Cartoons That Are Darker Than Most Horror Movies

When you think about cartoons you instantly think of the most popular options that have captured the hearts of children all over the country. These sorts of cartoons include the likes of; Scooby Doo, Batman, The Powerpuff Girls, Tom and Jerry, Johnny Bravo, and much more. However, there are those cartoons that have flown under the radar. There are many reasons why this may have been the case. The cartoons simply may have failed to live up to expectations and thus were cut. Nevertheless, there are cartoons that have simply been deemed inappropriate. And, that’s why they have been labelled “darker than most horror movies”. Read on to discover some of the darkest children’s cartoons that have graced our television screens over the years.

1.    Balloon Land

Perhaps we can excuse the Balloon Land cartoon slightly because it did first hit television screens in 1935, and therefore a lot has been learnt since then. Balloon Land is actually a short film and it follows a world completely made from balloons. If you have not heard of Balloon Land before then you may know it by another common name; The Pincushion Man. This name is the same name of the villain in the show, and The Pincushion Man is certainly the reason why Balloon Land has made this list. The Pincushion Man goes around Balloon Land and basically pops all of the balloons, meaning that he kills those who live in a surreal environment. There is also suspect use of imagery as well. Many people have commented on the fact that there are images throughout the cartoon that allude to sexual references. Obviously, it is highly doubtful that these references were put in the film intentionally, however they are definitely noticeable.

2.    Swing Your Sinners!

This cartoon was also made from the same era as Balloon Land, and therefore maybe we should view this with some leniency as well. Nevertheless, the show can certainly be deemed as a scary one, and that’s why the likes of Aerial Services don’t have it on their satellite systems anymore. Swing Your Sinners is based in a graveyard, which is slightly odd for children’s cartoon in the first place. However, the oddities don’t stop there. A graveyard is obviously associated with the dead, yet in this instance, the dead comes to life. The ground tries to eat the main character and several other scary situations occur as well. Not exactly a mild cartoon…

3.    Blue Cat Blues

Tom and Jerry is one of the most famous cartoon shows to have ever lived. However, the Blue Cat Blues is a cartoon featuring the two characters that took things to the extreme. In the cartoon, Tom commits suicide and the programme flashes back to the reasons why he decided to kill himself. This is certainly a very controversial topic to cover when offering a cartoon for children. Tom falls in love with another cat that then leaves him because she finds a richer partner. This causes poor Tom to embark on a path of destruction – including alcoholism. In the end, Tom is sat on the train tracks and there is no monumental scene whereby Jerry saves him – as you may expect. In the end, Tom dies.

These three cartoons certainly touch on some controversial concepts and leave the viewer feeling shocked, to say the least. Who knew cartoons and games for boys and girls like this even existed?

*Collaborative Post