It can be difficult to find movies featuringsentient dollswhich don’t quickly lead to terror and fear. Dolls have become one of the most popularhorror movietropes thanks to the easy-to-make-scary designs and the innate fear of something reminiscent of childhood coming to life and trying to murder everyone.
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FromChuckytoAnnabelleand now toM3gan, the horror movie doll trope has evolved over time, but it has made it more difficult to find dolls in movies that aren’t representations or manifestations of great evil. There are some kind dolls out there, but it can be a stretch to count them among the friendlier side of characters in cinema.
7Pinocchio
One of the most obvious examples is that of the original doll coming to life, one who likely was an inspiration for dolls likeChuckycoming to life.Pinocchiois the classic story of a boy who comes to life, popularized by Disney but more recently made into a lovable stop-motion masterpieceby Guillermo Del Toro.
Whichever version fans love most, they will rememberPinocchioas a heart-warming story about a young wooden puppet brought to life by his father’s wish for a real son. Though it takesPinocchiosome time to learn about life and how to properly listen to his conscience, personified by Jiminy Cricket, there is no doubt that he has a heart of gold and would never purposefully hurt anybody.
6Mannequin
Mannequinis an unusual entry for any list, but while mannequins are not technically the same as dolls, it could be equally unnerving for these inanimate people-shaped figures to be brought to life. However,Mannequinis actually a romanticmovie from the 1980sinstead of a horror.
Jonathan is an artist who falls in love with a perfect mannequin he created. When it comes to life and introduces herself to him as Emmy, he can’t help but fall for her. The comic misadventures they go on after that are charming and there is almost nothing sinister at all about the film, besides the comically villainous Mr. Richards and Captain Maxwell.
5Toy Story
This is another obvious examplewhere toys coming to lifewere presented as charming and magical rather than diabolical or sinister. Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, and the rest of the gang through theToy Storyfranchise are never evil, and in fact, want to serve Andy. They only desire the best for their human owners and are constantly engaged in trying to help out in some way or another.
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However, the firstToy Storydoes play with the idea that sentient toys can be evil when some dolls that bad kid Sid has torn apart and merged together scare Woody. However, the terror he initially feels subsides as he realizes they are only trying to help, and he comes to count them as friends that get their revenge on Sid later.
4Ted
Practically a doll, arguably evil,Tedis a comedy about a grown man that lives with his sentient teddy bearTed.The R-Rated comedywas meant to be a joke about the innocence of childhood items like teddy bears, which is the same concept that popularized the evil doll films likeChuckyandAnnabellein the first place.
However, Ted isn’t strictly evil, he is more foul-mouthed and inappropriate than anything else. The film and its sequel were praised for their comedic style, and Seth Macfarlane’s voicing of Ted, but are generally considered overly crass.
3March Of The Wooden Soldiers
This is a classic that stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as a pair of workers in Santa’s workshop. The pair accidentally create 100 dolls that are 6-foot tall instead of 600 dolls that are 1-foot tall. This comedic misstep almost gets them fired until their soldiers manageto save the workshopfrom the Bogeyman.
The 1934 film is an adaption of Victor Herbert’s operetta and is a classic, also known asBabes in Toyland. While sentient dolls aren’t exactly the theme of the film, there are many toys around Santa’s workshop that are sentient and the soldiers at the center of the film, while not strictly alive, are still able to come to the rescue.
2Labyrinth
Many might question the addition ofLabyrinthto this list, but when Sarah enters the titular maze in her journey to rescue her baby brother from goblin king Jareth, the companions she meets along the way are actually sentientversions of the various toysfrom her bedroom.
This part of the film is sometimes overlooked but is key to noting the overarching themes of the film and how it references childhood. The toys manage to help Sarah overcome the obstacles of the labyrinth and reach Toby in time to save him from Jareth.
1Winnie The Pooh
Another classic tale popularized by a Disney film,Winnie the Poohis the heart of innocence and yet it is a story about a set of childhood toys coming to life and living in their own wood. While Christopher Robin interacts with them as if they are alive, the animals of the 100-acre wood are clearly all still just toys.
Winnie the Pooh himself makes references to his stuffing, and the toys are clearly not evil. This is another case of a classic tale that presented sentient toys and dolls as figments of childhood wonder over anythingsinister or horror-adjacent.
