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Credit: Inside the MagicIn a strange move for a historically family-friendly company, Disney demanded that an upcoming prequel movie include a graphic, extended shot of female nudity. Not only that, but the Mouse House insisted that the Motion Picture Association (MPA) give it an R-rating despite that.
For decades, the Walt Disney Company has been synonymous with conservative family values, sometimes to the point of absurdity. While Walt Disney himself may have built his empire on adaptations of European fairy tales like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Sleeping Beauty (1959), he also took care to bowdlerize those frequent dark and violent stories to remove any hint of graphic violence or nudity.
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In modern days, Disney can’t catch a break. On one hand, Disney divisions like Marvel Studios are criticized for their lack of sexuality or romance, while on the other, right-wing elements in America insist that it has become the “most woke company in America” for including LGBTQIA+ characters and the occasional kiss.
The latter group is probably not going to be very happy about the upcoming film The First Omen, a prequel to the iconic horror film The Omen (1976) and the sixth entry in the Antichrist-themed series. The film is produced by Disney’s 20th Century studio, which it often uses to release adult-oriented movies that don’t fit under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, but according to the producer and director of The First Omen, Disney had their back when it came to extended nudity.
In a recent interview with Screenrant, The First Omen director Arkasha Stevenson and producer Keith Levine revealed that, despite the extreme violence of their movie, it was a 13-second shot of a vagina that made the MPA refuse to give the movie an R rating.
It has been common wisdom for decades that a film receiving a Rated X or Rated NC-17 was a commercial death blow, and while that might not be exactly the case anymore, Disney was not going to risk it. Arkasha Stevenson said, “The shot of the vagina was the only thing that was holding up the R rating. It wasn’t any of the gory deaths. It wasn’t men being severed; it was literally just the shot of the vagina…I just can’t believe that we were so supported by our producers in the studio. This is crazy! We have a vagina in a Disney movie.”
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The director expressed the same sentiments regarding body horror and nudity in a Fangoria interview, saying, ““It’s strange making a movie about forced reproduction and body autonomy right now. It’s really important to be talking about right now. It’s strange to be talking about it with Disney. It’s a surreal experience that feels extremely empowering. It feels like you’re traveling around with a really big hammer. It’s like Mickey Mouse is my bouncer. To have their support, I don’t even know how to put it in words. It’s beautifully surreal.”
Disney may not always be known for supporting their filmmakers, particularly when it comes to extensive nudity, but it appears that The First Omen has changed things for the studio.
The First Omen will hit American theaters on April 5 and stars Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy.
Do you think Disney has gone too far in what it allows in its movies?? Let’s hear it in the comments below!