Top 10 R-Rated Movies Made by Disney

WatchMojo

Disney isn't only for the kiddos! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the more adult-oriented fare made (in part or whole) by companies owned by or distributed by Disney.

Transcript

00:00I'm the messiah. I am Marvel Jesus.

00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the more adult-oriented

00:11fair maid, in part or whole, by companies owned by or distributed by Disney.

00:16This is your chance to be a hero among heroes.

00:22Number 10, The Rock.

00:24The Rock is the most famous and was the most feared prison ever built.

00:28One consistent theme throughout this list would be how the Disney Corporation has historically

00:32circumvented associating its brand with R-rated fare via the establishment of sub-corporations.

00:37Specifically, television and film arms such as Hollywood Pictures enabled the House of

00:42Mouse to retain financial windfalls from adult entertainment while still keeping the Disney

00:46brand squeaky clean.

00:50The Rock was one such picture, an early effort from director Michael Bay that combined his

00:54stylish creative past in music video and commercial production with slam-bang action

00:58cinema.

00:59It totally works, too, thanks to a cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Michael Biehn, Ed Harris,

01:04and Sir Sean Connery.

01:13Number 9, Dead Presidents.

01:22This 1995 directorial effort from the Hughes Brothers was co-produced by Disney-owned Hollywood

01:26Pictures and was also distributed via the Mouse's own Buena Vista Pictures distribution.

01:31The film itself is a violent yet compelling tale of a disenfranchised Vietnam veteran

01:35whose financial and familial struggles push him to the breaking point.

01:48The robbery scene that occurs at the climax of Dead Presidents is expertly executed and

01:52is a striking visual example of how it succeeds at combining character study with intense

01:56action.

01:57Who knew that the folks at Disney had it in them to distribute this kind of movie?

02:06Number 8, Starship Troopers.

02:11It would be easy, on the surface level at least, to label 1997's Starship Troopers

02:16as simply another alien-focused action film, yet director Paul Verhoeven's adaptation

02:20of the 1959 novel subverts expectations thanks to a smart screenplay by Edward Neumeier.

02:35The satire levels are on full blast here as Neumeier's script pokes holes in fascist

02:40and authoritarian ideologies while also never forgetting to be entertaining as heck.

02:44Oh, and Starship Troopers is unrepentantly violent to boot, echoing Neumeier and Verhoeven's

02:49past with Robocop while leaning into the horrors of warfare.

02:52It's wild to think about how this film was co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures.

03:05Number 7, Pretty Woman.

03:12Isn't it crazy how certain films progress from the screenwriting stage to the finished

03:15product?

03:16The original idea for 1990's Pretty Woman had screenwriter J.F.

03:19Lawton envisioning a dark and comparatively gritty tale of a Los Angeles sex worker.

03:24Fast forward to the film's eventual production under director Gary Marshall and you have

03:28one of the most successful romantic comedies in the 90's.

03:35Pretty Woman was a star-making turn for Julia Roberts, thanks to the light-hearted tone

03:39between her and co-star Richard Gere.

03:41Still, the fact that this film centered around sex work in the first place necessitated that

03:45Disney co-produced via Touchstone Pictures rather than its home brand.

03:52Number 6, 25th Hour.

03:59Edward Norton can always be relied upon when it comes to delivering a compelling, even

04:03mesmerizing screen presence.

04:05Director Spike Lee pulled what's arguably one of the actor's best performances for

04:0825th Hour, a film detailing a man's final days of freedom after being arrested and convicted

04:13on drug offenses.

04:17Norton takes some of the best words from David Benioff's screenplay and makes them his own,

04:21especially with that monologue.

04:22Plus, 25th Hour was also notable for its post-9-11 NYC setting.

04:27The film was co-produced between Lee's own 40 Acres and a mule Filmworks and Touchstone

04:31Pictures, among others, and was distributed via Buena Vista.

04:39Number 5, The Joy Luck Club.

04:42Who said that R-rated fare needed to be nasty or violent to achieve the rating?

04:46The Joy Luck Club was lauded by many critics as one of the best films of the year back

04:49in 1993.

04:57That said, its dramatic tone and adult themes were never going to go the route of PG or

05:01PG-13 ratings.

05:03This was cinema for adults, with overarching themes of family, history, romance, and loss.

05:18Thus, an R-rating was absolutely necessary in order to properly tell its story.

05:23The Joy Luck Club was distributed by Disney via Buena Vista, and produced solely under

05:27the creative arm of Hollywood Pictures.

05:36Number 4, Good Morning Vietnam.

05:38There are a lot of great movies by which to remember the enduring legacy of Robin Williams.

05:43This hit from 1987 has perhaps been forgotten by some over the years, which makes now the

05:47perfect time for some re-investigation.

05:58Good Morning Vietnam was loosely based upon the life of a real person, former Air Force

06:02sergeant and DJ Adrian Cronauer.

06:05Williams' performance clearly helped audiences connect with the story, however, both the

06:16language at play, as well as the wartime setting, made it virtually impossible for

06:20Good Morning Vietnam to pass rating boards without anything less than an R. Disney co-produced

06:24this venture through Touchstone Pictures.

06:29Number 3, High Fidelity.

06:32Jack Black was still rising in the comedy ranks when he co-starred with John Cusack

06:36in this comedy gem from 2000.

06:43High Fidelity was adapted from a 1995 novel, and it honestly earns its R rating primarily

06:47due to its language.

06:48The film isn't super violent or too sexually explicit, but is instead a fun character piece

06:53about a music obsessive, his love life, and his career running a record store.

07:00Black steals a lot of scenes in High Fidelity, but yeah, there's also a lot of cursing

07:05to be found here, so Disney was never going to slap Cinderella's castle on this bad

07:09boy.

07:10Instead, the film was co-funded by Touchstone, and distributed by, you guessed it, Buena

07:18Vista.

07:19Number 2, Ed Wood.

07:21There's admittedly a surface level whimsy to 1994's Ed Wood, so perhaps in an alternate

07:29universe it could have been released under the Disney name proper, but Wood himself worked

07:33within the exploitation movie industry.

07:38That combined with the difficulties he and his peers faced meant that this dramatized

07:42biopic required a layer of distance from the House of Mouse.

07:45Enter Disney's ever reliable Touchstone Buena Vista tag team, and you have a recipe for

07:49director Tim Burton to work his magic.

07:51Ed Wood is an incredibly heartfelt work, and practically leaps from the screen with sincerity,

07:56warmth, and humor.

08:06Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

08:10Nixon, Oliver Stone's dramatic presidential biopic, Down and Out in Beverly Hills earned

08:23Disney its very first MPAA R-Rating.

08:33Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Language earned this lovable flick an R-Rating.

08:40G.I.

08:41Jane, intense drama and language meant the Disney name was a no-go.

08:53Enemy of the State, a high-intensity espionage action flick from director Tony Scott.

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09:19Here's a question, is 1993's Tombstone the best modern western ever made?

09:31This epic flick from director George P. Cosmatos and screenwriter Kevin Jarre certainly possesses

09:36a tendency to top lists of that type.

09:38It's no wonder, considering its stellar ensemble cast, startling violence, and endlessly

09:43quotable dialogue, there's a style at play here that's slick, perhaps less stodgy than

09:53westerns of old, making it a perfect entry point for younger viewers to appreciate the

09:57genre.

09:58Make no mistake however, the action here is intense, and not for the faint of heart.

10:06This essentially means that Disney needed to co-produce this thing under Hollywood Pictures,

10:10while also handling the North and South American distribution via Buena Vista.

10:14What's the wildest flick Disney ever covertly produced?

10:17Lay your answers on us in the comments.

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