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22 Childhood Movies People Loved As Kids But Realized Were Messed Up As Adults

Get ready to have your childhood ruined!

Kayla Harrington
by Kayla Harrington

BuzzFeed Staff

We asked members of the Buzzfeed Community to share which kids movies they loved growing up but realized were messed up once they became adults, and boy, did they deliver! Below are the best responses!

Warning: Slight spoilers ahead!

1. The Dark Crystal (1982)

Stephen Garlick as Jen and Lisa Maxwell as Kira in the movie "The Dark Crystal."
Mary Evans / Henson Associates / ITC / Ronald Grant / Everett Collection

"The bad guys sucked the souls out of little creatures and tortured the heroine extensively! Pretty harsh for a Jim Henson puppet movie!!"

—wickedbook58

2. Anastasia (1997)

Meg Ryan as Anastasia "Anya" Romanova in the movie "Anastasia."
20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

"After losing her entire family (except her grandma) at the beginning of the movie, she became an unloved orphan with short-term memory who was thrown out at 18 years old. On top of that, there's an evil ghost demon trying to kill Anastasia, and her 'love interest' was using her the whole time to get the reward money for her safe return to her grandma."

—cheyennem45537dd38

3. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

Burt Reynolds as Charlie B. Barkin and Judith Barsi as Anne-Marie in the movie "All Dogs Go To Heaven."
MGM Studios / United Artists/ Courtesy Everett Collection

"Sure, there are cute dogs hopping around, but the entire story involves gambling, robbery, and murder. And don’t forget the scene where Charlie dreams he’s in HELL."

—helise9

4. Snow White (1937)

Adriana Caselotti as Snow White and Lucille La Verne as the Queen / Witch in the movie "Snow White."
Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

"After her stepmother hires a huntsman to cut her heart out, Snow White goes and lives with seven dudes she doesn't know, eats a poisoned apple, and falls into a coma! Finally, she gets kissed by some random prince she's never met and goes off to marry him!! ALL WHILE SHE'S STILL 14 YEARS OLD!!!!!"

—urie_bowie_mercury0

5. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket and Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe in the movie "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory."
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I cannot watch Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory TO THIS DAY, and I’m almost 30 years old! First, the Oompa Loompas steal children from their parents at random. Then one kid practically drowns in the chocolate river, which gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'death by chocolate.' And then one girl eats a piece of gum and becomes A BLUEBERRY! I couldn’t chew gum for months after watching it."

—djpowpow

6. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Bette Midler as Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, and Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson in the movie "Hocus Pocus."
Buena Vista / Courtesy Everett Collection

"In the first five minutes, there's kidnapping, child murder, and a public execution. We also see a bus run over a cat, three kids attempt to burn three adults alive in a school kiln, constant mockery of a teen boy's virginity, and repeated references to how awesome hell is. Granted, the movie is still pretty great, but it's a lot darker than people give it credit for."

—colleend9

7. Home Alone (1990)

Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister in the movie "Home Alone."
Mary Evans / 20th Century Fox / Ronald Grant / Everett Collection

"Kevin is just a kid, so it's understood he can get lost, but what the hell kind of family and mother would forget their own child?! The rest of his family were extremely complicit in his mistreatment too!"

—fajrii22

8. Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Liam Aiken as Klaus Baudelaire and Emily Browning as Violet Baudelaire in the movie "Lemony Snicket A: Series of Unfortunate Events."
Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

"The whole movie was depressing. It starts with the death of the kids' parents, and it gets progressively worse from there. The kids are just handed off to this random stranger who keeps trying to kill them in the worst ways (e.g., parking their car on train tracks), all so he could get their parents’ money. There's a glimmer of hope when the kids are put into the care of a family friend. It seems like all is well until the villain finds them and kills the man who was taking care of them. Eventually the villain literally tries to MARRY THE 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL, all so he would get the money. It was a truly messed-up movie."

—mirandah4f30454c4

9. The Parent Trap (1998)

Lindsay Lohan as Hallie Parker and Annie James in the movie "The Parent Trap."
Disney

"It’s not a fun kids movie when you realize that not only did the parents separate the twin sisters, but they straight-up abandoned the other one. If they hadn’t met at camp, the twins never would have seen each other again."

—maiteluna

10. Stuart Little (1999)

Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little and Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little in the movie "Stuart Little."
© Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"All of those kids in the orphanage dreamed of having a 'forever family,' and these parents adopted a mouse. A MOUSE!"

—greenbluepurple

11. Thumbelina (1994)

Jodi Benson as Thumbelina in the movie "Thumbelina."
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

"She was kidnapped TWICE and forced into a marriage by TWO different people. Also, a large crowd of people who just called her 'ugly' repeatedly is probably not the best thing to show young children."

—fashionzombiee

12. Pinocchio (1940)

Dick Jones as Pinocchio and Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket in the movie "Pinocchio."
Disney Walt Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Where to even begin with this trauma-inducing nightmare of a kids movie??? Everything you could possibly use to scare a child is in here: A puppet randomly comes to life, said puppet’s father gets swallowed whole by A WHALE, and then the puppet turns into a real boy, only to be turned into a donkey at some nightmare-fueled carnival full of donkey-boy slaves? NOT TODAY, SATAN."

—christianf4f13844d1

13. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Josh Hutcherson as Jess Aarons and AnnaSophia Robb as Leslie Burke in the movie "Bridge to Terabithia."
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"The movie was so good up until Leslie died. I was 9 years old when I first saw it, and I haven't seen it since. It was so traumatizing that even my dad felt bad for not knowing what was going to happen in the movie. It's the reason I look up the summary of movies before seeing them."

—ohnoimanonymousnow

14. Matilda (1996)

Pam Ferris as Agatha Trunchbull and Jimmy Karz as Bruce Bogtrotter in the movie "Matilda."
Sony Pictures

"Miss Trunchbull shouldn’t have been anywhere near children. And the Chokey. Don't get me started on the Chokey."

—pearlychick48

15. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Adrian Hall as Jeremy Potts, Heather Ripley as Jemima Potts, and Robert Helpmann as the Child Catcher in the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."
United Artists

"That Child Catcher scene gave me nightmares for a LONG time."

—egwthompson

16. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Jerry Orbach as Lumière in the movie "Beauty and the Beast."
© Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I'm sorry, but kidnapping a young woman and keeping her prisoner until she falls in love with you while your friends use song to break her down mentally is not something that should be on Disney+. It belongs on Investigation Discovery."

—smorbitzer

17. Madeline (1998)

Hatty Jones as Madeline and Frances McDormand as Miss Clara Clavel in the movie "Madeline."
TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Did y'all ever watch the live-action Madeline movie??? That kidnapping scene was WAYYYYY different when I saw it as a kid. I watched it recently and it was...horrifying."

—victoriagraceg

19. Coraline (2009)

Dakota Fanning as Coraline Jones, Teri Hatcher as Mel Jones, Coraline's mother, and the Beldam/Other Mother, and John Hodgman as Charlie Jones, Coraline's father, and as the Other Father in the movie "Coraline."
Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Other Mother acts all perfect and then turns evil the second Coraline wants to go back to her real home. She traps her in the Other World and tries to keep her captive FOREVER. Then Other Mother goes out of her way to capture Coraline's parents and lock them in a mirror. Also, the ghost-children storyline is so sad. To this day, I still can't get over how bad I feel for them."

—kaiyaf1

20. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom in the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
Touchstone Pictures

"This movie is so sexist. Also, the part where the bad guy’s face melts off? Terrifying as a child AND an adult."

—Jessica B

21. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

Betty Lou Gerson as Cruella De Vil in the movie "101 Dalmatians."
Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Cruella de Vil wanted to capture dogs to SKIN THEM AND WEAR THEIR FUR!!!! If that’s not screwed up, I don't know what is."

—angelasg

22. And, finally, the Harry Potter series (2001)

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger in the movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Warner Brother Pictures / Everett Collection

"Not only was his 'family' super abusive, but he was manipulated his entire life to be raised like a lamb for slaughter."

—missmiseryleigh

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