghosts of her past, people who were very likely murdered during the siege of the palace.

Ursula the sea witch only wishes to help those poor unfortunate souls get their hearts’ desire, or so she tricks Ariel into believing. The interesting thing about this song is that Ursula never technically lies to Ariel. She manipulates her into signing over her voice by telling her the truth. She confesses that she has punished those who could not pay her price. She even shows her the gruesome fate that has befallen her previous clients, and Ariel signs anyway. Ariel may think she is making a fair trade, but she is really signing away her soul to Ursula.

In a movie that’s basically a horror flick for kids, all of the songs are pretty creepy. But what else would you expect from a collaboration between Tim Burton and Danny Elfman? There’s a lot to simultaneously love and dread in “Jack’s Lament”, but we had to give this entry to the famed “This Is Halloween”. The song serves as an introduction to all of the terrifying creatures in Halloween Town. It definitely had us checking under our beds and beneath our stairs before we went to sleep. With this spooky number as one of the first songs in the movie, it makes it clear you can expect this level of creepy from here on out.

To punish Ramses for enslaving the Hebrews, God has put plagues upon the people of Egypt. In this song, Moses pleads with Ramses to let his people go. But there is another part of this tune that lies beneath the surface of the conversation between the two feuding brothers. It is the plagues creeping into Egypt, “into your house, into your bed, into your streams, into your streets”. The voices start out as a whisper and grow more and more intense with each coming evil. Just as frightening as the lyrics are the images of frogs emerging from the river, locusts swarming the fields, people being covered in boils. “Deliver Us” is a song equally as haunting and the accompanying visuals do little to reassure us.

It may have gone over your head as a kid, but when you listen to this song as an adult you realize just how dark it was for a kids movie. Judge Frollo has fallen in love with the Gypsy, Esmeralda. Naturally, being a righteous man, none of this is his fault. The blame is all on Esmeralda for tempting him into sin. In this tune, Frollo sings about his uncontrollable lust for Esmeralda. He will make Esmeralda his or she will burn on the pyre and continue to burn in hell. Just your average love song, right?