Disney has been in partnership with Hulu since 2019, slowly merging over the past few years. Now, it seems the mouse has fully absorbed one of the biggest streaming services on the market after sealing the deal with Comcast, acquiring a wide variety of movies and shows in the process. However, how does that reflect the company image?
Since its creation, the Walt Disney Company has been permanently associated with magical, wholesome, family-focused entertainment. To say that Hulu's content shares that same vibe would be grossly untrue, so it might strike many as weird for Disney to absorb this ocean of mixed media.
Another brick in Disney's magical empire
At the time of writing, if you have the Disney+/Hulu bundle, you will see a wide variety of viewing suggestions across Disney, Pixar, National Geographic, and more. Right now, I am looking at ads for Captain America: Brave New World, Bob's Burgers, Phineas and Ferb, and Predator: Killer of Killers.
If that sounds like a mismatched mashup for a Disney-owned service, you'd be absolutely right. A world where Captain America and Phineas and Ferb can rub elbows with one of the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunters is a surreal twist, but one that Disney made happen.
Looking at the Hulu exclusive programming, viewers will also find titles like Murder in the Heartland, American Horror Story, and FX's Dying for Sex. Naturally, this has already appalled several parents and viewers with children, and it might not be the best move on Disney's part.
As Disney continues to grow into almost a monopoly-sized media company, the image of a smiling Mickey Mouse begins to warp into a bloated dollar sign. Yes, subscribers will continue to flock to its wealth of animated classics and nostalgic content, but something is undeniably lost in the process.
Unfortunately for most die-hard fans, Disney's magical facade is melting away quicker than ever. At the end of the day, Disney is still a multimedia corporation with the primary interest in turning a profit, and that is a hard truth for many to swallow. The acquisition of another major streaming service was practically inevitible.
That's not saying that Disney is incapable of producing quality content, but it does put more responsibility on families at home to monitor what they consume a lot more carefully. That said, this writer certainly wouldn't mind a Predator/Mandalorian crossover in the near future. Que sera, sera...
Do you think this was a good idea or simply inevitable?