While there are numerous sitcoms that have shocked viewers with dark material, we generally consider the family movie genre to be overwhelmingly wholesome. Although there have long been conspiracy theories that Disney supposedly adds adult symbolism to its movies, many of these theories are, frankly, absurd. However, conspiracy theories aside, it is not uncommon for family movies to get surprisingly dark.
Sometimes filmmakers want to challenge viewers' expectations. Other times, they simply add material that is inappropriate and decidedly family unfriendly. There is nothing quite like winding down to watch a movie you loved as a kid, particularly at Christmas time, only to realize that the filmmakers got away with some truly dark content. Keep reading to find out which classic family movies are a lot darker than you remember.
10 'Big'
This '80s body swap comedy is exceedingly problematic, mainly because a literal child has a romantic encounter with an adult woman, albeit whilst magically trapped in the body of 30-year-old Hollywood nice guy Tom Hanks.
What's more, when protagonist Josh returns to his 13-year-old body, surely he is going to need a lifetime of therapy to overcome the adult situations he has been exposed to at such a young age? Clearly, 1988 was a very different time and this disturbing plot simply would not fly today.
9 'The Wizard Of Oz'
The Wizard of Oz is not all rainbows and interspecies friendship. In fact, the Wizard utters one of the most wtf morals of any story: "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others". On the surface, that quote seems fine, but just think about it for a second: think of all the countless kids watching the movie who don't have loving parents or a plethora of friends.
Then again, the book's author was actually genocidal, so it kind of makes sense that the movie has a problematic message.
8 'The NeverEnding Story'
The movie that traumatized an entire generation. When young protagonist Atreyu is traveling through the Swamp of Sadness with his horse, the poor creature ends up becoming submerged by the wetland. It doesn't even bear thinking about.
7 'Jack Frost'
Just look at that poster. Jack Frost the snowman looks sinister. When musician Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) gets killed in a car crash, his son must come to terms with the fact that he is spending Christmas fatherless. That is, until his dad comes back to life in the form of a snowman. You know where this is heading... Yes, Jack Frost melts, leaving his son to grieve for a second time.
Basically, Michael Keaton made some bad choices before finally revitalizing his career in 2014.
6 'Jumanji'
Stolen childhoods and parents left grieving for a "dead" child aren't the chirpiest themes for a family movie. Jumanji may be a hugely popular family flick that has spawned remakes, but it's extremely dark.
As a young boy, Alan Parrish gets sucked into the titular board game for the remainder of his childhood and adolescence, eventually emerging as Robin Williams over 20 years later. And the fact that he is being hunted by a man who is the symbolic representation of his father is an even more messed up concept for a family movie.
5 'North'
Everything about this 1994 Rob Reiner movie is just plain wrong. Not only does 9-year old savant North (Elijah Wood) want to get divorced from his parents, but there are multiple other problematic moments. In a scene where North is having a panic attack, his dad's response is to "loosen his pants". Yes, seriously.
Then, the stereotypically depicted Hawaiians unveil a poster featuring North having his pants pulled down, exposing his buttocks, supposedly in an attempt to attract tourists to Hawaii. Huh?
4 'Mrs. Doubtfire'
Okay, we all love Mrs. Doubtfire, but it is actually really dark. Like the book the movie is based on, its heart is in the right place in depicting parents who don't necessarily get back together, but try to make it work for their kids. But the concept of a grown man dressing up as a 60-year-old Scottish woman is problematic to say the least.
While we feel for Robin Williams' character wanting to spend time with his kids, the method by which he does this is very disturbing. Not to mention the fact that he almost kills Pierce Brosnan by smothering his dinner in pepper, which he is deathly allergic to, damages his Mercedes, and assaults him by throwing a piece of fruit at his head.
3 'Beauty And The Beast'
While the Emma Watson remake tries to remedy some of the concept's problematic faults, the original 1991 Disney movie has a troubling lesson. Essentially, the moral of the story is that women should accept abuse until they can "tame" the man in their life. Some critics have accused the movie of normalizing "toxic masculinity" and encouraging girls to stay with abusive partners.
2 'Mary Poppins'
All the Banks kids want is their dad's love, but that natural parental instinct is too much for him. Meanwhile, their mom's preoccupation with political causes prevents her from paying her two children any attention. The image of Jane and Michael Banks' tearful cherubic faces is heart-breaking, as they proclaim, "He doesn't like us at all", in reference to their authoritarian father.
It's only when nanny (i.e. social worker) Mary Poppins enters their lives that things change for the better, but it really shouldn't have reached that point.
1 'Home Alone'
In addition to making a sprightly comedy out of the premise of child abandonment, Home Alone is surprisingly dark in many other ways. While it remains one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, we can't help but feel disturbed by poor Kevin's treatment at the hands of his parents, not to mention two murderous home invaders.
The fact that Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern's burglars are prepared to kill an 8-year-old child, and even threaten to bite his fingers off, is the stuff of horror movies. Not only that, but when Kevin's parents finally come home they are strangely aloof after a brief moment of reconciliation.