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22 Dark Pixar Moments That Made People Go, "Hang On, This Is For Kids?"

I feel like we need to talk more about Syndrome's death in The Incredibles.

Hannah Marder
by Hannah Marder

BuzzFeed Staff

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share what moment in a Pixar movie or short they felt was super dark. Here are some of their responses!

Note: Spoilers ahead! Also, there are mentions of suicide and depression.

1. In Soul, when 22 became a lost soul and Joe realized the real "spark" was just a willingness to live:

Joe asks 22 to listen, saying 22 is ready to live, but then 22 swallows him and he sees the inside of 22's mind, where 22 tells himself he's not good enough, he won't make it in the world, he's selfish, and no one wants him around
Pixar

"When 22 becomes a Lost Soul because they have given up ever finding their spark to make it to Earth in Soul. Such a dark moment, but an ultimately moving moment by Pixar. I don’t think a young child can completely comprehend the intensity of that scene, but as an adult, I found it utterly heart-wrenching."

—megana459810788

"The moment when Joe realizes that the 'spark' he and 22 have been looking for in Soul wasn’t someone’s purpose, but their want and willingness to live. It’s such a small moment, but it’s super impactful, especially to people who have had feelings and beliefs that they don’t want to live/shouldn’t be alive anymore. It probably went over most kids' heads, but I can bet most of the adults felt it and understood it."

—megana459810788

2. In Ratatouille, when Remy's dad took him to look at the dead rats in the poison shop:

Remy's dad showing him the dead rats in traps at the poison shop
Pixar

"Remy's dad is showing him up close what happens when rats get too comfortable around humans, and it's just this window display of dead rats hanging in traps. Like, fucking hell, man, this passed for a kids film???"

—hobbitgirl96

"Major 'Joffrey making Sansa look at the heads' energy."

—vanillalilac

3. In Cars 2, when one of the cars was tortured and killed:

the car is told that there will be nothing to replace after the pulse, and then it explodes into flames
Pixar

"Cars 2 has a scene in the middle where a good-guy car is tortured to death. The bad guys talk about bursting bolts and oil gushing inside his engine, and it ends with his engine blowing up and him bursting into flames. Now, imagine all of that, but to a human or animal character. Not a moment of that sequence would be allowed in a kids movie."

—francisq

4. In Big Hero 6, when the building exploded, killing Tadashi:

Hiro watches Tadashi rush into the building, picking up his hat and going after him — then the building explodes
Pixar

"OMG, we made the mistake of not prescreening Big Hero 6, and when that building exploded with his brother in it at the beginning...talk about secondhand trauma. Especially for my boys, who are on the spectrum and were under 7 at the time. OOF."

—sierraclouse

5. In Monsters, Inc., when Sulley thought Boo had died:

Pixar

"When Sulley thought that Boo had gotten destroyed in the trash compactor in Monsters, Inc. I was 5!"

—tpwk2021

6. In Finding Nemo, when Marlin lost all hope of rescuing Nemo and left Dory behind:

Dory tells Marlin she doesn't want to forget, and he says he does, then leaves. Later, Dory is swimming in circles saying she doesn't know where she is or what's happening
Pixar

"When Marlin leaves Dory behind in Sydney and she's just having a breakdown, sobbing and swimming in circles, was AWFUL."

—audras40ba7dcb9

7. In The Incredibles, when Syndrome died by being sucked into a jet turbine:

Pixar

"That’s literally a death from Die Hard 2."

—mikew419319685

8. In Coco, when Miguel realized Ernesto had stolen Héctor's songs and murdered him:

Héctor yells that Ernesto took everything from him, and he just wanted to go home. Ernesto says to Miguel, "I would hate to have you think,.." and Miguel says, "That you murdered Hector for his songs?"
Pixar

"I have a weird knack for predicting what happens in movies, but this plot twist really caught me off guard because it was so dark for a kids movie! It’s such a good movie, though. I would recommend not watching it on a plane. I ugly-cried and the guy next to me asked me if I was okay, lol. I was not."

—sierrao44a157429

9. In A Bug’s Life, when Hopper almost crushed Flick's head in front of all the ants:

as the ants watch, Hopper puts his foot on Flick's head
Pixar

—WowThat'sCrazy

10. In Coco, when Ernesto was trapped underneath the bell:

the bell falls on Ernesto
Pixar

"I know he was the bad guy, but, like, Ernesto de la Cruz being entombed alive for eternity was dark AF."

—bamabecky02

11. In The Incredibles, when Helen thought Bob was cheating on her:

Helen tells Bob she loves him and he says he loves her too, then drives away
Pixar

"When Helen says, 'I love you' when he's leaving again...gut-wrenching."

—Laura37911973

12. In Monsters, Inc., when the scream extractor was almost used on Boo:

the scream extractor is pushed closer to Boo
Pixar

"The scream-sucking machine in Monsters, Inc. is pretty dark. It’s basically a torture machine for kids! I watched it with my toddler when she was about the same age as Boo (and very much like her), and it was a horrible thought!"

—rcs31

13. In Toy Story, when Woody saw all the disfigured toys:

Woody sees the disfigured toys and looks horrified
Pixar

"Toy Story's broken and disfigured dolls that were way too creepy to be acceptable — Toy Story was honestly a horror story."

—blurryniner

14. In Finding Nemo, when Marlin lost his wife and almost all his kids in the opening scene:

Marlin swims into the cave calling for his wife and finds Nemo's egg, telling him it'll be alright
Pixar

"When Marlin loses 400-plus kids and his wife. I didn’t see the beginning till i was 9 because my mother skipped past it."

—carolineantoniette

"My toddler basically spent the whole film asking where mummy fish was! Damn you, Disney/Pixar, and constant parent deaths!"

—rcs31

15. In Toy Story 3, when the toys were almost incinerated:

Pixar

—Jen Abidor

16. In Float, when the father screamed at his son, asking why he couldn't be normal:

the father drags his floating son and demands why he can't just be normal
Pixar

"In the Pixar short Float when the child, who could fly, was flying around the playground. The father, who has been trying to get the child not to fly, shouts out in front of everyone, 'WHY CANT YOU JUST BE NORMAL?!' And the child, stunned, floats to the ground and cries. Even my young children gasped."

—tiffanymarrc

17. In Inside Out, when Riley dealt with depression:

Riley looks depressed on the bus; Fear says they can't make her feel anything
Pixar

"In Inside Out, we are watching a literal child go through depression. I had to watch it a couple of times to actually understand what was happening. Because it’s a kids movie, I don’t think they wanted to show the full effects of depression; but goddamn, they did a great job depicting it."

—Moonlxght

18. In Ratatouille, when the old woman tried to kill Remy and his family, and Remy almost got left behind and shot:

the old woman with a gas mask on trying to shoot Remy as he paddles away
Pixar

"The scene at the beginning of Ratatouille, when the old lady tries to kill Remy and his family, gave me nightmares when I was little."

—awesome-not-weird

19. In Up, when Ellie and Carl decorated the nursery and then Ellie had a miscarriage:

Ellie and Carl decorating the nursery then Ellie crying at the doctor's
Pixar

—atcha9901

20. In Toy Story 4, when Forky kept trying to throw himself in the trash:

Forky yells that he's litter and jumps out the window as Woody looks on in shock, then goes after him and finds him stuck in the ground
Pixar

"He calls himself trash and tries to throw himself away the whole movie, and then he literally tries to kill himself. Woody goes after him and finds him basically in a ditch and then drags him through the dark, never letting go, telling him stories and talking to him, until Forky starts to walk on his own and respond to Woody. Super dark, but I also thought it was a touching and spot-on demonstration of how to help a suicidal friend."

—catsfordaysss

21. In Inside Out, when Bing Bong was forgotten:

Pixar

"After I rewatched, it's clear the movie is made for an older audience with an important message, but this just hit so hard, and I CRIED."

—g_bernie

22. And finally...the Pixar intro with the lamp:

Pixar

"Not a Pixar movie, but when the lamp brutally murders the 'i' that was just minding its own damn business. Let's have a moment of silence for the unsuspecting 'i.'"

—doseofdivineee

Got any more for us? Let us know in the comments below!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.