Summary
- Some ’90s kids movies have incredibly dark moments hidden within them, which evolved storytelling for children across the decade.
- Surprisingly, even films like The Muppet Christmas Carol and Beauty and the Beast have dark moments that contribute to the overall message.
- Some notable dark moments include Bruno transforming into a mouse in The Witches, Scar’s song in The Lion King, and Buzz realizing he’s a toy in Toy Story.
Incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies underscore how much stories for children evolved during the decade. On one hand, it can be surprising how much darkness is cleverly tucked inside some of the most foundational and popular kids movies from the 1990s. On the other, it can be argued that many of these moments are crucial to delivering the positive messages and lessons that these films aimed to impart to children.
From the 20th century’s best animated movies and live-action children’s films to less-known features that adult millennials may remember watching as kids, there’s certainly no shortage of incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies. Some examples are surprising, such as The Muppet Christmas Carol or Beauty and the Beast, which most remember to be completely wholesome. In certain movies like Toy Story and Matilda, however, dark moments are part and parcel of what makes the stories great. Whether for viewers taking a nostalgic trip back to the decade or parents weighing which classics their children can watch, here are 10 incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies.
The following article contains mention of child abuse.
The Chokey In Matilda
Harry (Danny DeVito) sells Ms. Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) a car in exchange for enrolling Harry’s daughter Matilda (Mara Wilson) into Trunchbull’s school. When Trunchbull finds out the car is defective, the despotic principal takes it out on Matilda by putting her inside the chokey. Whoever’s inside the chokey must stand completely still in order to avoid the numerous metal spikes pointed at the center. Trunchbull essentially puts erring children in solitary confinement inside a makeshift iron maiden. Even in a fantasy movie peppered with such scenes to balance its overall comedic tone, the chokey still stands out as an incredibly dark moment hidden in a ’90s kids movie.
Bruno Transforms In The Witches
In 1992’s The Witches, at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Eva (Anjelica Huston) reveals that she has a new potion that turns kids into mice. After drinking the potion earlier, little boy Bruno (Charlie Potter) grotesquely twists into different shapes until he fully transforms into a tiny mouse and the room erupts into laughter. The scene is fantastical and well-executed, and it’s some of the most graphic child torture depicted in film. The fact that Eva intends to put this potion in sweets to sell to children further underscores how Bruno’s transformation is one of the darkest moments hidden in ’90s kids movies.
Scar’s Song In The Lion King
Many remember the death of Mufasa (James Earl Jones) at the paws of Scar (Jeremy Irons) to be the darkest moment in The Lion King. However, most viewers may not be aware that the hyenas marching in unison during Scar’s song “Be Prepared” is actually based on a 1935 Nazi propaganda movie, Triumph of the Will. The concept began with a sketch from The Lion King staffer Jorgen Klubien depicting Scar as Adolf Hitler (via Business Insider). From Klubien’s sketch, directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff developed the scenes for “Be Prepared” based on the infamous Nazi film, making it a dark moment hidden in a ’90s kids movies.
The Boo Box In Hook
As Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) and his men celebrate his plan to kill Peter Pan (Robin Williams), Hook accuses one pirate of betting against him bringing Peter back. Disguised as a pirate, Peter initially thinks that Hook identified him from the crowd, but Hook points to the pirate right next to Peter instead. Reluctantly, the pirate confesses to his crime, and Hook sentences him to the boo box. This delights Hook’s men, who immediately carry the pirate, lock him inside a chest, and then drop scorpions into the chest one by one through a small compartment. Apart from depicting casual torture, this scene also features Glenn Close’s cameo in Hook.
The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come In The Muppet Christmas Carol
While the movie imparts darkly realistic lessons about life, The Muppet Christmas Carol is mostly a wholesome movie. Though unusual, the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present who visit Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) look and feel consistent with Jim Henson’s whimsical style. This serves to set up the movie’s darkest surprise, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, who is more akin to a horror movie grim reaper than a classic muppet. For its overall design, creepy voice, and how it moves, the first appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is one incredibly dark moment hidden in a ’90s kids movie.
Buzz Lightyear Realizing He’s A Toy In Toy Story
Most audiences remember the reveal of Sid’s (Erik von Detten) mutant-like cabal of misshapen toys to be the darkest moment in the iconic kids’ movie. Yet, Toy Story‘s true darkest moment comes after Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) escape Sid’s room, when Buzz sees a television ad and realizes that he is merely a plastic toy. This leads Buzz to almost accepting his fate when Sid straps him to a rocket to die. Few incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies are as jarring as Buzz’s existential crisis, especially considering the implication that all toys in the movie’s universe went through the same philosophical dead-end.
Gaston’s Mob Justice In Beauty And The Beast
In order to force Belle (Paige O’Hara) into marrying him, the charismatic but spiteful hunter Gaston (Richard White) convinces the townsfolk to hunt down the Beast (Robby Benson) for the safety of the entire town. Despite Belle trying to reason with the people, Gaston forms an angry mob ready to help him mount the Beast’s head on his wall of trophies. An incredibly dark moment hidden in a ’90s kids movie that mostly went under the radar, Gaston’s actions are a realistic warning about mob justice. While the movie ends happily, at one point, Gaston almost succeeded in convincing the town to commit murder, so he can have Belle.
Massacred Village & Slaughtered Army In Mulan
In Mulan, Captain Li Shang (BD Wong), Mulan (Ming Na-Wen), and the other soldiers follow the imperial army into the mountains, where they discover a village leveled to the ground by the Huns. After the soldiers find a child’s doll among the ruins, they look over a cliff’s edge to witness a truly jarring scene: the entire army of General Li (James Shigeta) massacred. The scene is just a brief look into the brutal aftermath of a bloody battlefield, but the sheer amount of death in this Mulan scene secures its place alongside other incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies. Nonetheless, it helped establish historical accuracy in Mulan.
General Mandible’s Coup In Antz
As the ant army marches to fight the termites threatening their colony, what Z (Marion) and the other soldiers don’t know is that General Mandible (Gene Hackman) is knowingly sending them to their deaths. By letting the termites do the dirty work, Mandible massacres the soldiers most loyal to the Queen (Anne Bancroft). When it comes to incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies, Antz is often remembered for the severed head of Sergeant Barbatus (Danny Glover) saying his last words to Z. However, that moment was only possible because Mandible willingly massacred his own people for his political ambitions – the darkest moment in the animated ’90s movie.
Cement Shoes In Aladdin
At the behest of Grand Vizier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), the palace guards capture Aladdin (Scott Weinger) after Aladdin brings Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin) home. After Jafar tells the guards to “make sure he’s never found,” they bind Aladdin’s feet to a heavy metal ball and chain and throw him into the sea. One of the most incredibly dark moments hidden in ’90s kids movies, Aladdin’s attempted execution-at-sea is highly reminiscent of cement shoes. While this brutal drowning method was popularized by mafia movies, there have been reports of real-life executions performed similarly, likely inspired by gangster films – or this morbid scene in Aladdin.
Source:Business Insider
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
