Disney CEO Bob Chapek has ruffled feathers after suggesting that animated films aren’t for adults.
In a new piece with the Wall Street Journal, Chapek said that parents “want something for them” when it comes to tuning into Disney+.
“Our fans and audiences put their kids to bed at night after watching ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Dumbo’ or ‘Little Mermaid’, then they’re probably not going to tune into another animated movie, they want something for them,” Chapek said.
However, he did add that he was “open” to the idea of adding R+ rated content on the streaming service.
“I want to respect what this brand is. But at the same time, I know that we may be even more precious about what is ‘Disney’ than the consumer base is.
“If the consumer base has more elasticity, we probably ought to listen to our audience, which means we have more degrees of freedom than we probably thought.”
While Disney+ began by providing strictly family-friendly films and television shows, they have since added R-rated and MA shows and films, including Deadpool and Jessica Jones.
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Elsewhere in the chat, Chapek was asked about coming under fire for recent creative choices, including the same-sex kiss in Lightyear.
“We want our content to reflect the rich, diverse world we live in,” he said.
“We live in a world now where everything seems to be polarized, but I think we want Disney to stand for bringing people together.
“I think Disney is a company that has survived for 100 years by catering to its audience and it’s going to thrive for the next 100 years by catering to its audience.”
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