By nature, children’s movies are designed to entertain young audiences. But certain kids’ films touch on shockingly mature themes. They might include colorful animation, funny animal characters, and cute songs, but they also tell stories about grief, identity, crime, loneliness, war, prejudice, and mortality. Despite being made for children, these films explore some very adult ideas.
1. The Iron Giant (1999)
Synopsis:
A young boy named Hogarth discovers a giant robot from outer space. The massive bot is hiding near the boy’s small town. As the two become friends, Hogarth tries to protect the gentle robot from people who see him as a weapon.
Adult Themes:
At its heart, The Iron Giant is a story about choice, fear, and the horrible consequences of weaponization. The movie’s message seems to be that just because something is powerful does not mean it has to be destructive. It also deals with Cold War paranoia, particularly the fear of Earth-obliterating weapons ending up in the wrong hands. At its core, this is a story about choosing who you want to be. It’s surprisingly philosophical for a children’s film.
2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Synopsis:
Disney’s adaptation follows Quasimodo, a deformed bell ringer. The kind-hearted man lives isolated in the Notre Dame cathedral under the supervision of Judge Claude Frollo. When he meets Esmeralda, he begins to question the world he has been indoctrinated into. As Quasimodo experiences friendship, kindness, and acceptance for the first time, he begins to think that the people he was told to stay away from might be the good guys after all.
Adult Themes:
This might actually be Disney’s darkest film. It explores entirely adult themes of obsession, religious hypocrisy, and abuse of power. The cruel Frollo doesn’t just want control; he wants to distract from his own shame. The movie is also a statement on society’s tendency to mistreat and neglect people who look different.
3. WALL-E (2008)
Synopsis:
In the future, a small trash-collecting robot named WALL-E spends all his time cleaning up an empty and destroyed planet Earth. His life changes when he meets another robot named EVE. Together, the pair discovers a secret about the future of humanity.
Adult Themes:
On its face, this is an adorable robot romance. But underneath, it is a warning about environmental destruction, waste, consumerism, and obsession with technology. The humans in the movie have grown obese, physically incapable, and completely disconnected from one another after decades of advanced technology use. The sweet, animated adventure is essentially a statement on where humanity is headed if left unchecked.
4. Zootopia (2016)
Synopsis:
A rabbit named Judy Hopps becomes the first bunny police officer in a city full of predators and prey. When animals begin mysteriously disappearing, she investigates. Alongside a fox named Nick, she seeks the truth.
Adult Themes:
The movie uses a cutesy world of talking animals to explore several adult themes. It is full of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination becoming normalized. It shows how anxiety is manipulated by authority figures to divide groups of people. Even kindhearted people can unknowingly be biased. It’s a social drama well disguised as a children’s movie.
5. Inside Out (2015)
Synopsis:
Inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, her emotions have to work together to guide her through life. When Riley’s family moves across the country, her emotions struggle to adapt, and her world begins to fall apart.
Adult Themes:
The movie deals with emotions on multiple complex levels. It speaks to depression, resentment, and the painful process of growing up. Its most important message is that sadness is not something that humans should or even can eliminate. And it is not an emotion to be ignored; it is an essential part of being human. Adults related more strongly to the movie than children did.
6. Watership Down (1978)
Synopsis:
A group of rabbits leaves their home after one of them has a vision that danger is approaching. Though leaving has its risks, staying is not an option. They take the difficult journey of finding a new place to live.
Adult Themes:
Despite being marketed as an animated children’s film, Watership Down is notorious for carrying several heavy themes. It touches on political oppression, fighting for survival, violence, and facing mortality. The group of rabbits is a stand-in for human civilization. They have strict leadership and collectively they struggle for freedom. It is far darker and adult-oriented than expected from an animated movie.
7. Coraline (2009)
Synopsis:
Coraline discovers an alternate world behind a hidden door in her new home. At first, the parallel version of her life seems perfect. Everything on the other side is nicer. But she realizes a much darker force is hiding within the seemingly pleasant second world.
Adult Themes:
Although the main character is a young girl and the film is completely animated, Coraline comes head-to-head with some heavy stuff. The movie explores loneliness, neglect, and manipulation. Most importantly, it reveals the dangers of seeking a “perfect” life. It communicates a very important message: sometimes what appears ideal is actually a trap. Adults tend to recognize and relate to its themes of temptation and control more than children can.
8. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
Synopsis:
Charlie B. Barkin is a street-living German shepherd who engages in the criminal underworld. After being double-crossed and murdered by his former business partner, Carface, he is given the opportunity to escape from dog heaven. After returning to Earth, Charlie is back to his usual scheming for a buck. He teams up with his friend Itchy, and a little orphan girl named Anne-Marie, whose ability to communicate with animals could help him make a fortune. Charlie soon begins questioning his selfish ways and his using the young girl’s gifts for greed. He finds that friendship and real connections matter more than success.
Adult Themes:
All Dogs Go to Heaven is essentially a mob movie in animated form. It is shockingly mature, depicting scenes of murder and the criminal underworld. It tackles ideas like death, gambling, betrayal, guilt, and making up for bad behavior. Charlie is not at all a traditional children’s movie hero. He is deeply flawed, continually lying, cheating, and making selfish choices. It is much darker and more adult than it first seems.