I saw a post of yours where you talk about messed up movies. I watched them all and it messed me up, but I love it! Do you have a list of messed up ANIMATED films?!

Are you a masochist like me? XDThere really are a lot of them, but I made a list of ten movies I saw when I was a kid that I think are pretty disturbing for animated movies.

The Plague Dogs (1982)

A lot of movies on this list definitely won’t be for animal lovers, but the amount of animal cruelty and brutality in these films is partly why they’re so messed up. Plague Dogs (written by the same author as Watership Down and directed by the same man who directed the 1978 controversial film adaptation) is a story of two dogs who escape a lab where they’ve been subjected to experiments tantamount to torture. The movie actually opens with Rowf, the black lab, being drown in a pool and then resuscitated for research. Snitter, the lovable fox terrier, suffers from hallucinations and seizures due to the numerous surgeries performed on his brain, which were meant to alter his objective and cognitive functions. Once a domesticated dog with a loving owner, Snitter is convinced that there are humans outside the lab who are good, while Rowf, having been tormented by scientists since he was a puppy, argues there’s no such thing. Without spoiling too much, events unfold and the townspeople they attempt to befriend learn that the scientists were injecting the Bubonic plague into their test animals. And so the hunt begins to kill Snitter and Rowf, who in actuality aren’t even infected. The dark tones, disturbing imagery, and deep messages may leave you feeling hopeless or emotionally moved.

Watership Down (1978)

As aforementioned, Watership Down and Plague Dogs were written by the same man, Richard Adams. Believe it or not, after seeing both movies, I would argue that Plague Dogs is actually worse in comparison, even though Watership Down presents more blood and gore. But make no mistake, this is not a tame movie by any stretch of the imagination. The movie sets off when Fiver, a small and anxious young rabbit, has a disturbing premonition of their burrow being destroyed by humans. Most don’t believe him, but his brother Hazel and a group of other rabbits do. They leave in search of a new home but encounter many obstacles along the way, including apex predators, snares, hunters, and a vicious dictator who runs a burrow via slavery and political corruption. There’s even the subject of implied rape, as the does in the burrow are mostly silent, scared, complacent, and kept mostly for breeding. Unlike Plague Dogs, however, this movie has a relatively happy ending, even though the journey to the end is potentially traumatising.

Felidae (1994)

Felidae is a German adult animated neo-noir crime horror film that is definitely not for children. The story follows a cat named Francis, who is established to have an above normal level of intelligence. When I first saw the movie, I was even under the impression that Francis was actually based on Sherlock Holmes, though that’s never been confirmed. When Francis moves to a dreary new home with his owner, he begins investigating a slew of grisly cat murders. And when I say “grisly”, I mean grisly. Decapitation, evisceration, forced abortion, this movie has it all. In addition, the subject of sex, homophobia, torture, and cultism are rife in this film. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Animal Farm (1954)

I think the most messed up part about this anthropomorphic film is the fact that it’s supposed to represent communism, Nazi Germany, and Stalin’s Russia. The American CIA even endorsed this film as a propaganda piece, pushing that the pigs and farmers emulate tyrannical communists. The plot of the movie revolves around multiple farm animals who overthrow their drunken and neglectful owner. Some would argue that this is where the movie should have ended … but it doesn’t. Mired in disturbing sounds and images, the plot continues. The pigs ultimately become the new dictators, scribing unreasonable laws on the barn walls and giving their own species preferential treatment. One of the altered laws even states: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. The pigs deny the other animals the right to an education and strive to keep them ignorant and censored. When some of the animals revolt, the pigs actually have them executed while continuing to build their own fascist regime. I won’t spoil much more, but the parallels between Nazi Germany/Stalin Russia and Animal Farm are truly horrifying.

The Black Cauldron (1985)

One of my favourite movies on this list, The Black Cauldron isn’t actually all that messed up, until you remember that it was created by Disney. Upon its release, The Black Cauldron was Disney’s first ever animated feature film to receive a PG rating, and several parts of the movie needed to be cut in order to meet that rating and keep it suitable for children. Often referred to as “Disney’s Nightmare”, The Black Cauldron was close to being buried indefinitely, as the production team suffered heavy loses and were in constant arguments with the censors. Regardless, the finished product was able to keep much of its disturbing illustrations, such as an undead army of zombies with their flesh melting off, and the Horned King himself, eerily voiced by the late John Hurt. The story follows a young assistant pig farmer named Taran, who dreams of becoming a fearless knight. One day, while bemoaning his duties, the pig he’s entrusted to care for has a horrifying vision of the Horned King raising an unstoppable army and destroying the world. Determined to stop it, Taran sets off on an amazing but terrifying adventure, where he faces many trails and hardships. The story itself is a cautionary tale that teaches children not to go looking for danger.

Metropolis (2001)

Metropolis is a Japanese science-fiction anime action film loosely based on the 1949 Metropolis manga created by Osamu Tezuka, which was also inspired by the 1927 German silent film of the same name. This movie is definitely more tame in comparison to the other movies on this list, but it really freaked me out when I was a child. If I were to compare it to a modern piece, I’d compare it to Detroit Become Human, only done right. In Metropolis, robots are discriminated against and segregated because humans, many of whom are unemployed, blame robots for taking their jobs. The plot is a little difficult to explain without ruining the film completely, so I’ll focus on the more innocent aspect– the part of the story that’s shown through the eyes of children. A young boy named Kenichi finds and grows close to a little girl named Tima. Initially, he isn’t aware that she’s a robot, a fact that confuses him when they become hunted by an unknown assailant. He soon discovers that Tima, who’s only desire is to remain a little girl, is more important than he realised. The story itself circles around human greed, cruelty, and intolerance.

Angel’s Egg (1985)

Angel’s Egg is hard to explain, as even the creator, Mamoru Oshii, has stated that he doesn’t know what it’s about. The plot follows a little girl who appears to live in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where there is very little food, water, and other humans. In fact, aside from some ominous “shadow people”, the only other person the girl meets is a man who carries a large metal cross. The girl is very protective over a giant egg, but it’s never explained where the egg came from or why she has it. Throughout the film, the girl is certain there is something inside it, but the man insists that it’s empty. Most of the film is silent, save a few exchanges between the man and girl. To this day, fans continue to debate the meaning behind the film and it’s clear religious imagery. Oshii himself had a crisis of faith during the film’s production and left Christianity. Senses of Cinema opined that the film “seems informed by the existential desperation caused by the collapse of one’s belief system”. Some argue that it’s an allegory for belief, and the girl is rewarded for her unwavering conviction, while others say it’s a call to atheism, and the girl falls into misery for believing in something that isn’t real. It’s entirely open to interpretation and remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful animated movies on this list.

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Fantastic Planet is a strange little French film about division, discrimination, and fear of the unknown. Set in an undetermined future, the film shows that human beings have been brought to an alien planet where they are treated as either domesticated pets or wild pests. The aliens themselves, Draags, maintain an advanced intelligence, technological superiority, and vast spirituality that the humans live without. This all changes when Terr, a young human kept by a Draag girl named Tiwa, adopts him as her pet. Through Tiwa, Terr learns a new way of thinking and resolves to set his people free. The overall message of this odd but glorious film seems to be that people can coexist, even if they’re different. Additionally, Fantastic Planet is perhaps best known for its unique and sometimes disturbing art style.

The King of Pigs (2011)

The King of Pigs is a South Korean animated drama film based on a true story. This film is perhaps the most violent on this list, as it depicts multiple scenes of murder, abuse, intense beatings, and even some animal cruelty. The plot mainly follows a flashback of three young boys as they suffer through their horrible schooldays, where they are bullied for being the three least successful students. The three boys, eventually broken and succumbing to rage, engage in some of the most graphically violent scenes out of every movie on this list. The subject of class and poverty are the driving force behind this film and create a very dark and depressing experience.

Ringing Bell (1978)

Ringing Bell is a short Japanese anime adventure-drama about a young sheep named Chirin. After his mother is killed by a wolf, Chirin struggles to accept that sheep are naturally weak, so he sets off to become a wolf himself. This film is perhaps the most depressing on this list, as it expresses an honest depiction of the circle of life and what happens when that circle is broken. As we follow Chirin, we get a brutal dose of reality, nature, and inevitability.