A selection of animated kids’ movies are the perfect fare for the Halloween season, offering a variety of delightful ghouls and ghosts. These titles range from lighthearted adventures with Halloween trappings to genuinely terrifying nightmare fuel, making it surprising that they would be considered children’s movies. Such movies and TV shows are great transitional horror to introduce kids to the genre, at a time of year when everyone is embracing the spooky spirit.
A handful of amazing Halloween TV specials make for short movie-like experiences, while several movies people mistakenly think Tim Burton directed are also movie fan favorites for October. Despite being marketed towards children, not all of these perfect Halloween movies have a happy ending, sometimes concluding on a bittersweet or ambiguous note. The way they blend fantasy and horror curates experiences that are somber in visuals and tone but still have the whimsical personality of the best animated Disney movies.
10 The Halloween Tree (1993)
A Magical Adaptation Of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree
The Halloween Tree is a TV movie with the presentation of a Scooby-Doo episode, bringing to life the classic holiday novel by Ray Bradbury. Like in the book, a Halloween night takes a dark turn when a friend is kidnapped by a shadowy monster. With the help of a mysterious guide, the remaining children travel through time to rescue their friend. Featuring some interestingly frightening designs and action sequences, The Halloween Tree is essentially educational TV disguised as fantasy.
Young viewers learn about the holiday when the children on-screen discover the origins of Halloween as they travel through history on their mission to save Pip. Bradbury cameos as the narrator, while Leonard Nimoy gives his voice to the vibrant and wacky Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. Constituting both a dose of history and classic literature, The Halloween Tree is a fascinating and overlooked book-to-movie adaptation.
9 Monster House (2006)
Monster House Is An Oscar-Nominated Haunted House Story For Kids
No adults believe it when three teenagers tell them that there is a house in their neighborhood that is a dangerous creature. With Halloween approaching, they have to find a way to destroy the house before it harms innocent children.
- Director
- Gil Kenan
- Release Date
- July 21, 2006
- Cast
- Spencer Locke , Sam Lerner , Catherine O’Hara , Fred Willard , Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
In a shocking year for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, Happy Feet, Cars, and Monster House competed for the biggest animated movie award of the year (the Oscar went to Happy Feet). Monster House‘s animation is subtly morbid all the way through, with the biggest star being the haunted house’s design, cleverly meshing the anatomy of a house and a face.
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A trio of kids set out to investigate the strange house in their neighborhood, fearing what lies within. Monster House pulls out some of the favored tropes of the haunted house plot to motivate these kids to kick off their adventure. What they uncover supports themes young viewers will be familiar with.
The characters in Monster House experience fear, bullying, and being ignored, all unfortunate realities. However, what Monster House offers is a group of heroes who help each other, the spirit of the house, and the rest of their neighborhood, resulting in a more peaceful living space.
8 The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (1949)
An Oft-Forgotten Disney Classic Of Fabulous Fall Characters
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 animated film produced by Walt Disney. The film is based on two classic stories: Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows”. Combining these narratives, the film features the adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr. Toad, capturing the whimsy and intrigue of both literary works.
- Director
- Ben Sharpsteen , Jack Kinney , Clyde Geronimi , James Algar
- Release Date
- October 5, 1949
- Cast
- Bing Crosby , Basil Rathbone , Eric Blore , J. Pat O’Malley , John Ployardt , Colin Campbell , Campbell Grant
- Runtime
- 68 Minutes
Two narrators, ensconced in a homey library, compare who they believe to be the “most fabulous” characters in literature — one English and one American. The first half of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad depicts the oddly pleasant and moderately autumnal adventures of the charismatic but reckless Mr. Toad, caught up in legal troubles because of his passionate desire for a motorcar. This serves as an effective juxtaposition and prelude to the classic Halloween tale of Ichabod and his encounter with the Headless Horsemen.
Most of the characters in the second half of the short movie are despicable but prompt some contemplation about how the highly gendered characters are depicted. However, the narrative of the ambitious Ichabod vying for the hand of a rich farmer’s daughter is only set up for the real draw of the movie: the ride of the Headless Horseman. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad claims amazing old-school, stunning animation for its main villain, rendering one of the most famous pieces of Halloween iconography.
7 Corpse Bride (2005)
Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, Corpse Bride is a stop-motion fantasy-horror musical released in 2005. Set in the Victorian Era in England, a groom named Victor accidentally weds Emily, a skeletal woman, while practicing his vows alone in a forest. Whisked away to the Land of the Dead, Victor attempts to help Emily with the circumstances surrounding her fate while trying to escape his new temporary undead home.
- Release Date
- September 23, 2005
- Writers
- John August , Caroline Thompson , Pamela Pettler
- Runtime
- 77 Minutes
Corpse Bride doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it is decidedly the worst installment in the unofficial trio also comprising The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline.
An underrated Burton movie if there ever was one, Corpse Bride demonstrates a surprisingly deep story and visuals. Corpse Bride doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it is decidedly the worst installment in the unofficial also comprising The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. It is also hardly one of Burton’s best movies. Its biggest weaknesses are that the soundtrack and design of the afterlife don’t live up to the Nightmare counterparts, but it is otherwise a strong movie.
Burton attempted to produce a movie that made up for him being unavailable to direct Nightmare, with a beautiful ghostly vision of the title character and the Victorian setting. Corpse Bride is a gothic horror satire of Victorian society, with themes of tragedy, unrequited love, and finding the person that is one’s perfect partner. With some spectacular Halloween-inspired imagery, Corpse Bride is worth another look (and still not as scary for kids as Coraline).
6 The Secret Of NIMH (1982)
The Secret Of NIMH Features Some Profound Themes & Ghostly Rats
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH follows the courageous journey of a field mouse, Mrs. Brisby, who seeks the aid of a group of secretive, highly intelligent rats to save her home and ill son. Battling various threats and uncovering hidden truths, the film blends adventure and mystery within an intricately animated world.
- Director
- Don Bluth
- Release Date
- July 16, 1982
- Writers
- Robert C. O’Brien , Don Bluth , John Pomeroy , Gary Goldman , Will Finn , Ken Anderson
- Cast
- Derek Jacobi , Elizabeth Hartman , Arthur Malet , Dom DeLuise , Hermione Baddeley , Shannen Doherty , Wil Wheaton , Jodi Hicks , Ina Fried , John Carradine , Peter Strauss , Paul Shenar , Tom Hatten , Lucille Bliss , Aldo Ray , Norbert Auerbach , Dick Kleiner , Charles Champlin , Joshua Lawrence , Philo Barnhart
- Runtime
- 82 Minutes
The core theme of The Secret of NIMH and the book it is based on is the consequences of animal experimentation and scientific pursuit, showcasing a community of escaped lab rats who propose solutions to human threats. Despite their experiences, the rats of NIMH have established a functioning, productive society. However, it is perhaps their design in the movie that best reminds audience members of their dark origins.
While it might not be explicitly holiday-themed, The Secret of NIMH includes a dark owl and several rats with glowing eyes that exude Halloween vibes. The story is imbued with light terror, as Mrs. Frisby searches for a way to save her family from a seemingly insurmountable threat and discovers her late husband’s past. The chipper mice ground The Secret of NIMH in the space of a fun kids’ movie, but it will scare everyone just a little bit.
5 It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
A Goofy Halloween Staple About Linus’ Ongoing Quest To Meet The Great Pumpkin
The Peanuts boast every holiday special, but Halloween is one of their best because of its silly, unique premise. Every year Linus waits out Halloween in the pumpkin patch hoping to meet the Great Pumpkin, his idea of a Halloween-themed Santa Claus. Everyone, including the ever-ridiculed Charlie Brown, rolls their eyes at his efforts.
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It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown showcases a wonderful palette of autumnal colors and the whole gang in Halloween costumes, with regular Peanuts gags like Charlie Brown’s attempt to kick the football and Snoopy’s crazed adventures. Snoopy plays out a World War I dogfight by “flying” his doghouse and Linus “misses” the Great Pumpkin yet again; throughout, there is a characteristic blend of Peanuts’ mocking and friendly humor.
Additionally, the DVD special of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown included the episode “It’s Magic, Charlie Brown,” another underrated feature that strangely resonates with Halloween. It is worth looking up this episode where Snoopy learns magic from a library book and turns Charlie Brown invisible to complement the standard Halloween special.
4 Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular (2003)
Scary Godmother Shows Hannah Facing Her Fears In A Halloween Adventure
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular, directed by Ezekiel Norton, is an animated tale that chronicles young Hannah Marie’s Halloween night. Faced with a plan to scare her devised by her cousin, Hannah finds an unexpected friend in her magical Scary Godmother, who guides her through a lively and imaginative adventure.
- Director
- Ezekiel Norton
- Release Date
- October 22, 2003
- Writers
- Heath Corson , Jill Thompson
- Cast
- Garry Chalk , Noel Callahan , Alex Doduk , Britt Irvin , Britt McKillip , Danny McKinnon , Scott McNeil , Adam Pospíšil , Tabitha St. Germain
- Runtime
- 47 Minutes
Based on the books by Jill Thompson, Scary Godmother: A Halloween Spooktakular is followed up by Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy. In the same vein as Monster House, Scary Godmother taps into themes of children who feel powerless being emboldened by a spooky turn of events. In Hannah’s case, her Scary Godmother appears to help her turn the tables on her older cousin, who bullies her when she is left in his care on Halloween.
Scary Godmother also takes Hannah to the Fright Side, allowing a colorful cast of characters to enter the story and make it a true Halloween Fest. This includes the vampire family, including the young vampire Orson, whom Hannah has a crush on. With a kid-friendly version of the vampire romance and Halloween spirit abound, Scary Godmother is a perfect kids’ feature for Halloween, but is sadly overlooked, at least partially because of its strange animation.
3 Frankenweenie (2012)
The Culmination Of Tim Burton’s Horror-Animation Career
Frankenweenie is a 2012 stop-motion animated remake of Tim Burton’s eponymous 1984 short film. It tells the story of young scientist Victor Frankenstein, who brings his dog Sparky back to life and tries to stop his experiment from wreaking havoc across his town.
- Release Date
- October 5, 2012
- Cast
- Charlie Tahan , Winona Ryder , Martin Short , James Hiroyuki Liao , Catherine O’Hara , Martin Landau , Atticus Shaffer
- Runtime
- 87 Minutes
Frankenweenie also doesn’t get the love it deserves when compared to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but was generally well-received when it was released. It is a brilliant movie because it is a homage to various iconic horror characters and Burton’s work, carried by a serviceable story about friendship and outcasts. In the final act, iterations of several more famous monsters appear, while several Burton collaborators from his spookiest movies join the cast, including Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Short.
Then there is the beautiful style of stop-motion meeting old-school black and white. Additionally, the live-action short film version of Frankenweenie is said to have been the project that led to Burton being fired by Disney early in his career; this animated movie has been in the works for a long time. Frankenweenie demonstrates a deep fondness for the story and iconography it shows off, understandable given its place in Burton’s career.
2 Phineas And Ferb: Night Of The Living Pharmacists (2014)
A Zombie Spoof That Is Arguably Phineas & Ferb’s Best Halloween Special
Characteristic of Phineas and Ferb, there are some hilarious meta-jokes and nods to the genre the episode is parodying.
Phineas and Ferb had long perfected the spoof/parody episode formula by the time season 4 was coming to an end, including the medievalist fantasy, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones-inspired episodes. As the beloved Disney Channel cartoon (allegedly) neared its final episode, the creators delivered a fantastic Halloween special unlike any of their previous examples.
Phineas and Ferb follows the adventures of stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher as they embark on various creative and often unreal projects during their summer vacation, while their sister Candace tries to reveal their escapades to their mother. Concurrently, the family’s pet platypus Perry leads a double life as a secret agent battling the evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
- Cast
- Vincent Martella , Dan Povenmire , Ashley Tisdale , Jeff Marsh , Dee Bradley Baker , Thomas Brodie-Sangster , Caroline Rhea , Alyson Stoner
- Release Date
- August 17, 2007
- Seasons
- 6
- Creator(s)
- Jeff Marsh , Dan Povenmire
Season 4, episode 26, “Night of the Living Pharmacists,” is a two-episode special that is effectively a short movie, in which Doofenshmirtz accidentally triggers a pseudo-zombie outbreak, turning everyone into mindless zombie versions of himself (it’s implied to be set in an alternate universe). It is up to Phineas, Ferb, Candace, and the gang to find a way to cure the rest of Danville.
Characteristic of Phineas and Ferb, there are some hilarious meta-jokes and nods to the genre the episode is parodying. “Night of the Living Pharmacists” has a wild ending that will have viewers laughing for the rest of Halloween — and maybe prompt them to revisit Phineas and Ferb‘s older, more typical Halloween specials.
1 Wendell & Wild (2022)
Henry Selick’s Returns To Spooky Stop-Motion For A Collaboration With Key & Peele
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Henry Selick is a massively underappreciated visionary, who stepped in to direct The Nightmare Before Christmas in Burton’s place and subsequently led the best Neil Gaiman adaptation with Coraline. Shockingly, his next Halloween-primed stop-motion movie, backed by Netflix, flew under the radar.
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In Wendell & Wild, Selick gets more creative with character designs to tell a tale about an orphaned schoolgirl who finds herself with two demons (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) at her command. Moreover, anyone who appreciates the use of wacky fantasy designs to comment upon real-world issues needs to see this one.
Wendell & Wild is also an impressive exhibition of the grief and anger felt by the characters, as well as subplots concerning identity, corporate greed, and discrimination. It is surprising that this movie was largely missed, alongside other fantastic Halloween specials, when it has so much to offer.