Disney CEO Bob Chapek Thinks Adults Don’t Want to Watch Animated Movies
From Bob Iger to Bob Chapek’s leadership Disney has come a long way in the last 5 years. While the house of mouse manages to entertain millions around the globe and continues to dominate the industry via its theme parks and various brands like Pixar, and Marvel Studios, recently it has also maneuvered choppy waters with allegations of being “too woke,” lack of representation in its movies among others. And now CEO Chapek has ruffled some more feathers by assuming that Disney’s animated content is only for children and that parents and childless adults aren’t tuning in for animated movies.
Chapek was speaking at Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, while discussing the Disney+ brand, Chapek said, “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 in to another animated movie, they want something for them.” However, he did say he was “open” to R-rated content given the elasticity of the consumer base, saying, “we probably ought to listen to our audience, which means we have more degrees of freedom than we probably thought.”
In the past parents have complained about the inclusion of features like Daredevil and Punisher, R-rated content that was previously made by Marvel TV for Netflix. Nonetheless, after the success of TV-MA features like Marvel’s Werewolf by Night, and Moon Knight the entertainment giant seems to be changing its content strategies. While it looks like a step in the right direction for the brand, Chapek seems to forget Walt Disney’s motto when it comes to animated and film content. He once famously said, “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty.” And it stands true to the day. It might be a bit misleading on his part to assume parents won’t “tune into” animated features given it’s the adults on the internet who are mostly discussing Disney’s offerings.
While children are the targeted audience for most animated content given Disney’s long-standing history everyone was once a child when they first saw their favorite Disney movie. And nothing tickles fans more than nostalgia, if nothing else the success of this year’s Tom Cruise starring Top Gun: Maverick is proof, along with the success of many live-action remakes of Disney’s many animated films like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and the highly anticipated Little Mermaid. If Chapek is indeed focusing on consumer elasticity then the power of animated movies shouldn’t be undermined especially when it holds a brand like Pixar, which makes animated movies that resonate with audiences across ages and genders.