History DarkerAndEdgier / AnimatedFilms

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' ' [[TheMovie film adaptations]] are much darker than the series.
** [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie The first movie]]. Unlike the rest of the series, this movie is considerably a lot darker and has plenty of horror elements. Plankton is more depraved and vicious than in the series, to the point that he sadistically shows excitement and joy when King Neptune is about to kill Mr. Krabs, not to mention the monsters that abound in the way of [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick and the ruthless mercenary Dennis sent by Plankton to kill the duo. Spongebob and Patrick [[spoiler:literally die(before being brought back to life later on)]] and an early scene shows them getting hopelessly drunk and having a hangover in the morning ([[DrunkOnMilk on ice cream.]] Again, this is a PG movie).

** Despite being considered a BreatherEpisode by some, ''Cars 2'' is a lot more intense than the first one. It's plot focuses on [[GeniusDitz Mater]] accidentally getting mixed up on a spy mission, and there's a lot of violence and character deaths to be seen along the way, in spite of the wackier narrative and protagonist trying to moderate it.

*** Speaking of the movie itself, though, ''Incredibles 2'' is substantially grittier and much bleaker than the first film, featuring much more violence and action, as well as the presence of complex and mature themes that outdo some of the first film's already dark themes (including heavier family issues, the death of someone's parents, PTSD, hatred, bigotry, dictatorship, grey morality, among others), plenty of intense and scary moments, a few seizure-inducing scenes, the presence of swearing, and an incredibly scary villain. In a nutshell, this film goes more on par with a PG-13-rating than a PG-rating.

-->'''Brad:''' Really, really little kids should not see this movie. They should wait till they get older. We're getting some reactions from people who were disappointed that their four-year-old was a little freaked out by it. Well, I don't want to compromise the intensity in order to please a four-year-old.
*** Poked fun at in ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'' when Helen complains about her new "angsty looking" monochromatic super-suit. It also serves as a TakeThat to dark superhero redesigns.

** The teaser for ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'' is substantially grittier than the rest of the franchise since it revolves around a life-changing car crash that its protagonist, Lightning [=McQueen=], gets into. The color palette is [[RealIsBrown washed-out grey]], the CGI looks a lot more realistic, and the cartoonish faces of the cars themselves are nowhere to be seen. The whole thing actually has more in common with a PublicServiceAnnouncement about car safety than it does a Pixar movie. {{Subverted}} with the film itself, however, which remained fairly in-tone with the first film.
** Poked fun at in ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'' when Helen complains about her new "angsty looking" monochromatic super-suit. It also serves as a TakeThat to dark superhero redesigns.
*** Speaking of the movie itself, though, ''Incredibles 2'' is substantially grittier and much bleaker than the first film, featuring much more violence and action, as well as the presence of complex and mature themes that outdo some of the first film's already dark themes (including heavier family issues, the death of someone's parents, PTSD, hatred, bigotry, dictatorship, grey morality, among others), plenty of intense and scary moments, a few seizure-inducing scenes, the presence of swearing, and an incredibly scary villain. In a nutshell, this film goes more on par with a PG-13-rating than a PG-rating.

*** ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', despite getting a G rating, is just as dark. The whole story is driven by the villain's sexual obsession with one of the female protagonists, and a number of darker themes -- including lust and [[TheFundamentalist religious fanaticism]] -- are shown. For that matter, [[BigBad Frollo]] tries to ''drown baby Quasimodo'' (pictured above) solely because of his deformities, right after killing his mother early in the film, as well as having a lust for Esmeralda and later on, plotting a genocide against the Gypsies. Even though it takes away the more graphic themes, it also manages to be significantly darker than [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the original book]], which never brought up infanticide and Gypsy genocide.

* While it has its hilarious moments, ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is the film that started the more serious and emotional line of films that Creator/DreamWorksAnimation would go on to produce in the future, being an action comedy with some pretty serious drama going on, as well as the comedy being a bit darker and dropping the pop-culture jokes that [=DreamWorks=] is known for using. In fact, any of [=DreamWorks=]' major franchises will fall subject to either one or both of these tropes at one point:

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' wasn't ''that'' dark or edgy, but it was more serious compared to most of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's other films. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]], on the other hand, takes it further. Here, the BigBad wants to enslave all dragons, there is a battle with a gigantic ice dragon and [[spoiler: Stoick dies. To make matters worse, it was the titular dragon, who was BrainwashedAndCrazy, that killed him]]. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld The third film]] is no better (in fact it's '''''much''''' darker than the previous films), with the BigBad, Grimmel the Grisly, being an AxCrazy BloodKnight and a [[HunterOfMonsters dragon hunter]] who's fixated in carrying out [[FinalSolution a mass genocide on all dragons]] (as well as the implications that he's the GreaterScopeVillain of the previous films) and will stop at nothing to carry out his incredibly heinous and horrific atrocities. Not only that, but there are much more serious themes that are presented in the film, and [[spoiler: most importantly, there's a BittersweetEnding that's a massive TearJerker]].
* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': The first film is this in comparison to the sequels, with a sombre colour palette, constant references to death and/or dying, AdultFear, and a serious depiction of life during the Ice Age and the fight for survival between humans ''and'' animals. And let's not forget that [[BigBad Soto's]] main goal throughout the entire film is to eat a human baby alive out of spite, whilst Diego constantly manipulates his own allies to help accomplish that goal.
** While not as heavy and dramatic as the first film, ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown'' has quite a bit more peril as now there is a threat to ''all'' of the cast, main and background, the threats ranging from being eaten by reptiles to being killed by explosive geysers.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' is significantly darker than the first film. Multiple characters are KilledOffForReal onscreen (though we don't get to see most of their bodies), and the NeverSayDie rule from the first movie is broken a LOT, to the point where it seems like "death", "dead", and "kill" are used every other sentence. The BigBad wants to take over all of China with giant cannons that are seemingly unstoppable and really are used to kill. And then there's the repressed memories of Po's traumatizing childhood, which involved the attempted genocide of his entire species.
** The first film was also an example in comparison to most other Creator/DreamWorksAnimation films at the time, which were mostly pure comedy while ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is an ''action''/comedy with some pretty serious drama thrown in as well. Even the comedy is a bit more mature, with Dreamworks dropping the pop-culture jokes that they had been previously known for. This is a trend that would later be continued by ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

** Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' is tamer than the above, but still dark both literally and metaphorically. There's a few really horrifying sequences such as the scene [[spoiler: where a boy is seen turning into a donkey, made even worse when we see tons of other boys being turned into donkeys who are either sold to the salt mines or kept to pull the carriage to take more boys to the island to meet the same horrifying fate]]. Even more unusual for a Disney film, there are three different people who serve as villains (four if you count Monstro), and [[spoiler: all of them get away with the things they do, including the ruthless coachmen who kidnaps boys and turns them into donkeys]].

** The first movie already had sombre themes, but ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' manages to up the ante by a fair bit. One point of the whole film is how things eventually change and people have to adapt to it. We have war, two major characters suffering a [[spoiler:DisneyDeath that takes some time to get fixed without hints that they'll be revived, and the movie uses that extended time to explore grief further and in more detail than previously. Olaf -- a character symbolic of joyous and innocent childhood love -- dissolves in the arms of Anna, who not only mourns him as her friend, but knows that his death also means that her sister is dead, too. This is shortly after she finds out that her kingdom must be destroyed, and the usually optimistic and unflappable Anna, left without everything and everyone she's ever had,]] reaches her DespairEventHorizon.

* ''Babar: The Movie'', the first Babar animated film with theatrical release premiered a few months after the 1989's [[WesternAnimation/{{Babar}} animated series]] is much darker than the series and includes things like rhinos pillaging and burning down villages, separating children from their mothers (and throwing one of them into a water well), using elephants as slave labor to build pyramids and planning a genocide on Elephantland. The animated series had some pretty harsh stuff (like Babar's mom being shot dead) but in general was a more lighthearted comedy with rhinos as more comedic antagonists than evil slavers.

*** ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', despite getting a G rating, is just as dark. The whole story is driven by the villain's sexual obsession with one of the female protagonists, and a number of darker themes -- including lust and [[TheFundamentalist religious fanaticism]] -- are shown. For that matter, [[BigBad Frollo]] tries to ''drown baby Quasimodo'' solely because of his deformities, right after killing his mother early in the film, as well as having a lust for Esmeralda and later on, plotting a genocide against the Gypsies. It's still LighterAndSofter than [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the original book]], however, but this film is just rather extreme for Disney's standards.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' is significantly darker than [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda the first film]]. Multiple characters are KilledOffForReal on screen, (though we don't see their bodies) and the NeverSayDie rule is broken a LOT, to the point where it seems like "death", "dead", and "kill" are used every other sentence. The villain wants to take over all of China with giant cannons that are seemingly unstoppable and really are used to kill. And then there's the repressed memories of Po's traumatizing childhood, which involved the attempted genocide of his entire species. The first film was also an example in comparison to most other Creator/DreamWorksAnimation films at the time, which were mostly pure comedy while ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is an ''action''/comedy with some pretty serious drama thrown in as well. Even the comedy is a bit more mature, with Dreamworks dropping the pop-culture jokes that they had been previously known for. This is a trend that would later be continued by ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_man_and_a_monster_0.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:T'was the tale of a man... and a '''monster'''.]]

%% Always remember to use the DarkerAndEdgier label sparingly, so as to avoid diminishing it when it really applies.

*** ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', despite getting a G rating, is just as dark. The whole story is driven by the villain's sexual obsession with one of the female protagonists, and a number of darker themes - including lust and [[TheFundamentalist religious fanaticism]] - are shown. For that matter, [[BigBad Frollo]] tries to ''drown baby Quasimodo'' solely because of his deformities, right after killing his mother early in the film, as well as having a lust for Esmeralda and later on, plotting a genocide against the Gypsies. It's still LighterAndSofter than [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame the original book]], however, but this film is just rather extreme for Disney's standards.

** The first movie already had sombre themes, but ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' manages to up the ante by a fair bit. One point of the whole film is how things eventually change and people have to adapt to it. We have war, two major characters suffering a [[spoiler:DisneyDeath that takes some time to get fixed without hints that they'll be revived, and the movie uses that extended time to explore grief further and in more detail than previously. Olaf - a character symbolic of joyous and innocent childhood love - dissolves in the arms of Anna, who not only mourns him as her friend, but knows that his death also means that her sister is dead, too. This is shortly after she finds out that her kingdom must be destroyed, and the usually optimistic and unflappable Anna, left without everything and everyone she's ever had,]] reaches her DespairEventHorizon.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' wasn't ''that'' dark or edgy, but it was more serious compared to most of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's other films. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]], on the other hand, takes it further. Here, the BigBad wants to enslave all dragons, there is a battle with a gigantic ice dragon and [[spoiler: Stoick dies. To make matters worse, it was the titular dragon, who was BrainwashedAndCrazy, that killed him]]. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld The third film]] is no better (in fact it's '''''much''''' darker than the previous films), with the BigBad, Grimmel the Grisly, being an AxCrazy BloodKnight and a [[HunterOfMonsters dragon hunter]] who's fixated in carrying out [[FinalSolution a mass genocide on all dragons]] (as well as the implications that he's the GreaterScopeVillain of the previous films) and will stop at nothing to carry out his incredibly heinous and horrific atrocities. Not only that, but there are much more serious themes that are presented in the film, and [[spoiler: most importantly, there's a BittersweetEnding that's a massive TearJerker]].
* The WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies is a line of animated movies aimed for older comic fans. Tellingly, [[WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday the first movie out of the gate]] was an adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''. At times, the AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns of]] ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' got darker than the comic it's based on, and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke''[[note]]which takes after the 20th Anniversary UpdatedRerelease in its more subdued coloring, Batman lacking the yellow oval around the batsymbol on his costume, and Joker crying TearsOfBlood during his first laugh[[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDark'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamByGaslight'', ''WesternAnimation/SuicideSquadHellToPay'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'', ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'', and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanSoulOfTheDragon'' all got rated "R".
** The 2009 made-for-DVD animated film ''{{WesternAnimation/Wonder Woman|2009}}'' takes this approach. Wonder Woman is shown killing on numerous occasions, including cold-bloodedly killing several guards (including two who have their throats cut ''by her tiara''). The film also ramps up the sexual innuendo.
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanVsTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': While it's not uncommon for animated Batman movies to be rated PG-13, the movie falls into this even more due to being the first animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, as well as the first animated Nickelodeon movie, to be rated PG-13. There are a number of brutal moments in the movie including, but not limited to, [[spoiler:Shredder nailing a Foot Soldier in the head with a shuriken, Mr. Freeze's DisneyDeath, Leo's Scarecrow induced nightmare of his brothers dying as ''rotting corpses'', and Donatello's brutal arm shatter.]]
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'' is the darkest film so far in the WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse, although this is to be expected since this is the GrandFinale of the current continuity. [[spoiler:With most of the heroes dead or crippled and Earth left near-inhospitable, Constantine tells Flash to reboot the timeline. AnyoneCanDie is played for keeps in this movie. It's also one of the [[BloodierAndGorier bloodiest and goriest]] DC stories.]]
** The aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'' is also this to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' as an R-rated InteractiveFiction remake of the earlier PG-13 film.
* The ''Franchise/GIJoe'' animated film ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' predated the live-action ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' in depicting the Joes as actually hitting and killing enemy soldiers, something that was rather glossed over in the classic TV series.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' is significantly darker than [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda the first film]]. Multiple characters are KilledOffForReal on screen, (though we don't see their bodies) and the NeverSayDie rule is broken a LOT, to the point where it seems like "death", "dead", and "kill" are used every other sentence. The villain wants to take over all of China with giant cannons that are seemingly unstoppable and really are used to kill. And then there's the repressed memories of Po's traumatizing childhood, which involved the attempted genocide of his entire species. The first film was also an example in comparison to most other Creator/DreamWorksAnimation films at the time, which were mostly pure comedy while ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is an ''action''/comedy with some pretty serious drama thrown in as well. Even the comedy is a bit more mature, with Dreamworks dropping the pop-culture jokes that they had been previously known for. This is a trend that would later be continued by ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': The first film is this in comparison to the sequels, with a sombre colour palette, constant references to death and/or dying, AdultFear, and a serious depiction of life during the Ice Age and the fight for survival between humans ''and'' animals. And let's not forget that [[BigBad Soto's]] main goal throughout the entire film is to eat a human baby alive out of spite, whilst Diego constantly manipulates his own allies to help accomplish that goal.
** While not as heavy and dramatic as the first film, ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown'' has quite a bit more peril as now there is a threat to ''all'' of the cast, main and background, the threats ranging from being eaten by reptiles to being killed by explosive geysers.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' is this to Creator/BlueSkyStudios' [[WesternAnimation/{{Robots}} other]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Rio}} films]]. As Blue Sky stuck mainly with comedies, this is their first film where the action is pushed to the forefront. Characters die, and a few have major daddy issues.
* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': In the first film, when the girls were taken by Vector, things just got really serious. Especially [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2 the sequel]], NeverSayDie is averted multiple times, and [[spoiler: the villain's plans for global domination are to set the BrainwashedAndCrazy minions (who are turned into [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal maniacs]] as a result of the PX-41 serum) onto the major continents if world's leaders don't hand over control to him. And he wants Gru to help him.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' is much more frightening than the novel ''Literature/MrsFrisbyAndTheRatsOfNIMH''. While it has does have some elements of {{Disneyfication}}, the majority of the events are PlayedForDrama more than in the book, considering the protagonist is a mouse. For example, Brutus scares off Mrs. Brisby with a spear rather than simply turning her back from the rosebush. Then there's onscreen blood, an evil villain, multiple [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath violent deaths]], and the threat of [[spoiler:Mrs. Brisby's home sinking into the mud]], all of which were completely absent from the novel. The director and producers ''tried'' to get a PG rating to [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating appeal to a wider audience]], but it rated G anyway.
* The ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'' film ''Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure'' threw off a lot of viewers with this and pretty much completely split parents and the show's base. ''Franklin'' is an animated children's show once aired on Creator/NickJr in the United States in which a typical story dealt with something like two friends having a sleepover, or having an argument about a lost baseball card. ''Franklin and Friends'', its AllCGICartoon spinoff, features stories pretty much along the same lines. The ''Turtle Lake Treasure'' film opens with the title character's grandmother having a flashback of her losing her home and family in a fire. Later, the same grandmother falls ill, and Franklin states out loud his worry that she might die. He and his friends, along with two new characters, one of his aunts and her goddaughter, go on a journey to retrieve a magic amulet and along the way, Franklin's friend Snail is kidnapped by a group of birds and spirited away to their nest on a high mountain.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' ' [[TheMovie film adaptations]] are much darker than the series.
** [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie The first movie]]. Unlike the rest of the series, this movie is considerably a lot darker and has plenty of horror elements. Plankton is more depraved and vicious than in the series, to the point that he sadistically shows excitement and joy when King Neptune is about to kill Mr. Krabs, not to mention the monsters that abound in the way of [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick and the ruthless mercenary Dennis sent by Plankton to kill the duo. Spongebob and Patrick [[spoiler:literally die(before being brought back to life later on)]] and an early scene shows them getting hopelessly drunk and having a hangover in the morning ([[DrunkOnMilk on ice cream.]] Again, this is a PG movie).
** While it's not as dark as the first movie, ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'' still has its moments compared to [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants the show]]. A major example being that the Bikini Bottom Apocalypse is actually played rather seriously, especially in the [[spoiler:sacrifice scene]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MoominsOnTheRiviera'' was not so much darker but definitely edgier than the other animated adaptations of ''The Moomins''. Critic Sara Steensig of gbtimes was enthusiastic towards the film but pointed out Moominpappa's painful hangover and Moomintroll's bitter jealousy, and noted that "These are phenomena that adults will recognize but most children will not, and they are shown in a way that will not make young kids wonder about things they are not ready for."
* ''Babar: The Movie'', the first Babar animated film with theatrical release premiered a few months after the 1989's [[WesternAnimation/{{Babar}} animated series]] is much darker than the series and includes things like rhinos pillaging and burning down villages, separating children from their mothers (and throwing one of them into a water well), using elephants as slave labor to build pyramids and planning a genocide on Elephantland. The animated series had some pretty harsh stuff (like Babar's mom being shot dead) but in general was a more lighthearted comedy with rhinos as more comedic antagonists than evil slavers.
* Among the ''Animation/TheMindsEye'' series of videos, there's ''The Gate to the Mind's Eye''. While the others showcase a number of different animation segments with a wide range of atmospheres and subjects, the beginning of ''The Gate'' goes for the jugular with depictions of an advanced civilization at war, decimation of the environment, implications of death by the millions (called "River of Souls" for a ''very'' good reason), dark and gritty imagery in general, and a Satan-like being who likes to loom in the sky using the moon as a headrest. The music for these sequences features OminousLatinChanting and a downtrodden piano solo. Naturally, the first of these sequences is called "Armageddon". The rest of the video remains about as sombre until "Nuvogue", where it picks the whimsical and fun-loving tone back up.
* A few parents complained that the ''WesternAnimation/MissSpidersSunnyPatchFriends'' film ''The Prince, the Princess and the Bee'' went a bit too far with this with a fire-spitting fire and some drama involving danger in a hot-air balloon, but it really isn't too much of a slide.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' is a BigDamnMovie and considerably more dramatic and [[ActionizedSequel actionized]] than [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the show]] it is based on, as evident from the trailers, which show the characters basically almost dying several times (even though [[SavedByCanon they won't]]) To cement this further, [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating the movie actually received a]] ''[[AvoidTheDreadedGRating PG]]'' [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating rating, when most expected a]] ''[[AvoidTheDreadedGRating G]]''. Of course, [[SugarBowl it's still]] ''My Little Pony'', so it being "Darker And Edgier" really [[DownplayedTrope doesn't say much]] in the long run. The movie still has all the lighthearted fun one would expect from the show and its characters. It's also notable that it's not really much more intense than some of what goes on during the show's more actionized episodes: the show itself has a tendency to open and end seasons with episodes featuring heavy action and dark subplots, while going with lighter often more SliceOfLife stuff throughout most of the rest of a season.
* ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'' is this compared to previous adaptions. Given how we follow a martial arts tournament where the fate of the world is at stake, and it's rated R this definitely follows suit.
* [[Creator/{{Sanrio}} Sanrio Animation's]] second ''Manga/{{Unico}}'' movie starring the titular character ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' from 1983 has a darker story compared to the 1981 movie ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico''. While the movie does share it's lighthearted tone as the 1981 film. It doesn't include musical numbers and the tone is more serious. Even posters for the sequel reflects the film's darker tone showing [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDA5MTkyODctMWU0ZC00OTRlLTlkZmItYjg2OWFjNGJiZTY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzUwMTgwMw@@._V1_.jpg an angry Unico and a silhouette of the film's main antagonist]] compared to the previous film's posters reflecting it's [[https://pics.filmaffinity.com/The_Fantastic_Adventure_of_Unico-108346495-large.jpg whimsical]] and [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3b/9d/6d/3b9d6de9a0bed8a797623892a9843488.jpg mysterious tone]].

** [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie The first movie]]. Unlike the rest of the series, this movie is considerably a lot darker and has plenty of horror elements. Plankton is more depraved and vicious than in the series, to the point that he sadistically shows excitement and joy when King Neptune is about to kill Mr. Krabs, not to mention the monsters that abound in the way of [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick and the mercenary Dennis sent by Plankton to kill the duo. Spongebob and Patrick [[spoiler:literally die(before being brought back to life later on)]] and an early scene shows them getting hopelessly drunk and having a hangover in the morning ([[DrunkOnMilk on ice cream.]] Again, this is a PG movie).

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': The first film is this in comparison to the sequels, with a sombre colour palette, constant references to death and/or dying, AdultFear, and a serious depiction of life during the Ice Age and the fight for survival between humans ''and'' animals. And let's not forget that [[BigBad Soto]] is a MagnificentBastard who is setting up his own second-in-command throughout the entire film whilst Diego does the same with Manny, Roshan, and Sid....

* The second ''Manga/{{Unico}}'' movie starring the titular character ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' from 1983 has a darker story compared to the 1981 movie ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico''. While the movie does share it's lighthearted tone as the 1981 film. It doesn't include musical numbers and the tone is more serious. Even posters for the sequel reflects the film's darker tone showing [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDA5MTkyODctMWU0ZC00OTRlLTlkZmItYjg2OWFjNGJiZTY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzUwMTgwMw@@._V1_.jpg an angry Unico and a silhouette of the film's main antagonist]] compared to the previous film's posters reflecting it's [[https://pics.filmaffinity.com/The_Fantastic_Adventure_of_Unico-108346495-large.jpg whimsical]] and [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3b/9d/6d/3b9d6de9a0bed8a797623892a9843488.jpg mysterious tone]].

* The WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies is a line of animated movies aimed for older comic fans. Tellingly, [[WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday the first movie out of the gate]] was an adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''. At times, the AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns of]] ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' got darker than the comic it's based on, and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke''[[note]]which takes after the 20th Anniversary UpdatedRerelease in its more subdued coloring, Batman lacking the yellow oval around the batsymbol on his costume, and Joker crying TearsOfBlood during his first laugh[[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDark'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamByGaslight'', ''WesternAnimation/SuicideSquadHellToPay'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'', and ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'' all got rated "R".

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' wasn't ''that'' dark or edgy, but it was more serious compared to most of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's other films. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]], on the other hand, takes it further. Here, the BigBad wants to enslave all dragons, there is a battle with a gigantic ice dragon and [[spoiler: Stoick dies. To make matters worse, it was the titular dragon, who was BrainwashedAndCrazy, that killed him]]. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld The third film]] is no better, with the BigBad, Grimmel the Grisly, being an AxCrazy BloodKnight and a [[HunterOfMonsters dragon hunter]] who's fixated in carrying out [[FinalSolution a mass genocide on all dragons]] (as well as the implications that he's the GreaterScopeVillain of the previous films) and will stop at nothing to carry out his incredibly heinous and horrific atrocities. Not only that, but there are much more serious themes that are presented in the film, and [[spoiler: most importantly, there's a BittersweetEnding that's a massive TearJerker]].

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' wasn't ''that'' dark or edgy, but it was more serious compared to most of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's other films. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]], on the other hand, takes it further. Here, the BigBad wants to enslave all dragons, there is a battle with a gigantic ice dragon and [[spoiler: Stoick dies. To make matters worse, it was the titular dragon, who was BrainwashedAndCrazy, that killed him]]. But that's absolutely nothing compared to [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld the third film]], which only increases the bleakness '''''[[UpToEleven even further]]''''', with the BigBad, Grimmel the Grisly, being an AxCrazy BloodKnight and an [[CompleteMonster irredeemably, abominably, and nightmarishly diabolical]] [[HunterOfMonsters dragon hunter]] who's fixated in carrying out [[FinalSolution a mass genocide on all dragons]] (as well as the implications that he's the GreaterScopeVillain of the previous films) and will stop at nothing to carry out his incredibly heinous and horrific atrocities. Not only that, but there are much more serious themes that are presented in the film, and [[spoiler: most importantly, there's a BittersweetEnding that's a massive TearJerker]].

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' was generally quite lighthearted, but still was darker than an standard Disney film. Most of the film's action sequences (aside from the baboon chase and Kala's fight with Sabor) are rather serious, with rare funny moments, it deals with themes such as identity and adoption, and three characters receive [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath rather dark goodbyes]]: Kala and Kerchak's son is mauled off-screen by Sabor, who also killed Tarzan's biological parents (whose bodies are actually briefly seen, alongside Sabor's ''bloodied pawprints''), and Clayton, the film's BigBad, ''hangs himself'' after cutting off all the vines Tarzan trapped him in, except for the one tangled around his neck, which gets even more disturbing if you count [[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises his eyeballs widening dramatically]] and [[EyeScream popping out]] [[FridgeHorror from the sockets]].

* ''Anime/DigimonXEvolution''. When Digimon die, they actually leave their corpses behind, the hero has an attack called "All Delete", and previous heroes are ruthless killers.

* The 2009 made-for-DVD animated film ''{{WesternAnimation/Wonder Woman|2009}}'' takes this approach. Wonder Woman is shown killing on numerous occasions, including cold-bloodedly killing several guards (including two who have their throats cut ''by her tiara''). The film also ramps up the sexual innuendo.

* The WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies is a line of animated movies aimed for older comic fans. Tellingly, [[WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday the first movie out of the gate]] was an adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''. At times, the AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns of]] ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' got darker than the comic it's based on, and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke''[[note]]which takes after the 20th Anniversary UpdatedRerelease in its more subdued coloring, Batman lacking the yellow oval around the batsymbol on his costume, and Joker crying TearsOfBlood during his first laugh[[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDark'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamByGaslight'', ''WesternAnimation/SuicideSquadHellToPay'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'', and ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'' all got rated "R".
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanVsTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': While it's not uncommon for animated Batman movies to be rated PG-13, the movie falls into this even more due to being the first animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, as well as the first animated Nickelodeon movie, to be rated PG-13. There are a number of brutal moments in the movie including, but not limited to, [[spoiler:Shredder nailing a Foot Soldier in the head with a shuriken, Mr. Freeze's DisneyDeath, Leo's Scarecrow induced nightmare of his brothers dying as ''rotting corpses'', and Donatello's brutal arm shatter.]]
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'' is the darkest film so far in the WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse, although this is to be expected since this is the GrandFinale of the current continuity. [[spoiler:With most of the heroes dead or crippled and Earth left near-inhospitable, Constantine tells Flash to reboot the timeline. AnyoneCanDie is played for keeps in this movie. It's also one of the [[BloodierAndGorier bloodiest and goriest]] DC stories.]]
** The aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/DCShowcaseBatmanDeathInTheFamily'' is also this to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' as an R-rated InteractiveFiction remake of the earlier PG-13 film.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' was generally quite lighthearted, but still was darker than an standard Disney film. Most of the film's action sequences (aside from the baboon chase and Kala's fight with Sabor) are rather serious, with rare funny moments, it deals with themes such as identity and adoption, and three characters receive [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath rather dark goodbyes]]: Kala and Kerchak's son is mauled off-screen by Sabor, who also killed Tarzan's biological parents (whose bodies are actually briefly seen, alongside Sabor's ''bloodieed pawprints''), and Clayton, the film's BigBad, ''hangs himself'' after cutting off all the vines Tarzan trapped him in, except for the one tangled around his neck

* The second ''Manga/{{Unico}}'' movie starring the titular character ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' has a darker story compared to the 1981 movie ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico''. While the movie does share it's lighthearted tone as the 1981 film. It doesn't include musical numbers and the tone is more serious. Even posters for the sequel reflects the film's tone showing an angry Unico and a silhouette of the film's main antagonist.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' wasn't ''that'' dark or edgy, but it was more serious compared to most of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's other films. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]], on the other hand, takes it further. Here, the BigBad wants to enslave all dragons, there is a battle with a gigantic ice dragon and [[spoiler: Stoick dies. To make matters worse, it was the titular dragon, who was BrainwashedAndCrazy, that killed him]].

** Despite being considered a BreatherEpisode by some, ''Cars 2'' is a lot darker than the first one. It's plot focuses on [[GeniusDitz Mater]] accidentally getting mixed up on a spy mission, and there's a lot of violence and character deaths to be seen along the way, in spite of the wackier narrative and protagonist trying to moderate it.

* The second ''Manga/{{Unico}}'' movie starring the titular character ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' has a darker story compared to the 1981 movie ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico''. While the movie does share it's lighthearted tone as the the 1981 film. It doesn't include musical numbers and the tone is more serious. Even posters for the sequel reflects the film's tone.