Top 10 Adult Films Backed by Disney

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Disney isn’t just for kids! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the most surprising R-rated and adult-oriented films that were made—either in part or in full—by Disney-owned studios or distributed under the Disney umbrella.  These aren’t your typical fairy tales.  Our list includes:  High Fidelity 🎵  The Joy Luck Club 💔  Starship Troopers  …and other unexpected titles with the Mouse House connection.  💬 What’s the wildest movie you were shocked to learn was connected to Disney? Drop your pick in the comments!

Transcript

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

00:11fare made, in part or whole, by companies owned by or distributed by Disney.

00:1810.

00:23The Rock

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 subcorporations.

00:38Specifically, 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 cinema.

00:58It totally works too, thanks to a cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Michael Biehn, Ed Harris,

01:03and Sir Sean Connery.

01:04You tell your men to safety their weapons, drop them on the dead.

01:07I cannot give that order!

01:08I am not going to repeat that order!

01:09I will not give that order!

01:10What the hell is wrong with you, man?!

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 whose

01:35financial 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 action.

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

02:04Number 8, Starship Troopers.

02:08Who here thinks they got what it takes to knock me down?

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

02:17another alien-focused action film.

02:19Yet director Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of the 1959 novel subverts expectations, thanks

02:23to a smart screenplay by Edward Neumeier.

02:26The 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.

02:48Echoing Neumeier in Verhoeven's past 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.

03:06Number 7, Pretty Woman.

03:07Do I look okay?

03:08Hmm?

03:09Hmm?

03:10Something's missing.

03:11Isn'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. Lawton envisioning a dark

03:21and 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 one

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

03:30What do you do, Edward?

03:31Cause I know you're not a lawyer.

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.

03:48Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?

03:51Oh, yes.

03:52Number 6, 25th Hour.

03:54Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends.

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 25th

04:08Hour, a film detailing a man's final days of freedom after being arrested and convicted

04:13on drug offenses.

04:14Your honor, you know, what can I say?

04:16I messed up.

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

04:21own, especially with that monologue.

04:23Plus, 25th Hour was also notable for its post-911 NYC setting.

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

04:32Pictures, among others, and was distributed via Buena Vista.

04:35Out of business, Simon.

04:36Hey, take your Jones somewhere else.

04:38Leave me alone.

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 in

04:501993.

04:51Get out of my house.

04:55You heard me.

04:56Get out.

04:57That said, its dramatic tone and adult themes were never going to go the route of PG or PG-13

05:02ratings.

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

05:08Waverly took best quality crap.

05:11You took worst.

05:13Because you have best quality heart.

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 the

05:27creative arm of Hollywood Pictures.

05:28You think it is so easy.

05:30One day quit.

05:33Next day play.

05:36Number 4, Good Morning Vietnam.

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

05:42This hit from 1987 has perhaps been forgotten by some over the years, which makes now the

05:47perfect time for some reinvestigation.

05:49Excuse me, sir.

05:50Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT?

05:55Because if it leaks to the VC, you could end up an MIA and then we'd all be put on KP.

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

06:02Sergeant and DJ, Adrian Kronauer.

06:05Buena's performance clearly helped audiences connect with the story.

06:08Good Morning Vietnam!

06:11Hey, this is not a test, this is rock and roll!

06:15However, both the language at play, as well as the wartime setting, made it virtually impossible

06:20for Good Morning Vietnam to pass rating boards without anything less than an R.

06:24Disney co-produced this venture through Touchstone Pictures.

06:26Welcome back.

06:27Thank you, Sergeant.

06:28I've missed you.

06:29Number 3, High Fidelity.

06:31Jack Black was still rising in the comedy ranks when he co-starred with John Cusack in

06:36this comedy gem from 2000.

06:38Why'd you tell her about the story?

06:39Oh man, I'm sorry.

06:40I didn't know it was classified information.

06:42High 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.

06:57How can someone who has no interest in music own a record store?

07:00Black steals a lot of scenes in High Fidelity.

07:02But, yeah, there's also a lot of cursing to be found here, so Disney was never going

07:07to slap Cinderella's castle on this bad boy.

07:09Well, that's unfortunate because it sacks ass.

07:13Instead, the film was co-funded by Touchstone and distributed by, you guessed it, Buena Vista.

07:19Number 2, Ed Wood.

07:21There's admittedly a surface level whimsy to 1994's Ed Wood.

07:24So perhaps in an alternate universe, it could have been released under the Disney name proper,

07:32but Wood himself worked within the exploitation movie industry.

07:35Yes, I'm Ed Wood. I'm here about directing the Christine Jorgensen picture.

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

07:42required 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 director Tim Burton to work his magic.

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

07:57Excuse me, sir?

07:58Yes?

07:59Well, I'm a young filmmaker and a real big fan. I just wanted to meet you.

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

08:09Nixon, Oliver Stone's dramatic presidential biopic.

08:13The government cannot survive with the counter-government inside it.

08:17I know how traders operate. I've dealt with them all my life.

08:21Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Earn Disney it's very first MPAA R rating.

08:26Oh, Mr. Whiteman...

08:29Don't call me. Don't call me. Don't call me. Don't call me. Don't call me. Don't call me. Don't call me.

08:32Don't have to call me Dave.

08:33Romy and Michele's high school reunion. Language earned this lovable flick at R rating.

08:37You know what? I bet that's not true. You were really unpleasant.

08:41G.I. Jane. Intense drama and language meant the Disney name was a no-go.

08:45What is your father's name?

08:49It's a simple question, Lieutenant. No reason not to answer unless you want to bleed.

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

08:57What do you think it is? It looks a lot bigger than the tape.

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09:19Here's a question. Is 1993's Tombstone the best modern Western ever made?

09:24Those men you killed were my friends.

09:27I'm just a nothing, but if I wasn't, I'd fight you right now, so I don't want to talk to you.

09:31This epic flick from director George P. Cosmatos and screenwriter Kevin Jarre certainly possesses a tendency to top lists of that type.

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

09:44There's a style at play here that's slick, perhaps less stodgy than Westerns of old, making it a perfect entry point for younger viewers to appreciate the genre.

09:57Make no mistake, however, the action here is intense, and not for the faint of heart.

10:01This essentially means that Disney needed to co-produce this thing under Hollywood Pictures, while 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.

10:19Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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