- 6 months ago
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!
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!
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
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.
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