Just like millions of other people, generally speaking when we think about our favorite family-friendly films we envision curling up with our loved ones. In addition to our fond memories that relate to family films, the Hollywood studios also love this genre of film since loads of parents are always looking for a safe entertainment to share with their kids.
Of course, just because a movie is sold to the masses as being family-friendly doesn’t mean that parents can relax as their kids get wrapped up in the film. In fact, some movies that have been marketed to kids actually include moments that are pretty shocking when you really think about them. With that in mind, it is time to get to this list of 15 totally inappropriate scenes in popular family films.
15 The Bus Driver’s Comments
Widely considered to be one of the best family-friendly Halloween movies, watching Hocus Pocus in October has become a tradition for many. During the film’s most inappropriate moment, an obviously "excited" bus driver tells the Sanderson sisters that he can take them to their “forbidden desires”. Once told that the witches desire children, he responds "It might take me a couple of tries, but I don't think that'd be a problem." Eww.
14 Unfortunate Lemonade
As many children of the early ‘90s will be able to tell you, the Problem Child series was made up of two supposedly family-friendly films that could be pretty out there at times. For example, during the second film, the titular character Junior is asked to refill a jug of Lemonade. Opting to fill it with his own yellow fluids, an adult proceeds to drink an entire glass and happily describe it as “Tangy”.
13 “Helping” Hands
Due to the fact that Labyrinth was produced by Lucasfilm and The Jim Henson Company, many parents took their kids to the movie assuming it would be tame. Instead, it included several off putting elements, including David Bowie’s codpiece. However, if you ask us, the most inappropriate moment comes when the lead character is manhandled by “helping hands” while she says things like “yuck”, “help”, and “you’re hurting”.
12 Pig Transformation
Easily one of the most unique fantasy films for the whole family, Willow is considered to be a classic film by many kids that watched the film upon its initial release. Often a lot of fun, the movie got pretty disturbing during one sequence in which Val Kilmer’s character in the film is transformed into a pig. Looking a lot like something you’d expect to see in a werewolf film, the effects are very scary for youngsters.
11 Shrinky Winky
As any Disney fan no doubt realizes, Cruella De Vil is one of the company’s most frightening characters. As such, her two trusty henchmen have gotten used to seeing some wild things. Despite that, when one of them sees the room where she keeps the animals she uses to make fur coats, he remarks “The sight of all these deceased creatures gives me a shrinky winky.” We shouldn’t need to explain to any adult what he means by that.
10 Optimus Prime’s Ultimate Fate
Back when The Transformers: The Movie was released in 1986, lots of parents took their kids to see the latest adventure of their favorite robots in disguise on the big screen. Instead of getting the uplifting experience they were hoping for, viewers instead witnessed their favorite hero Optimus Prime lose his spark once and for all.
9 Lola Gets Mature
Considering that the Looney Tunes have been around for decades, it always is a big deal when a new character is added to this bunch the way Lola Bunny was in Space Jam. However, if they wanted to make her character child-friendly, it was a very odd decision to have her called “hot” and act in a very suggestive way during one scene.
8 Judge Doom Dips a Shoe
Clearly, meant to be a family-friendly film, in reality, Who Framed Roger Rabbit didn’t pull punches. For example, relatively early in the film Judge Doom comes across an adorable cartoon shoe that acts much like a puppy. Sadly enough, he proceeds to put it in what he calls “Dip”, a substance that melts and destroys the sweet little thing.
7 Milking a Ram
Arguably Fox’s most successful animated film franchise of all-time, as of this writing there have been five different Ice Age movies. During the third film in the series, Sid the Sloth tries to get some baby dinosaurs something to consume when he tries to milk a ram. However, we then see him running from the ram while screaming, “I thought you were a female” which makes it pretty clear what part of the animal Sid actually grabbed.
6 Tunnel Scenery
In a lot of ways a film that seems to be fantasy fodder for kids, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory features a group of youngsters who are allowed inside a building chocked full of candy. However, all of that takes a turn for the worse when Wonka takes his visitors on a boat through a tunnel and they see a series of disturbing things as the titular character seems to lose it.
5 No Subtlety
When it comes to a lot of the scenes on this list, the filmmakers were clever enough to conceal them to a certain degree. However, this moment from Mike Myer’s The Cat in the Hat lacks any subtlety at all. Picking up a used yard tool for some reason while he chases after a dog, the Cat in the Hat calls it a “dirty hoe” before going to lick it as va-va-voom music plays in the background.
4 The Room With All the Heads
Put out 46 years after the release of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz focuses on Dorothy going back to that fantasy land and things get pretty intense quickly after that. For example, during one scene, Dorothy gets locked in a room with a headless woman. Worse yet, she has cabinets full of other people’s heads that she can use and at one point they all wake up and start screaming.
3 Lord Farquaad’s Knowing Glance
In one of several examples of characters from Shrek using old-timey objects like modern devices, during the first film, Lord Farquaad uses the magic mirror as a TV of sorts. While that was amusing for fans, adults knew exactly what was going on when he asked to see Princess Fiona and then looked at his own crotch area which was under the covers.
2 The Child Catcher
A movie that is similar to Mary Poppins in terms of its place in movie history, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a film that holds a place in the hearts of millions of viewers. For all of the movie’s positives, however, it is hard not to think about how strange it is that the film has a sequence centered around the so-called Child Catcher. If you haven’t seen the film, that character is a guy that uses candy to try to attract kids he can take.
1 Ducky Love
Once thought to be a movie that had the potential to become a huge hit, in reality, Howard the Duck failed at the box office and became a laughing stock upon its release. An all-around strange movie, the most appalling thing that happens in this film that was marketed at the whole family is the titular duck and a human woman trying to seduce one another.
Sources: complex.com, youtube.com