Interesting. The prevalence in even lighter films makes me think maybe the phenomenon is driven more by its utility as a plot device, or something along those l

Interesting. The prevalence in even lighter films makes me think maybe the phenomenon is driven more by its utility as a plot device, or something along those lines. For example (just taking a wild guess), if we assume: - There is an antagonist (individual or organization) - The characters need to stop whatever the antagonist's plan is, but lack some necessary information - The antagonist sends some type of minion to stop them from stopping the plan Defining "torture" as broadly as it seems to be defined here, it would be a very natural plot mechanism for enabling the main characters to accomplish their goal in this scenario. And this scenario, really, is incredibly common. Almost more common in children's movies compared to other movies, because of its simplicity. Also, it seems even more appealing in this scenario if we assume the characters aren't going to kill anybody (again, for children's movies). If there's a big fight or chase which ends with the protagonists having captured the minion, what do they do with him/her? They can't just let them go, that would be anticlimactic. They can't kill them. Squeezing information out of them before letting them go is satisfying and purposeful and progresses the plot, while still being merciful and family-friendly.