While Disney has built up a reputation for itself as the go-to studio for family-friendly ventures and films, it becomes increasingly harder to maintain this moniker while being a massive Hollywood conglomerate. As they continue to own various massive studios, such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox, among others, Disney has seen itself releasing several adult films under these subsidiary monikers. While some may not immediately think of these films as “Disney films” in the same vein as the animated classics, it’s still wild to consider these deeply adult films as under the same umbrella.
This phenomenon is also not specifically inherent to the modern era of the company, as Disney directly funded and produced many adult and mature films throughout the 80s and 90s, with studios like Touchstone Pictures and the previously owned Miramax. While the studio would still opt out of putting their name and distribution on some of the most adult films, Kids, Dogma, and Fahrenheit 9/11, many of the films that they did release would be absolutely shocking if seen by a child.
10
‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
A sci-fi action satire produced by Touchstone Pictures, Starship Troopers‘ combination of expensive CGI effects and goopy, practical effects made it a compelling action blockbuster that was originally seen as a box-office disappointment. However, in the decades after its release, the film would be the topic of reexamination thanks to its brilliant satire of fascism and a militarized state. It’s a dynamic combination of high-end sci-fi action and dynamic adult themes that makes the film much more mature and intelligent than many other brainless sci-fi blockbusters.
Even outside the film’s distinct satirical messaging, Starship Troopers is filled to the brim with adult content and sequences that make it unsavory for younger audiences. From the explosive goop and guts of various aliens to direct nudity and sexual escapades during the film, Starship Troopers holds nothing back in terms of its adult content and messaging. It’s certainly comedic when considering that it came out in the same year that Disney would release family classics like Hercules and Flubber.
Directed by Mark Mylod
As far as Disney’s modern ventures in adult filmmaking are considered, Searchlight Pictures has become their go-to distributor for more artsy, awards-budding films as well as abstract horror experiences. One of those specific abstract horror films is The Menu, a satirical horror comedy that takes aim at the world of fine dining and high society in general. It’s one of many defining anti-rich comedies that have come out in recent memory, with this film specifically having an edge of horror and cult undertones.
Few horror movies could be considered safe watches for the whole family, with The Menu similarly featuring a wide array of gruesome murders, adult themes, and even suicide. It finds ways to make each of these dark concepts and sequences hilarious and comedic, as it largely respects the intelligence of its audiences with its execution. Even if the film didn’t feature a wide array of murders and on-screen deaths, the intricacies and dynamics of foodie culture are simply lost on young audiences who wouldn’t fully appreciate the satirical edge.
The Menu
- Release Date
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November 18, 2022
- Runtime
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106 minutes
8
‘Signs’ (2002)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
A poignant and powerful sci-fi horror film from one of the most well-known thriller filmmakers of all time, M. Night Shyamalan‘s Signs is less about the physical aliens that invade the planet and much more about the connections and dynamics that the invasion plays on this family. The aliens prove to test their faith and bond with one another as the looming threat of extraterrestrial life begins encroaching upon their home. Even with its goofier moments, the film is a horror film at the end of the day, with many notoriously shocking moments that act as direct warning signs for young children.
Signs was yet another adult film created by Touchstone Pictures during this era of Disney, as Disney had previously found success with Shyamalan’s previous, more artsy horror thrillers and allowed him the scale to create an alien horror film. Considering just how much Disney’s more modern adult films play into the prospect of horror movies about aliens with the Predator and Alien franchises, this classic alien horror film shows that things still stay the same when it comes to Disney’s approach to adult filmmaking.
Signs
- Release Date
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August 2, 2002
- Runtime
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106 minutes
7
‘The Last Duel’ (2021)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott was a frequent collaborator for 20th Century Fox before their acquisition by Disney, with the likes of The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, and Alien: Covenant all being released by the studio. After the acquisition, it would only make sense that Scott would continue to collaborate with the now-titled 20th Century Studios, with gripping and compelling medical drama The Last Duel being his first film for the new studio. Despite taking place in medieval France, the film is surprisingly modern in its story and themes, brilliantly retelling its story from multiple perspectives with slight variations of each character’s perception of the events.
The film deals with some incredibly adult and uncomfortable subject matter, with the central story and dynamic of the film, including the titular last duel itself, stemming from a squire being accused of rape. This combination of both sexual violence and gory, brutality-focused violence makes the film unfit for kids, with these themes even proving to be too adult and uncomfortable for traditional audiences, resulting in its box-office disappointment. However, the film has seen massive critical praise, as it would eventually find financial success through the video and streaming markets.
6
‘Scream’ (1996)
Directed by Wes Craven
Considered to be the face of slasher movies during the 90s that helped revitalize the genre for a new genre, Scream is certainly not considered to be a part of the Disney umbrella nowadays, as the franchise rights sit with SpyGlass Media Group and Paramount Pictures. However, before the rights were taken over by SpyGlass in 2022, they were distributed by Dimension Films, a studio that was a subsidiary of Miramax when they were owned and under the jurisdiction of Disney.
Scream is not a movie that any young child should be watching, as it deals with all sorts of gruesome murders, sexual content, and directly caters to long-time fans of the slasher genre. Even though the film has its comedic edge, it is unrelenting when it comes to tension-fueled moments of fear and terror, with many considering the film’s opening to still be one of the most terrifying opening kills in horror history. While Scream may not be a Disney film anymore, it gloriously added some satirical edge and carnage to the House of Mouse’s catalog until Miramax was sold in 2010.
Scream
- Release Date
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December 20, 1996
- Runtime
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112 minutes
5
‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ (1996)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Years before he would end up creating his series of beloved family movies, Robert Rodriguez teamed up with Dimension Films and Miramax to bring to life From Dusk Till Dawn, a wild vampire action horror film filled with gore, eroticism, and scares. The film largely became a cult classic, thanks in part to its raunchy and risqué filmmaking, which made no effort to hide the more chaotic and adult aspects of its story and characters, instead using them to amplify the film’s entertainment value.
Whether it be the mountains of gore that come from the vicious takedown of the various vampires to the erotic dance sequences that take place in the bar before everything gets deadly, the film seemingly always has something adult that it’s showing off. It largely aligns with the perspective of video store cult classic filmmaking that was pervasive with low-budget horror and Dimension Films as a whole during the 90s, with Disney fully embracing this manic energy with films like From Dusk Till Dawn.
4
‘Barbarian’ (2022)
Directed by Zach Cregger
A brilliantly convention-breaking horror film that quickly became a fan favorite among modern audiences, Barbarian is one of many recent horror success stories that Disney has had in the 2020s, with this specifically being released by 20th Century Studios. The film is unmatched in its ability to unnerve and discomfort the audience with its array of disgusting practical effects, abhorrent themes and concepts, and top-of-the-line tension-building in dreadful situations.
Part of what makes Barbarian such an effective horror film is how it actively plays with the expectations of the audience, presenting a situation before completely subverting these expectations to create the best scares possible. At the same time, however, the film also manages to include a fair deal of adult humor into its story, delving into an array of other themes with converging storylines that make the film that much more memorable. The film quickly became a critically acclaimed success and is now considered one of the best horror movies of the 2020s so far.
Barbarian
- Release Date
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September 9, 2022
- Runtime
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102 minutes
3
‘Pretty Woman’ (1990)
Directed by Garry Marshall
While Pretty Woman may be an adult rom-com that deals with various concepts and plot points that make it unsavory for children, the film’s cheery tone and high-spirited energy ironically makes it align with many other Disney romance movies. The Touchstone Pictures classic is rather intelligent in its premise, following a classic rom-com story that just happens to feature the risqué, prostitute character of Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts). While it certainly isn’t a film that should be seen by children, its genuine charm and wit have made it a feel-good classic for decades.
The film managed to be such a success for Disney that it held the record for their highest-grossing R-rated movie for 34 years until being beaten out by Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024. In many ways, it feels like the quintessential example of what a Disney film targeted for adults should be, having a lot of the same high-spirited energy and care that many Disney family movies have, simply with some deeply adult themes and concepts.
Pretty Woman
- Release Date
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March 23, 1990
- Runtime
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119 minutes
2
‘Poor Things’ (2023)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
One of the latest critical smash hits from Searchlight Pictures, Poor Things showed that, on top of winning a wide array of Academy Awards, Disney’s new era of independent cinema success is allowing visionaries to create the wildest, chaotic adult films imaginable. While it may not be as necessarily freaky or extreme as the other films by Yorgos Lanthimos, it’s still wildly adult and perverse compared to the traditional film released by a Disney subsidiary.
A lot of the mileage from the film’s adult content comes from its inherent premise of a child’s mind being placed into the body of a fully grown, adult woman (Emma Stone). However, Lanthimos takes this premise to the absolute extremes in terms of sexual content, chaotic and goofy slapstick humor, and even thoughtful examinations of womanhood and femininity. The film makes such compelling lengths with its frequent erotic content that it is even considered one of the best erotic films of the past 25 years.
Poor Things
- Release Date
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September 8, 2023
- Runtime
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141 Minutes
1
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Fiction‘s inherent legacy of exceptional filmmaking goes hand in hand with its overwhelming abundance of swearing, violence, and erotic undertones. It has been a pillarstone of Quentin Tarantino‘s filmography as well as the achievements made by Miramax ever since its release, being one of the first massive successes that the studio had during its run with Disney. Still, due to Miramax’s departure from Disney in 2010 and Tarantino’s frequent struggles with Disney in more recent years, many tend to forget that Pulp Fiction was once considered a Disney film.
Even over 30 years after the film’s release, Pulp Fiction has an inherent allure and excitement to it due to just how many barriers it was pushing in terms of violence and adult content in an independent film. Everything that made Tarantino such a legendary figure for underground, anti-establishment filmmaking is on full display in Pulp Fiction, helping it attain a status as one of the most acclaimed and beloved movies of the 90s. While the film may not be under the Disney umbrella anymore, it still stands as an important part of Disney’s long, unexpected history with mature films not made for families and children.
Pulp Fiction
- Release Date
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October 14, 1994
- Runtime
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154 minutes
