The line between animation and the genre of children's film remains blurry, and it's crucial that parents are made aware of which movies shouldn't be in their content library.
Here are 9 seemingly "for kids" movies that are not actually meant for them (and where to watch each one).
Coraline (2009)
Don't make the mistake of presuming stop motion pictures are always only meant for kids. Take Coraline, for example. While the Neil Gaiman adaptation does feature childlike qualities and elements, Coraline is not for the faint-hearted, especially for the younger audience.
The traumatizing story is enough to keep adults chilled down to the bone, and the visualizers for the other mother's true form won't get your kids to bed the way you think it will.
Purchase or Rent: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Watership Down (1978)
Think about how Bambi handled the death of the lead fawn's mother. The 1978 animation, Watership Down, goes beyond shedding light on how death impacts the animals.
Instead, the provocative adaptation shows the harsh reality the band of rabbits must face before eventually finding their true haven. This 2D film also doesn't hold back on visual violence and graphic words, so unless you're prepared to expose your kids to this type of content, keep them away from it.
Streaming Platforms: Max, Hulu — Netflix (for the 2018 version of Watership Down)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies is not just an average classic tearjerker; it centers on orphans Seita and Setsuko, who must fight for survival in post-World War II Japan.
The film may have won Best Animated Feature at the 1994 Chicago International Children's Film Festival, but it's not suitable for kids due to the tragic and harrowing subject matter of witnessing two siblings struggling to live within the firebombing and the devastating effects of war.
Streaming Platforms: Netflix
Barbie (2023)
The live adaptation of the iconic Mattel brand is not violent or provocative, but the elements of its storytelling are not something a kid would easily grasp. Some of these themes include sexual references and political themes about gender and society, which would more likely than not bore them, if not for being swept by the bright colors.
Greta Gerwig's Barbie is a comedic satire that follows the titular character, played by Margot Robbie, who gets an existential crisis and leaves her perfect Barbieland to go to the real world.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Isle of Dogs (2018)
If the haunting 3D eyes from the stop motion dogs are not enough to hold you back, don't say the Isle of Dogs movie didn't warn you.
Despite what an "isle" of dogs implies, the political tone and message of the movie won't resonate with the younger audience, as the film is set in the fictional city of Megasaki, where a young boy searches for his dog amid a canine flu outbreak that exiled all dogs in existence.
Streaming Platforms: Disney+
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
There have been plenty of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory iterations, but the 1971 version will always be the creepiest to count.
The movie doesn't have graphic violence, but the consequences of the spoiled kids and how Willy Wonka's little closing act unfolded on-screen are more than enough to traumatize younger viewers for seeing it in the first place.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Ted (2012)
The first Ted movie begins with a storybook opening, where a young boy named John (Bretton Manley) wishes upon a star for a Christmas present. A teddy bear, Ted, comes to life. John is a lot less lonely, but Ted is not the Winnie the Pooh role model kids usually wished for on stars.
Ted is a foul-mouthed, vulgar little bear who becomes grown-up John's (Mark Wahlberg) drinking and weed buddy. The entirety of the film is filled with crude sexual references, offensive language, drug use, and more.
Purchase or Rent: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Gremlins (1984)
Despite being promoted as a family movie for years, Gremlins has also been known for giving unexpected nightmares. See, while the Gremlins are initially cute and fuzzy little pets, they turn into non-kid-friendly, monstrous forms in the latter parts of the movie.
They may have comic elements here and there, but Gremlins is, without a doubt, a streak of horror that's probably better suited for older kids and teens with a PG-13 rating in the US. It's not frightening enough for an R rating, but definitely too dark to have it within your kids' reach.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Monster House (2006)
As the title hints, Monster House is an animated horror which follows kids DJ, Chowder, and Jenny, who are the only ones who seem convinced that their neighbour's house has become haunted by the spirit of old Mr. Nebbercracker's deceased, giant wife, Constance, whose heart in the house must be destroyed to stop it once and for all.
Purchase or Rent: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
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