Disney CEO doesn’t believe animation is for adults
Topics: Film and TV, Disney
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo / Disney
Topics: Film and TV, Disney
The classic Disney films are beloved by children and adults alike, but that hasn't stopped the CEO of the House of Mouse sticking his neck out and saying animated films are strictly for kids.
In a recent interview, the CEO of Disney made the bizarre claim that animation isn't for adults.
Disney is known for some of the most popular animated movies of all time, including The Lion King and Frozen, and even The Simpsons - which has a popular adult fan base.
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Bob Chapek, who has been in post since 2020 after replacing Bob Iger, discussed animation on Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference on Wednesday (26 October).
He made the point that despite its child-friendly image, Disney shouldn't be afraid of producing more adult-orientated content too.
One recent example of this was when Disney+'s Pam and Tommy featured a talking penis, which isn't exactly what you expect to see when tuning into a Disney show.
Chapek said: "I always say that when our fans and our audiences put their kids to bed at night after watching Pinocchio, or Dumbo or Little Mermaid, they're probably not going to tune into another animated movie. They want something for them.
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"I want to respect legacy and what this brand is, but at the same time, I know that we may be even more precious about what's Disney than the consumer base.
"If the consumer base has more elasticity than we've traditionally had in defining what's Disney, we probably ought to listen to the audience, which means we have more degrees of freedom than we probably thought."
Fans of Disney have reacted to the CEO's take, with the older audience especially not happy.
Many have taken to social media to express their views on the Disney CEO making the claim on animation.
One fan said: "Well that's just a terrible take."
Another added: "Bro’s living in 1990."
A fellow angry fan replied: "More like 1925. Even back in the '60s, shows like The Flintstones pandered to the adult crowd. It is ignorant to suggest that cartoons are solely for children."
A fourth added: "How could the CEO of freaking Disney have such an awful take."
Chapek's comments don't seem to have gone down well with Disney fans, however, the CEO said in the same interview that he doesn't prioritise his own feelings when making big decisions at the entertainment giant.
He said: "My own personal feelings aren’t really important. What’s important is how people think about our company, and so I take myself out of it.
"And I think that’s sort of the surprise, is everybody sort of wants to be loved and everybody wants everyone to like them.
"But in this in this world, that’s not always necessary, so I wash all that away and say, ‘What do we want the ‘capital D’ Disney Company to stand for?’
"And if we’re doing right by the ‘capital D’ Disney Company and can sleep at night, then I can be Teflon and know that we’re doing the right thing."