28 Times Pixar Took It Wayyyy Too Far And Seriously Disturbed Their Viewers

    Cars 2 has a literal torture scene.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

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    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 The Incredibles when it literally started with a guy trying to kill himself:

    Mr. Incredible jumps to save a man jumping off the top of a building
    Pixar

    Suggested by: yours truly!

    2. In Brave when Merida's mother started to forget her and become a bear forever:

    Merida says she doesn't understand as her mom's eyes begin to change to a bear's
    Pixar

    "I loved that movie when I was little, but boy, did it give me nightmares."

    —cupcakequeen24

    "This was probably not what the writers intended, and perhaps I just look too deep into things, but I think that could be a heartbreaking allegory of Alzheimer’s or dementia. It was a small moment in the film, but just seeing Merida’s face at the thought of her mom forgetting who she is was still incredibly sad."

    —originalhedgehog71

    3. In Onward when Ian gave up his chance to see his dad so Barley could, then had to watch the reunion through a crack in the rocks:

    Ian watching his dead glow and reunite with Barley
    Pixar

    Suggested by: kescott

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    4. In Lava when the volcano entirely sank and accepted that it would never find love:

    The volcano sinks underwater as the song says, "With no lava, his song was all gone. He filled the sea with his tears and watched his dream disappear"
    Pixar

    "Show me the Lava short and it is guaranteed to make me weepy. He just wanted someone to love. 😭"

    —Deadzy

    5. In Kitbull when we saw Kitbull being neglected:

    Pixar

    "The short Kitbull on Disney+ was so sad when it depicted the dog getting neglected and abused at the beginning. My animal-loving self was not prepared for how sad that made me feel."

    —elmnt_65

    6. In The Incredibles when Mr. Incredible thought his entire family had died in a plane crash:

    Mrs. Incredible says over the radio that there are children aboard, and Mr. Incredible shouts "No!" Mirage says the target was destroyed
    Pixar

    Suggested by: jenam3

    7. And then immediately after when he threatened to kill Mirage:

    Mr. Incredible, holding Mirage, says he'll crush her, and Syndrome tells him to do it even though it sounds dark for him – instead, Mr. Incredible drops her
    Pixar

    Suggested by: jenam3

    8. 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

    9. 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

    10. 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

    11. 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!"

    —[deleted]

    12. 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

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

    Pixar

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

    —mikew419319685

    14. 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."

    —rose

    15. 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

    Suggested by: WowThat'sCrazy

    16. 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

    17. 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

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

    Rhe 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

    19. 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

    20. In Finding Nemo when Marlin lost his wife and almost all of 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

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

    Pixar

    Suggested by: Jen Abidor

    22. 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 CAN'T YOU JUST BE NORMAL?!' And the child, stunned, floats to the ground and cries. Even my young children gasped."

    —tiffanymarrc

    23. 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 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

    24. 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

    25. 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

    Suggested by: atcha9901

    26. 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."

    —youknow,forcats

    27. 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

    28. 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: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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