Disney has a wholesome, family-friendly image. Will acquiring Fox create a culture clash?
Stewie Griffin, meet Mickey Mouse.
The foulmouthed toddler of Fox’s animated series “Family Guy” is an un-potty-trained troublemaker whose florid vocabulary and diabolical machinations would likely get him kicked out of the Magic Kingdom.
But with Walt Disney Co.’s game-changing plan to acquire key 21st Century Fox assets, including its movie and TV production studios, Stewie could soon find himself corporate cousins with Disney’s wholesome cast of animated characters, from “Aladdin” to “Zootopia.”
20th Century Fox has consistently pushed the envelope in the realm of mainstream TV and cable programming, exploring the dark side in FX’s “American Horror Story,” and bawdy comedy with Fox’s “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons.” On the movie side, the studio recently scored big with R-rated titles like “Deadpool” and “Logan.”
The entertainment industry will be waiting to see if Disney’s squeaky-clean image ends up clashing with Fox’s edgier aesthetic. While some experts predict problems, others see a smoother transition, citing Disney’s track record of preserving the internal cultures of the companies it has acquired.
But they are in agreement that much of Disney’s focus in the short term will be on launching its own streaming services to compete with Netflix, and filling the new consumer pipeline with content. The studio will ultimately have to decide how it will balance kid-oriented Disney titles and and properties owned by Fox.
Under chief executive officer Bob Iger, Disney has moved increasingly toward family-friendly animated movies with its acquisition of Pixar in 2006. The blockbusters that the studio releases under Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm don’t go beyond a PG-13 rating.
Fox has pursued a more diversified entertainment mix, especially at its cable properties.
Both its FX and FXX networks have earned critical acclaim and awards for their edgy programming, said Todd Juenger, an analyst of Berstein & Co.
“They are also filled with violence, language, and sexual themes that absolutely do not fit with the ‘Disney’ brand,” he wrote in a recent investor note. FX’s highly touted limited series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” which debuts in January, features a graphic murder, drugs and male escorts.
But Disney is no stranger to titles geared toward mature audiences. In the ’90s, the company released R-rated movies through its Miramax and Hollywood Pictures divisions. Disney shut down Hollywood Pictures in 2009 and sold off Miramax a year later.
“I think this will come down to their streaming needs. They need to have a greater variety of content that goes beyond Pixar, Marvel and the Disney-branded content,” said Tom Nunan, a lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and a veteran movie and TV executive.
“There are people who’ve worked on both lots over the years. I predict it could mesh very well. The Disney company has done a good job at maintaining the cultures at Pixar and Marvel.”
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