Recently, Disney announced the inclusion of the TV-MA Marvel Netflix series to the Disney+ content to expand their catalogue of series and movies. The news brought mixed reactions, fans of these characters are excited, but in other circles, they do not share the same opinion.
Part of the repertoire that Disney is bringing belongs to the series streaming on Netflix. Shows like Daredevil, The Punisher, Luke Cage, among others. Due to its violent content, its inclusion generated solid adverse reactions from other audiences, especially with the organization Parents Television Council (PTC), which rejects the inclusion of TV-MA and R-rated content in Disney+.
Parents Reject the Inclusion of Disney TV-MA movies
Image via Netflix
The organization Parents Television Council (PTC) took a stand against the new addition of Disney’s streaming service. They state that this type of content Disney wants to introduce on their platform is not suitable for minors. The president of this organization, Tim Winter, expressed his dissatisfaction with this new catalogue. Winter stressed Walt Disney’s company is a family content brand, developed for almost 100 years, and these shows ruin that.
One of his statements was:
“For more than 98 years, the Walt Disney Company has been synonymous with the words Family Friendly, and I can think of no other corporation in the history of the United States that has been built more squarely on the backs -and on the wallets- of parents and families. The company’s namesake platform, Disney +, was logically marketed as a family streaming service, and parents have put their trust in Disney to deliver just that.”
He also highlighted why he believes that including this content can damage the brand because Disney has never created or broadcasted such content in history.
“It seems wildly ‘off-brand’ for Disney Plus to add TV-MA and R-rated programming to this platform, ostensibly to increase subscription revenue. So what comes next, adding live striptease performances in Fantasyland at Disney World?”
He continued to say that there was no need for such an addition, as Disney+ has a large share of the streaming playback market. Winter stressed that this market is already competitive, and Disney+ has no need to include this type of content. Winter claims that Disney+ is one of the safest platforms for family entertainment, putting them at a competitive advantage over other platforms. Therefore, there is no need for Disney to add explicit content on Disney+ and “tarnish forever its family-friendly crown.”
The shift of Marvel series from Netflix to Disney+
Many people wonder why Netflix cancelled these Marvel series and they moved to Disney+. Disney owns the exclusive rights to all content in the Marvel Universe and, therefore, is the only one authorized to stream it currently.
Image via Disney
Additionally, rumor has it that Disney plans to continue to expand the universe of these series and connect their characters with the rest of the MCU. It seems like they already started with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil’s cameo on Spider-Man: No Way Home. Disney also highlighted that the Disney+ platform would incorporate parental control to limit what children watch. This way, they can avoid conflicts with parents. Yet, when it comes to organizations like the PTC, it can be more about the noise they make than any real dangers or response from the company.
The incorporation of these TV-MA content to Disney+ brought a lot of controversy among parents. Disney has always offered safe fun for children, which they think is no longer so with this change. But maybe this is a change of direction towards a more mature stage for Disney.