Top 20 Controversial Moments In Animated Movies

“The Secret of NIMH” (1982)
You would think an animated film about a widowed mouse wanting to move would be wholesome and cozy. But this is a Don Bluth film, which pretty much guarantees at least a dose of nightmare fuel for kids. Mrs. Brisby endures many dangers and difficult moments in her quest. In one particular scene, she escapes from a birdcage filled with water. Mrs. Brisby takes a long while to get out and the scene has a fair few grisly details. It’s a harrowing sequence for kids, and even adults. Just give this poor mouse a break.

“Chicken Run” (2000)
A film about chickens trying to escape being slaughtered and made into pies is bound to have some controversial moments. “Chicken Run” doesn’t hold back on the execution, either, especially in the scene when the Tweedys choose rebellious Ginger to be the first to be baked. Cocky rooster Rocky saves Ginger, but not before they almost get squished, sprayed by vegetables, and trapped in an oven. As they escape, the whole pie machine breaks down. And that isn’t even the end of the pie machine horrors. Thanks for the horror interlude, “Chicken Run.”

“Dumbo” (1941)
It’s a classic Disney film about a sweet but bullied elephant with big ears. So naturally there are some alarming moments. The film has incurred criticism due to its contents, including stereotypical and racist portrayals and scenes of cruelty to animals. One scene that sparked controversy is when little Dumbo gets drunk and dreams of a fantasy scene about marching pink elephants. This quirky parade gets increasingly deranged as the elephants morph into different technicolor creatures. For children, the hallucination could be lurid nightmare fuel, for adults — it’s a trip, all right.

“Turning Red” (2022)
This wholesome coming-of-age Pixar film nevertheless incurred some controversy with this comic scene. Thirteen-year-old Mei is a regular middle schooler in early aughts Toronto when she discovers she can transform into a giant red panda in moments of strong emotion. Desperate to hide her sudden transformation from her overprotective mother, Mei inadvertently gives her mom the wrong idea. Believing Mei to be on her time of the month, Ming starts to dive into a version of “the talk” that all parents and teens dread. The realistic and upfront talk of menstruation and puberty made “Turning Red” a favorite for some, but it also ruffled feathers. China banned the film and Kuwait refused to distribute it.

“The Brave Little Toaster” (1987)
The strength and trouble with anthropomorphic characters is that the audience can find them extremely empathetic. When a scene takes a harrowing turn, emotions run high. This classic film about living, breathing appliances has too many of those kinds of scenes to count. Clown dream, anyone? But one of the most striking moments is when an appliance store manager sells a blender motor. The blender tries to hide from him, but unsuccessfully. From there we get a grisly sequence of the appliance’s “death,” portrayed as a kind of mutilation, complete with dripping oil. The scene’s horror-style direction, paired with a foreboding score, goes beyond usual animated violence into something truly disturbing.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
Did the filmmakers have to include Frollo’s trouble with the fireplace? Mature scenes are rare in animated films meant for children. Disney pushed the envelope considerably with this sequence. The villainous Frollo wrestles with his lust for the beautiful Esmeralda in “Hellfire,” composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Including a seductive flame representation of Esmeralda and faceless robed jurors glaring down at Frollo, this sequence portrays the full intensity of Frollo’s hatred and corruption. The film as a whole garnered backlash for its appropriateness for children, particularly from religious groups.

“Pinocchio” (1940)
This classic film about a puppet who wants to become a real boy definitely has some intense scenes for little ones. In order to complete his transformation, Pinocchio must be honest, unselfish, and true to himself, but he is often led astray by unscrupulous men and bad vices. Foxy con artist Honest John persuades Pinocchio to vacation at Pleasure Island, where young boys fight, drink, gamble, and smoke cigars. Little does Pinocchio know that the island transforms boys who engage in bad behavior into donkeys, who are then sold for labor. The implications are disturbing enough, but the sequence when Pinocchio’s friend Lampwick turns into a donkey really had us asking the question: This is for kids?

“Aladdin” (1992)
Disney’s issues with racial insensitivity predate “Aladdin,” but the nineties film has one of the most egregious examples. Written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the original lyrics of the opening song “Arabian Nights” proved immediately controversial. The violent reference prompted outrage from groups including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Critics also pointed to stereotypical depictions and inaccuracies in the portrayal of Arab societies. The lyrics were changed for the 1993 video release to reference the setting’s climate instead. The 2019 film adaptation also changed the line describing Agrabah as “barbaric.”

“Song of the South” (1946)
This is probably hands-down the most egregious Disney film. Based on Reconstruction-era Uncle Remus folktales, “Song of the South” is set on a Georgian plantation after the Civil War. It features stereotypical depictions of African Americans with exaggerated dialect and subservient status. Protests erupted at the time about the film’s offensive characters and the portrayal of the Reconstruction Era in the South. Disney did not release the full film on home video and did not put it on its streaming service, Disney+. It also eventually retooled the thematic attraction Splash Mountain, which had elements from the film.

“Fritz the Cat” (1972)
Granted, this was clearly marketed as an animated movie for adults. Based on a satirical comic strip of the same name, the film follows slacker cat Fritz, who sleazes and womanizes his way through New York City in the 1960s. One scene in particular concerns a naked Fritz in a bathtub with other cats. The film’s depictions of his adventures, which include drug use and sexual situations, helped to land the it an X rating — the first ever for an American animated film. It was also criticized for racial stereotyping due to its depiction of African American crows and Jewish caricatures. This is definitely not a film for kids — or the faint of heart.

“The Transformers: The Movie” (1986)
Ever been talking to a millennial and suddenly they go quiet and get a distant look in their eyes? That’s them thinking about the moment their hero died. Before Starks were dropping like flies on “Game of Thrones,” the “Transformers” movie shocked everyone with the death of one of its main characters, the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. He was a classic cartoon hero, displaying all the admirable traits you’d expect except, apparently, the ability to not get murdered by the world’s evilest villain. We can still hear Megatron’s laugh.

“Watership Down” (1978)
If you still think cartoons are just for kids, this movie will fix that. Permanently. It also might leave you scarred and broken. “Watership Down” is a British animated movie based on the book by Richard Adams. The plot follows Fiver after he has an apocalyptic vision and attempts to warn his clan of rabbits. The movie depicts some genuinely shocking moments of violence as the rabbits fight other animals and each other. The brutality of this film is sure to leave you speechless.

“Bambi” (1942)
This film is one of the earliest examples of Disney’s proud tradition of killing off the protagonist’s loved ones. While enjoying the first bit of grass after a long winter, Bambi and his mother’s quality time together is interrupted by an approaching unseen hunter. Fairly tame by today’s standards, the details of the doe’s death are mercilessly left off-screen. However, at the time of its release it was almost unheard of in a kid’s movie to kill off a character in such a cold and merciless fashion, and the scene received much criticism from reviewers and audiences alike. Heck, even Walt Disney’s own daughter Diane said he went too far with this one.

“The Little Mermaid” (1989)
Even more proof that the Mouse House isn’t as wholesome as we thought. The climax of this fairytale includes a wedding where sea witch Ursula almost steals Prince Eric from the titular little mermaid. However, the clergyman overseeing the ceremony seems to be a little too excited for the upcoming festivities. If you look closely in the movie’s original version, there appears to be a pronounced bump in his pants. It’s been argued that the protrusion in question was actually his knees, but that’s not how an Arkansas woman saw it. The infamous scene, along with some suggestive imagery on the film’s VHS, influenced her to file a lawsuit against Disney, although it was quickly dropped.

“Wizards” (1977)
They don’t make them like they used to, kids. They really don’t. “Wizards” is a 1970s sci-fi fantasy film set in a post-apocalyptic future. The movie is about two brothers, Avatar and Blackwolf. Guess which one turns out to be bad. The evil Blackwolf rises to become the leader of the land of Scortch with its mutants, ogres, and goblins. He fails to defeat the elf army until one day he discovers an ancient projector with reels of Nazi propaganda footage. He uses this imagery to spur his armies to victory. Um… did director Ralph Bakshi seriously intend this to be a family picture?

“All Dogs Go to Heaven” (1989)
You know things are about to go bad when there’s green lightning. In this terrifying scene from the Don Bluth classic, Charlie the dog has visions of his descent into hell. There’s a creepy bone boat, the requisite hell-lava, and of course the horned one himself. Scenes of hell and demons biting your nose are scary enough, but when it’s happening to a dog it just seems worse. We can imagine people going to hell, sure, but a dog? Those things are so innocent. No wonder this controversial scene traumatized so many kiddies.

“Sausage Party” (2016)
If you walked into this computer-animated flick expecting something family oriented, then you probably didn’t bother to read the cast list, which includes the likes of Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill. While “Sausage Party” is full of naughty moments, the filmmakers topped themselves in the final act with anthropomorphized food having sex. Perhaps the most shocking thing from this scene is its creativity. It had the obvious hot dog in bun gag, of course, but it also had some positions we wouldn’t have thought of… not that we think about that sort of thing.

“The Plague Dogs” (1982)
After traumatizing the world, the makers of “Watership Down” decided to bring a little happiness and cheer into our lives. Yeah, right. This animated movie is also based on the work of Richard Adams and is about two dogs that escape a laboratory where animals are being experimented on while alive. Eventually, one of the dogs tries to befriend a human he sees, but in trying to climb on him, accidentally steps on the trigger of the man’s gun, which shoots him in the face. Fun stuff. The look on the dog’s face after seeing what he did is probably the same look any parent had after accidentally renting this move for their kids

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)
Jessica Rabbit was a bombshell with unreal curves and hair kissed by fire. And she was animated. Such overt sexuality in a cartoon character was just not common at the time in mainstream movies. Most shocking of all, when the film was released on Laserdisc, some, um…more “observant” viewers slowed down a scene where Jessica is sent flying from the car. If paused at just the right time, Jessica could apparently be found going commando. While it’s unclear if the animators were actually trying to sneak a crotch shot into the movie, we can definitely see why the scene would stir up so much controversy.

“Batman: The Killing Joke” (2016)
This one was a real shocker. This animated DC feature is based on the infamous Alan Moore graphic novel. As with all adaptations, there’s bound to be a few changes here and there, but this one takes the cake. In this scene, Batgirl quite unexpectedly gets hot and steamy with the caped crusader. It’s creepy because of their age difference. It’s creepy because of how Batgirl looks up to him. And it’s creepy because he’s supposed to be her mentor. It’s just plain creepy, not to mention controversial.