OPINION:
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are,” said the co-founder of the most well-known children’s brand, Roy Disney.
Roy and Walt Disney would be shocked to see how Disney’s values have changed, which I believe is the foundation of Disney’s downward spiral in the last few years.
Recent news headlines paint a dismal picture: Attendance at Disney theme parks is down this summer; Disney’s major theatrical releases — from “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” to Pixar’s “Elemental” — are underperforming at the box office; the Disney+ streaming platform lost 4 million subscribers in the first three months of 2023.
Disney’s shift over the past few years — from broken promises about keeping R-rated content off Disney+ to content that sexualizes children — may have a lot to do with the company’s dismal performance these last several months.
Disney Chief Bob Iger recently denied that the company sexualizes children, but it’s undeniable that the Disney Co. has allowed sexual themes to creep into child-targeted programming.
Disney-owned Hulu airs shows such as “PEN15,” which included a scene of a young female character performing a sex act on herself; and “A Teacher,” which romanticizes an illicit relationship between a married teacher and her underage student.
The Disney-owned FX and FXX cable channels aired “Little Demon,” about a 13-year-old girl who finds out she is the devil’s love child.
If Disney’s values were aligned with bringing families together by providing wholesome, uplifting entertainment, Mr. Iger would know exactly what he needs to do to save the Disney brand.
But Disney doesn’t seem to get it.
Earlier this year, there were reports that Disney was thinking of dropping Hulu. But now it’s moving in the opposite direction, with reports saying that Disney is planning to buy out Comcast’s share of Hulu, making Disney 100% owners.
Worse, it has been reported that Disney is planning to merge Hulu with Disney+ for a “one-app experience” for users. That means all of the adult content owned by Disney but airing on Hulu — content like “Little Demon,” “PEN15” and “A Teacher” — will be available on the Disney+ app, alongside Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.
Included with that content would also be “Pauline,” a sort of live-action version of “Little Demon” that was picked up by Disney earlier this year. “Pauline” is about a teenage girl who is impregnated and falls in love with the devil.
Roy and Walt Disney would not recognize their company today.
As a publicly traded company, Disney has a fiduciary obligation to return value to its shareholders. If Disney continues to pollute its brand with sexualized and adult content, it will continue to suffer financial losses for the simple reason that it’s not what consumers want from the Disney Co.
Over 10,000 concerned parents, grandparents and other adults recently signed a petition to Disney calling on the company’s board of directors to remove sexually themed content targeted at children in Disney entertainment and on Disney-owned platforms, and to return to producing uplifting, clean, inspiring content that families can trust.
Disney must work to restore the public’s trust in the integrity of the Disney brand by removing sexually themed programming from all of its platforms. That is the only way to make it again one of the most trusted brands in America, synonymous with child-safe, wholesome, family-friendly content: that is the company Roy and Walt Disney founded — not the one that exists today.
• Melissa Henson is vice president of the Parents Television and Media Council, a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. @ThePTC.
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