Controversial Kids Movies: 'The Lion King,' 'Snow White,' 'Toy Story,' And Other Films With 'Hidden Messages'

R-rated movies are stuffed with sex and violence; the kind of things parents don't want their children to see on the big screen. However, not all complaints are grounded in reality. Sometimes, individuals will make mildly absurd claims that a film contains a "hidden message" that could potentially pollute the minds of young children.

One such film, "The Lorax," opens this week. Recently, Fox Business Channel's Lou Dobbs called out the animated movie for pushing a liberal agenda and "eco-friendly products" onto children. Of course, "The Lorax" isn't alone: "The Muppets" (another Fox News target) to even "Snow White," kids' films have often come under fire for possibly attempting to corrupt today's youth.

In honor of "The Lorax," let's take a look at some other controversial kids movies.

PHOTOS:

Gallery | Most Ridiculous 'Hidden Messages' In Kids Movies

• "The Little Mermaid"

  The first of many Disney films that have been accused of putting subliminal sex messages into their projects. In "Mermaid," the moment in question happens during a wedding scene, when the priest appears to get a little too excited. However, according to the animators, what viewers were seeing were actually the man's stubby knees bending. The alleged sexual reference prompted a lawsuit against Disney that was eventually dropped.

• "The Muppets"

  It took only two weeks before conservative critics began perpetrating the idea that the recently released "Muppets" movie was a vehicle used to brainwash your children into being anti-oil and anti-one-percent. Of course, it's no surprise that Miss Piggy got the last laugh on that.

• "Toy Story 3"

  The near-unanimous praise for this Pixar sequel did not include the feminist publication Ms. magazine, who called the film sexist: "Out of seven new toy characters at the daycare where the majority of the narrative takes place, only one is female."

• "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"

  Another film that falls under the "sexist" category. The scene in question has Snow White stumbling upon the Dwarves cabin, where her first instinct is to start cleaning -- something that did not go over well with some feminists.

• "Shrek the Third"

  True, health food advocates were more upset at Shrek being used in an anti-obesity campaign than the film itself, but what got them riled up in the first place was the product placement in "Shrek the Third," which included companies such as Snickers, M&M's, Sierra Mist, Fruit Loops and more.

• "The Lion King"

  This episode of Disney sex conspiracies involves everyone's favorite Shakespeare adaptation, "The Lion King." During the film, there's a scene where Simba looks off into the night sky and sees what appears to be the word "SEX" scrawled in stars. However, the animators stated that it actually says "SFX," standing for special effects. Here's the picture, so judge for yourself.

• "The Witches"

  Although this controversy mainly involved the Roald Dahl book the film was based on, complaints against "The Witches" holds true for both mediums. Groups accused Dahl of being sexist because all the witches were female, to which the author responded, "There is no such thing as a male witch. On the other hand, a ghoul is always a male."

• "Wall-E"

  Conservative critics lambasted "Wall-E" for its liberal stance. As National Review columnist Shannen W. Coffin stated, "From the first moment of the film, my kids were bombarded with leftist propaganda about the evils of mankind. It's a shame, too, because the robot had promise."

• "Rango"

  To some, it was a film about a quirky chameleon; to others, it was a vehicle for pro-tobacco lobbyists. Smoke-free organizations criticized "Rango" for its excessive use of smoking to the point where the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California-San Francisco even tried -- and failed -- to get the MPAA to slap an R rating on the movie.

• "The Lorax"

  Another film that has drawn the ire of Fox News. Last week, Fox Business' Lou Dobbs blasted "The Lorax" for its liberal agenda, claiming that the studio created the film to push "eco-friendly products" and that "the President's liberal friends in Hollywood [are] targeting a younger demographic using animated movies to sell their agenda to children."

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