Animationwill possibly always be inextricably linked with and thought of as family-friendly content. Even though it’s a medium of storytelling, animation continues to be widely perceived as a genre. As a result, it’s simply considered a children’s genre by most, even though thebest R-rated animated filmsdemonstrate that there’s nothing inherently child-friendly about animation. Horror as a genre, on the other hand, barringhorror comedy movies which are hilarious and terrifying, is largely considered to be an adult genre, exploring adult themes and featuring visuals inappropriate for children.
So, the blend of horror and animation is very commonly appropriate only for adults. In fact, one of thebest horror movies of the past 10 yearsis an animated movie calledThe Wolf House.But the most interesting area of intersection between the two categories is the family-friendly animated horror movie,which doesn’t always come in the form of horror comedy. It often occurs in the form of repositioning the perspective on horrifying themes and telling the story through a child-friendly lens of an animated world far removed from real-world horrors.
A Monster Calls
Cast
While struggling to cope with the death of his mother, Conor O’Malley, played by Lewis MacDougall, discovers a giant monster resembling a yew tree that tells him stories. 2016’s A Monster Calls is based on Patrick Ness' novel who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. JA Bayona directs, with a cast including Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson, and Felicity Jones.
While the somber tone and the harsh realities it deals with may make viewers considerA Monster Callsto be inappropriate for very young viewers, it uses a child-friendly approach with the themes of death and isolation. The story follows a 12-year-old boy as he tries to cope with his mother’s worsening health and struggles to reconcile with the fact that she might not survive. Dripping with empathy for the boy,A Monster Callsfeatures a kind but stern form of storytelling to capture the experience of losing a loved one as a child.
While much of the movie is live-action, the “monster” is a uniquely animated being, whose presence is at once comforting and terrifying as he explores hidden truths in people’s hearts, but exacts ruthless punishment whenever necessary.A Monster Callsdoesn’t shy away from exploring how lonely life can become when one is misunderstood,but through the depressing representation, it focuses on the healing potential of a companion, no matter how unlikely.
Coraline
Based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, Coraline follows Coraline Jones, a lonely young girl who, after moving to a new house with her inattentive parents, discovers a portal to another, more sinister alternate reality behind one of the house’s many doors. Written and directed by Henry Selick, the film uses stop-motion animation and stars Dakota Fanning as Coraline.
Laika Animation Studios often deals with horror themes in their movies, including theupcoming 2025 animat animated movieWildwood —butCoralineis where they began feature filmmaking. Using 3D printed models,Coralinebrings to life a beautifully rendered stop-motion world where a girl comes to terms with the reality of her life,reconciling with the flaws of her parents, and understanding the meaning of sacrifice.
Coraline Review: 15 Years Later, This Stop-Motion Masterpiece Is Still The Perfect Gateway Horror Movie
With Coraline returning to theaters, I’d like to make the case for a whole new generation of kids being taken to experience its traumatic delights.
The imaginative worldbuilding makesCoralinea hypnotic and idyllic movie set in a space where viewers will want to get lost forever. Much like the main character, audiences too would love to live in the uniquely refreshing world she discovers behind the hidden door. It is a scary but welcoming movie that definitely deals with themes adults will appreciate better, but also has enough material to appeal to children. The stop-motion animation itself is endearing and beautiful to look at, simultaneously making the horrors more morbid and easier to handle.
Wendell & Wild
Wendell & Wild is a 2022 animated film directed by Henry Selick, following two demon brothers who team up with a guilt-ridden teenager named Kat Elliot. Their collaboration leads to an unusual and comedic journey as they attempt to summon themselves to the land of the living.
Henry Selick, the director of two of the most famous animated horror movies,The Nightmare Before ChristmasandCoraline, also madeWendell & Wild, on which he collaborated with the dearly beloved comedy duo Key and Peele. Peele, that is, Jordan Peele, has already established himself as a horror auteur with his trio of highbrow horror movies about social evils. However, this collaboration, while still a horror movie, has a decidedly different tone from his regular horror work.
Henry Selick is already back in the studio and in June 2024, it was announced that he’s working on a stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novelThe Ocean at the End of the Lane.
The titular characters, voiced by Key and Peele, are reminiscent of the sketch work that the two used to do together. The hilariously chaotic rivalry between the two friends provides the perfect emotional backdrop for the main character’s journey. While there are horrors and freakish characters,the comedy and the morbidly absurd stop-motion undercut the scarinessof the visuals inWendell & Wild,and the movie is family-friendly as a result.
Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a 1998 animated film directed by Jim Stenstrum. The Mystery Inc. team reunites to investigate paranormal occurrences on Moonscar Island. They encounter ghostly pirates, cat creatures, and zombies, discovering that these supernatural entities might actually be real for the first time.
In 2024, the iconic horror cartoon is no longer holding back, asShaggy and Scooby-Doo are traumatized by a gory murder.This was a major tonal shift from the franchise’s approach in the past. With delightfully whimsical 2D animation that highlights the clumsiness of bodies and physical spaces,Scooby-Doo, while telling ghost stories, has always focused on the hilarity of a dog afraid of ghosts accompanying a crew of ghost-hunters.
Japanese Studio Mook Animation had a hand in creating the warm and comforting visual design ofScooby-Doo on Zombie Island, which introduces some of the scariest creatures the crew has had to deal with yet — actual zombies, but on a humid and sunny island off the south coast. The villain’s philosophy is well-fleshed-out and gives one much to ponder about the nature of the cycle of trauma. Still, the best part of the movie, just like with everythingScooby-Doo, is the comical bond between Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, who can’t stop eating hot peppers despite hating them.
Corpse Bride
Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, Corpse Bride is a stop-motion fantasy-horror musical released in 2005. Set in the Victorian Era in England, a groom named Victor accidentally weds Emily, a skeletal woman, while practicing his vows alone in a forest. Whisked away to the Land of the Dead, Victor attempts to help Emily with the circumstances surrounding her fate while trying to escape his new temporary undead home.
Tim Burton’s favorite iconic live-action leading duo ofHelena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp also voiced the characters in love in dreamy and scary stop-motion in the director’s animated movieCorpse Bride.It carries Laika Studio’s signature visual vibe, but Laika wasn’t responsible for the production; they were the studio to whom the animation was contracted out. Thus, the plot and the direction are all Burton Studios' work.
Why Corpse Bride’s Land Of The Living Is So Much Darker & Less Colorful Than The Dead
The 2005 film Corpse Bride features two distinct worlds, but the color palettes of the two universes may be unexpected at first glance.
The unique blend of genres inCorpse Bridemakes it impossible to classify it under a single genre. It’s a horror musical romantic comedy. The body horror is scary, but the focus on its absurdity also leads to moments of pure comedy. The main characters' emotional journeys are perfectly captured in song and dance through the passionately emotive musical numbers that capture the intensity of their romance. Innovation knows no bounds as the various genres and their traditions collide in a unique cacophony of concepts to create an unforgettable viewing experience.
Mad Monster Party
Mad Monster Party is a 1967 stop-motion animated film directed by Jules Bass. The film features Dr. Frankenstein, voiced by Boris Karloff, who plans to retire and invites all famous monsters to his isle for a party to name his successor. The film’s voice cast also includes Phyllis Diller and Gale Garnett. This family-friendly comedy is noted for its unique animation style and whimsical take on classic horror figures.
“What happens if Dr. Frankenstein, the man who made Frankenstein’s monster, decides to unite some of the most iconic and easily recognizable monsters from movie history for a tea party?” Jules Bass’Mad Monster Party?decides to answer that question. While copyright concerns motivated the crew to use some of the less popular forms of the monsters, the stop-motion beautifully brings all of them to life and brings them together for one of the most chaotic Halloween movies in history.
With no holding back, the characters are their unfiltered selves, doing what they’re known for, each uncompromisingly monstrous in their own way. The very idea is wild, and the whimsical humor infused into the interactions by writers Len Korobkin and Harvey Kurtzman add a lighthearted twist to a bonkers party where everything that can go wrong does. The cherry on top is Boris Karloff’s brilliant voice acting as Victor Frankenstein, and it’s a pleasure to hear him voice the real monster after portraying Frankenstein’s monster on the screen for years.
Monster House
Monster House is a 2006 animated film directed by Gil Kenan. The story follows three teenagers who discover that a seemingly haunted house in their neighborhood is actually a living, breathing entity. As they investigate, they uncover the sinister secrets lurking within the house’s walls.
One of thetop animated horror movies of all time,Monster Houseis an emotionally deep children’s movieabout a house that’s come to life and is terrorizing residents on its block. Three children become aware of it, but no one else wants to believe them, so they decide to investigate the phenomenon on the eve of Halloween. With a heartwrenching backstory,Monster Houseis an endearing tale about the experience of growing old and letting go of the past.
Gorgeous animation, an evocative background score, and emotionally charged voice acting performances elevateMonster Houseto a level that earned it a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2007. While the message about kindness and love is conveyed through the emotional development of the characters and the aforementioned setting,Monster Housecan be surprisingly humorous at points, given its relatively somber tone and plotline.
ParaNorman
ParaNorman is a stop-motion animated movie about a young boy who uses his ability to see and communicate with the dead to save his town from an ancient witch’s curse. The voice cast includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland, Bernard Hill, Tucker Albrizzi, and John Goodman.
Laika Studios' most imaginative movie to date is a stop-motion horror movie for children that follows a misunderstood boy who can talk to ghosts. It’s one of the best movies for introducing children to the horror genre because this wild adventure involving zombies and witches doesn’t shy away from developing horror lore, but doesn’t employ the extreme shock or disgust factor to scare audiences. While manygreat stop-motion horror moviesare R-rated,ParaNormanbenefits from being made for children since that turns the story into an exciting heart-filled adventure instead of nightmare fuel.
In fact, it’s a humorous blend of seemingly incompatible genres, a niche that Laika seems to find most suited to their talents. The horror, comedy, and drama come together to reflect on bullying, environmentalism, sexuality, and death, using means accessible to children to tell a story full of heart.The whimsical energy in the animationParaNormanthat makes the ghosts funny and adorable, while being spooky as well, also brings every aspect of the world to life,thus creating an allegory for queerness that’s not exactly subtle.
2The Legend Of La Llorona (2011)
Directed By Alberto Rodríguez
Based on Mexican folklore,The Legend of La Lloronatells the story of a group of friends who must save people from the ghost of a woman who kidnaps young peopleto cope with her guilt over the drowning of her children. The team pays close attention to detail, and the world on both a narrative and a visual level is authentically Mexican. While the premise might seem terrifying, the movie is still intended for children.
The horror is created through sound and visual effects, without employing gore or scary sights to terrify audiences. The messages of solidarity between friends, courage in the face of fear, and empathy for everyone are conveyed consistently through the choices made by the characters and the consequences of their actions. The animation makes the characters goofy, but the movie doesn’t rely on gags to undercut the horror, instead using age-appropriate tricks that would only mildly scare children.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Henry Selick directs The Nightmare Before Christmas, a stop-motion fairytale from the mind of Tim Burton. Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween and one of Halloweentown’s most beloved citizens, but he longs for something more. When he stumbles across a magical door that leads him to discover Christmas, he makes it his mission to replace Santa Claus and bring festive cheer to his perpetually spooky hamlet.
Henry Selick’s debut feature unfortunately didn’t make him a household name because many mistakenly thought thatTim Burton was the director ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas. However,today Selick is considered an auteur of stop-motion, and the legacy ofThe Nightmare Before Christmasshines brightly on his decorated careerwhich includes movies likeCoralineandWendell & Wild.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Review: This Delightfully Dark Animated Classic Is Still One Of The Best Holiday Movies Ever
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best holiday movies of all time, with many praiseworthy elements combining to make something magical.
Within less than one and a quarter hours,The Nightmare Before Christmastells the beloved story of a burnt-out King of Halloween Town who’s going through a midlife crisis and wants to be Santa Claus for a change. Dark and funny at the same time, the movie makes perfect use of the juxtaposition of Halloween and Christmas to create another endearing blend of comedy and horror. Idiosyncratic character designs, themes that hit harder as an adult, and beautiful stop-motionanimationthat infuses characters with magical energymakeThe Nightmare Before Christmasone of the greatest horror movies for children.
