Themes That NEVER Should Have Been in Animation (Yet Somehow Slipped In Like a Creepy Uncle With Binoculars at a Playground)
Animation is supposed to be fun, whimsical, and, most importantly, NOT TRAUMATIZING. But every now and then, some deranged writer, animators on autopilot, or clueless executives managed to slip in themes that absolutely should not have been there.
These are the themes that no cartoon had any business touching, yet somehow, they made it in. And now, we’re going to drag them out, shake our heads in collective confusion, and wonder how the heck these ever got approved.
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10. Cartoon Sexual Tension Between Animals and Humans – AKA “Please Stop Making This a Thing”
Listen. I get it. Anthropomorphic characters are a staple of animation. Bugs Bunny crossdressed for comedy, Disney gave us talking dogs who fall in love, and Zootopia… well… let’s just say Zootopia made some people discover things about themselves.
But there is a line. And that line is romantic tension between humans and literal animals.
• Space Jam (1996) – Lola Bunny singlehandedly ignited an entire generation of people’s confusion.
• The Lion King II (1998) – Why did Kiara and Kovu have so much dramatic romantic tension when they are LITERAL LIONS?
• Goof Troop (1992) – Who is Max’s mom? What happened to her? Did Goofy reproduce with a human woman? I don’t want to think about it, but the internet won’t let me forget.
Why was this allowed? Who approved this? WHO WAS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?
Self-Deprecation: I once argued with someone that cartoon animal crushes were harmless. I have since seen the internet. I was wrong.
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9. War Crimes, but Make It a Kids’ Show
You ever watch a cartoon and then suddenly realize, “Oh wait, that was straight-up a war crime?” Because guess what—cartoons have slipped in some of the most horrifying acts of violence and framed them as “just part of the story.”
• Mufasa’s Murder in The Lion King (1994) – Let’s be real, Scar’s planned assassination of Mufasa was a literal political coup. He didn’t just want power—he wanted full authoritarian control and committed genocide against the Pride Lands ecosystem in the process.
• Frollo’s Entire Existence in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – Not only does this movie casually contain one of the most horrifying depictions of religious zealotry and oppression, but Frollo’s big musical number is literally about wanting to commit crimes against humanity because he can’t control his own urges.
• The Fire Nation in Avatar: The Last Airbender – These guys didn’t just invade other nations. They massacred an entire race of people, committed cultural erasure, and had concentration camps. This was supposed to be a kids’ show.
Self-Deprecation: I used to think these villains were just “cool bad guys.” Then I grew up and realized they should be on trial at The Hague.
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8. Uncomfortably Sexualized Cartoon Characters – AKA “The FBI Is Watching This Conversation”
There is a fine line between “cartoon crush” and “WHY DOES THIS EXIST?” And animation has been tap-dancing on that line for decades.
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – Jessica Rabbit was not drawn for children. I don’t care what anyone says, this was a crime against parents trying to avoid awkward conversations.
• Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise – Someone at Sega needs to be investigated for what they did with Rouge the Bat. There was no reason for a bat to have that much… ahem “artistic attention.”
• Lola Bunny in Space Jam (1996) – I’ve already mentioned this, but let’s be real—this was NOT an accident. Someone in character design went rogue.
Self-Deprecation: I once made fun of someone for having a cartoon crush. Then I remembered my childhood crush on April O’Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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7. “Oops, We Accidentally Made This Movie About Colonialism”
You ever watch a childhood favorite, only to grow up and realize, “Oh no, this is just a colonizer propaganda film?”
• Pocahontas (1995) – “What if we turned genocide into a romantic musical?” Disney actually greenlit this.
• Tarzan (1999) – White dude becomes king of the jungle, outsmarts the locals, and is somehow the most capable person despite being raised by gorillas.
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) – “What if we made a fun action movie about a group of explorers stealing a civilization’s most powerful resource and justifying it by helping them afterward?”
Self-Deprecation: I used to love these movies. Now I just sit in silence, questioning everything.
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6. Dead Parents – Because Every Animated Movie Needs a Therapy Bill
Why do animators hate parents? If a cartoon character has two living parents, it’s a statistical miracle. Otherwise, their mom is getting Bambi’d in the first five minutes.
• The Lion King – Dad gets thrown off a cliff by his own brother.
• Finding Nemo – Mom gets eaten before the movie even starts.
• Frozen – Parents die in a shipwreck, causing two children to be emotionally ruined for life.
• Batman: The Animated Series – You know how this goes.
At this point, animation isn’t even subtle about it. They just yeet parents off-screen like it’s a contractual obligation.
Self-Deprecation: I used to wonder why Disney always killed off parents. Then I realized it’s because orphans make for easy plot devices.
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5-1: The True Hall of Shame
5. Mind Control and Possession – AKA “Why Was This So Common?”
Cartoons love throwing in full-blown mind control plots like it’s just another Tuesday.
• The Iron Giant – Brainwashed into a killing machine.
• Aladdin: The Series – Jasmine gets mind-controlled at least three times.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender – Bloodbending? That was straight-up horror movie material.
4. Extremely Disturbing Body Horror in Kids’ Cartoons
• Courage the Cowardly Dog – Basically one long fever dream of disturbing imagery.
• The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror – So much unhinged body horror in a “funny” cartoon.
• Teen Titans (2003) – The Trigon arc was straight-up demonic possession.
3. Characters Dying in Horrific Ways
• Watership Down (1978) – So much bunny murder.
• The Land Before Time (1988) – RIP Littlefoot’s Mom.
• Transformers: The Movie (1986) – They massacred half the Autobots in front of children.
2. Depression and Existential Dread in Kids’ Cartoons
• Toy Story 3 – That incinerator scene? Unforgivable.
• Inside Out – Bing Bong’s death still hurts.
• The Brave Little Toaster – Anxiety. Just pure anxiety.
1. Santa Being a Horrible Person in Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys
No explanation needed.
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Final Thoughts: Animation Is More Traumatizing Than We Remember
Now, argue with me in the comments. What other horrible themes snuck into cartoons? And if you love animation rants and unhinged opinions, check out my YouTube channel for more nonsense.
