Halloween Movies for Little Kids

Small children love Halloween in daylight: costumes, pumpkins, candy. After dark they're less sure. These films and specials are for roughly ages three to seven, and every one rates 1 or 2 on our kids' scale, which means nothing worse than a friendly ghost or a jump played for laughs.

At this age, length matters as much as content. The specials, such as Room on the Broom, Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats and Super Monsters Save Halloween, run an hour or less and suit three- to five-year-olds who can't sit through a feature. From about five, the full-length picks open up: Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom has no dialogue at all, and Hotel Transylvania, all noise and jokes, suits the older end. The level-2 picks, like Toy Story of Terror! and Muppets Haunted Mansion, are best saved for the older end.

If your child is nervous about Halloween, start with Super Monsters Save Halloween, which is about exactly that, and watch together the first time. When they're ready for more, the next step is Family Halloween Movies, and for spooky TV, Spooky Shows for Kids.

• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

  TV special · 1966
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  The gentlest Halloween there is: costumes, trick-or-treating, Charlie Brown's bag of rocks, and Linus waiting up all night in the pumpkin patch. About 25 minutes, so it fits before bath time. The only sadness is the other kids teasing Charlie Brown and a little disappointment for Linus, which small children feel keenly.

  Where to stream →4+ Parents' guide

• Monsters, Inc.

  Movie · 2001
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  Not strictly a Halloween film, but the ideal first monster movie: the creatures who jump out of closets at night are terrified of children. Little ones adore Boo, the toddler who wanders into their world, though the scene where the villain straps her into a scream machine is genuinely frightening. Best from about five. Rated G.

  Where to stream →5+ Parents' guide

• Spookley the Square Pumpkin

  TV special · 2004
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  A square pumpkin gets teased by the round ones in his patch, until a big storm gives him a chance to show what being different is good for. Under fifty minutes, songs throughout, and nothing scarier than wind. Made for preschoolers: older siblings drift off, three-year-olds ask for it again.

  Where to stream →4+ Parents' guide

• Room on the Broom

  TV special · 2012
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  Julia Donaldson's picture book, narrated by Simon Pegg, with Gillian Anderson as a kind witch who keeps dropping things from her broom and making room for the animals who return them. The dragon looks fierce for about a minute. Half an hour long, and nominated for an Oscar.

  Where to stream →3+ Parents' guide

• Hotel Transylvania

  Movie · 2012
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  A full-length pick for the top of this age range, around seven: bright, loud, and full of monsters who are far more scared of humans than the other way around. Dracula fussing over his daughter is the heart of it, though a short flashback reveals that humans killed her mother. Expect plenty of burp-and-fart humor.

  Where to stream →7+ Parents' guide

• Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest

  TV special · 2013
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  George sets out to solve the legend of No Noggin, a headless scarecrow said to knock people's hats off every Halloween. It's the patient, puzzle-solving George of the TV show, stretched to about an hour, and the mystery gets solved with nothing scarier than a few shadowy haunted-house moments. Right for preschoolers who know the books.

  Where to stream →3+ Parents' guide

• Coco

  Movie · 2017
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  The longest and most emotional pick here, and best kept for seven-year-olds. The skeletons are friendly and bright, but the villain turns out to be a murderer, and the story turns on a great-grandmother who lost her father as a little girl. Plenty of kids need a hug at the end, so watch it with them.

  Where to stream →7+ Parents' guide

• Super Monsters Save Halloween

  TV special · 2018
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  Made for preschoolers on purpose: the Super Monsters, children of famous monsters, help their friend Albert, who is frightened of Halloween, by showing him that the scary parts are make-believe. A gentle lesson in why scary things can be fun. About 25 minutes; best for three to five.

  Where to stream →3+ Parents' guide

• Mickey's Tale of Two Witches

  TV special · 2021
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  Mickey tells Pluto a Halloween story about Minnie and Daisy as witches in training, who must pass four tests to graduate from witch school. About 45 minutes, with songs and a mischievous ghost, and nothing more frightening than that. Right for the Disney Junior crowd, roughly three to six.

  Where to stream →4+ Parents' guide

• Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats

  TV special · 2023
  Scary for kids: 1 of 5

  A 22-minute stop-motion special: Donald talks the gang into trick-or-treating at a creepy mansion, and its owner, Witch Hazel, turns them into their costumes. The handmade look gives it a cozy, old-fashioned feel, but it's spookier than everyday Mickey, with a bony hand reaching out of a graveyard and plenty of cackling. Best from about six.

  Where to stream →6+ Parents' guide

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

  Movie · 1993
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  Songs kids learn by heart and stop-motion they can stare at, with a skeleton hero who is lovable rather than scary. The macabre look can still be a lot, and Oogie Boogie, a singing sack of bugs, frightens plenty of five- and six-year-olds. Save it for the top of this age range, around seven.

  Where to stream →7+ Parents' guide

• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

  Movie · 2005
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  Rated G, and much of the comedy comes from Gromit, who never speaks, so little kids follow it easily. The were-rabbit is big and growly, and one transformation is played straight enough to startle a four-year-old. For five to seven it's ideal, and the grown-ups get jokes of their own.

  Where to stream →6+ Parents' guide

• Toy Story of Terror!

  TV special · 2013
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  Twenty-one minutes of the Toy Story gang trapped overnight in a roadside motel, made as an affectionate spoof of horror films, with Mr. Pricklepants narrating as toys disappear one by one. Spooky atmosphere, funny payoff. Fine for most five-year-olds, and a useful test before anything longer.

  Where to stream →6+ Parents' guide

• Muppets Haunted Mansion

  TV special · 2021
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  The most haunted-house-like pick on this list: Gonzo has to last until sunrise in a mansion full of ghosts, and a few of the effects are realistic enough to unsettle the youngest viewers. Better for six and seven than for three-year-olds, and it runs under an hour.

  Where to stream →7+ Parents' guide

• Sing: Thriller

  TV special · 2024
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  Eleven minutes of Halloween party with the animals from Sing, built around Michael Jackson's Thriller. The ooze that turns the guests into ghouls reads as funny rather than frightening to most young kids. Expect to be asked to replay it, and to see some zombie dance moves in the living room.

  Where to stream →5+ Parents' guide

• The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist

  TV special · 2024
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  Best for the oldest on this list, around seven. Wolf's gang rob a creepy mansion and steal an amulet that's supposed to be cursed, which brings a few jumps and some spooky lighting, all played for laughs. It's short enough to stop halfway if anyone gets nervous.

  Where to stream →7+ Parents' guide

• Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

  Movie · 2026
  Scary for kids: 2 of 5

  With no dialogue, it's easy for young kids to follow: the flock tries to save Halloween while something hairy roams the woods. Slapstick chases and out-of-control pumpkins are as scary as it gets, though very sensitive kids may want a hand to hold when the beast appears. Best from about five; about 80 minutes.

  Where to stream →5+ Parents' guide

Still can't decide? Let us pick →

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Picks are editorial recommendations. Streaming availability changes by region and over time — the “where to stream” links check current availability on JustWatch.