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. Suchmovies and TV shows are great transitional horrorto 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 severalmovies people mistakenly think Tim Burton directedare 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 theyblend fantasy and horrorcurates experiences that are somber in visuals and tone but still have the whimsical personality of thebest animated Disney movies.
The Halloween Tree
Cast
The Halloween Tree, directed by Mario Piluso, follows four children as they embark on a journey to explore the origins of Halloween customs in a quest to save their friend. This animated film intertwines adventure with elements of folklore and cultural history.
The Halloween Treeis a TV movie with the presentation of aScooby-Dooepisode, 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 Treeis 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, whileLeonard Nimoy gives his voice to the vibrant and wacky Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud.Constituting both a dose of history and classic literature,The Halloween Treeis a fascinating and overlooked book-to-movie adaptation.
Monster House
Monster House is a 2006 animated film directed by Gil Kenan. The story follows three teenagers who discover that a seemingly haunted house in their neighborhood is actually a living, breathing entity. As they investigate, they uncover the sinister secrets lurking within the house’s walls.
In a shocking year for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars,Happy Feet, Cars, andMonster Housecompeted for the biggest animated movie award of the year (the Oscar went toHappy 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 Housepulls out some of the favored tropes of the haunted house plotto motivate these kids to kick off their adventure. What they uncover supports themes young viewers will be familiar with.
The characters inMonster Houseexperience fear, bullying, and being ignored,all unfortunate realities. However, whatMonster Houseoffers 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.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, directed by James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, and Jack Kinney, combines adaptations of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows and Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The film explores the misadventures of J. Thaddeus Toad and the eerie tale of Ichabod Crane.
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 ofThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toaddepicts 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. Toadclaims amazing old-school, stunning animation for its main villain,rendering one of the most famous pieces of Halloween iconography.
Corpse Bride
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.
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 Bridedemonstrates a surprisingly deep story and visuals.Corpse Bridedoesn’t get the credit it deserves when it is decidedly the worst installment in the unofficial also comprisingThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandCoraline. It is also hardly one ofBurton’s best movies. Its biggest weaknesses are that the soundtrack and design of the afterlife don’t live up to theNightmarecounterparts, but it is otherwise a strong movie.
Burton attempted to produce a movie that made up for him being unavailable to directNightmare, with a beautiful ghostly vision of the title character and the Victorian setting.Corpse Brideis 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 Brideis worth another look (and still not as scary for kids asCoraline).
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.
The core theme ofThe Secret of NIMHand the book it is based on is the consequences of animal experimentationand 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 NIMHincludes 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 groundThe Secret of NIMHin the space of a fun kids' movie, but it will scare everyone just a little bit.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, directed by Bill Melendez, follows Linus as he awaits the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin on Halloween. Despite skepticism from his friends, Linus remains in the pumpkin patch, convinced of the creature’s existence, while his peers enjoy traditional festivities.
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 Brownshowcases 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 ofIt’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brownincluded 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 invisibleto complement the standard Halloween special.
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular is a whimsical animated film released on June 06, 2025. It follows young Hannah Marie on her first trick-or-treating adventure as supernatural help arrives when her older cousin attempts to scare her on Halloween night.
Based on the books by Jill Thompson,Scary Godmother: A Halloween Spooktakularis followed up byScary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.In the same vein asMonster House,Scary Godmothertaps 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 Godmotheris a perfect kids' feature for Halloween, but is sadly overlooked, at least partially because of its strange animation.
Frankenweenie
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.
Frankenweeniealso doesn’t get the love it deserves when compared toThe 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 ofFrankenweenieis said to have been the project that led to Burton being fired by Disneyearly in his career; this animated movie has been in the works for a long time.Frankenweeniedemonstrates a deep fondness for the story and iconography it shows off, understandable given its place in Burton’s career.
2Phineas 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 Ferbhad long perfected the spoof/parody episode formula by the time season 4 was coming to an end,including the medievalist fantasy,Star Wars, andIndiana 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
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.
Season 4, episode 26, “Night of the Living Pharmacists,” is a two-episode special that is effectively a short movie, in whichDoofenshmirtz 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 ofPhineas 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 revisitPhineas and Ferb’s older, more typical Halloween specials.
Wendell & Wild
Wendell & Wild is a 2022 animated film directed by Henry Selick, following two demon brothers who team up with a guilt-ridden teenager named Kat Elliot. Their collaboration leads to an unusual and comedic journey as they attempt to summon themselves to the land of the living.
Henry Selick is a massively underappreciated visionary,who stepped in to directThe Nightmare Before Christmasin Burton’s place and subsequently led thebest Neil Gaiman adaptationwithCoraline. Shockingly, his next Halloween-primed stop-motion movie, backed by Netflix, flew under the radar.
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InWendell & Wild, Selick gets more creative with character designsto 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 & Wildis 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.
