8 Surprisingly Scary Animated Films That Scarred The Kids

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

You might be forgiven for thinking Tim Burton's stop motion classic is more whimsical than horrific, with a distinctly gothic feel but a good heart under the gore and bleached bones, but there are moments in there that make the film a very adult concern, despite the marketing and the continued association of Jack Skellington and his friends and fiends with traditionally more colourful Disney characters.

Yes, the story is all about a lost soul finding himself and discovering that the things he thought missing were already in his life - in traditionally gooey Disney fashion, but Nightmare is one of the most purely Burton-esque films from the flamboyant director's stable of films, and the medium allowed Burton to channel his fertile imagination into something magical and almost balletic in its dark quirkiness. And when it comes to Tim Burton's imagination there is without doubt a very murky side...

That darkness manifests itself in some monstrous but immediately recognisable character designs, and chiefly in the creation of the villain of the piece - Oogie Boogie. Made of bad dreams and creepy crawlies, Oogie is the most conventionally nightmarish creation of the entire film, and his brand of anti-charisma is what makes him both an enduring character to fans and an affecting monster for kids.