Without any doubt, the core audience of Disney+ is children and families, with a vast collection of movies and shows that appeal to the young and those young at heart.

The original plan for Disney+ was that it be a family-friendly streaming service, but over the years, it has expanded to include more general entertainment and sports programming.

But children’s content is still a core element of Disney+, with “Bluey” not just being the most popular show on Disney+ but on any streaming service.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Walt Disney Animation Studios would no longer be making long-form content for Disney+, refocusing on theatrical films, while Disney TV Animation will continue to work on shows for the Disney Channel and Disney+.

During a recent interview question and answer session with Disney Entertainment’s Co-Chairman, Dana Walden, at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, she was asked if children’s content was a focus and priority for Disney to invest in, to which she replied:

Well, we are Disney. Obviously, the kids’ audience has always been very important. And I will share with you that creating and programming and developing features that are important to that audience, that’s a top priority for us right now. We are very focused on it. I find when you talk about the kids’ audience, it’s important to recognize the nuances. It’s not a monolith.

If we start with preschoolers, Disney is the number one brand. The most streamed show in the United States last year was “Bluey”.

It’s an incredible show that 28 hours of content, which drove 60 billion minutes of engagement on Disney+ last year. But along with Bluey, there’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Ariel, all of the amazing characters and stories from the Disney canon that are constantly being reinvented and refreshed for our youngest possible fans.

Dana also explained why her history as a Disney fan helps her understand their audience:

And we know that a connection when kids are very young is meaningful to affinity for our brand for the rest of their lives. I mean, I grew up in Southern California. My parents, my grandparents would come visit us every summer and they would take us to Disneyland, I’m embarrassed to say that I was way more excited about going to Disneyland and seeing my grandparents, but I probably wasn’t alone. And my kids growing up, Disney is a trusted environment for kids. I felt totally safe putting them in front of the television for Disney Channel storytelling. And I think that’s how parents feel now about the Disney+ environment.

With the introduction of more general entertainment content, Disney did have to introduce more parental controls to make sure younger audiences don’t see anything inapporiate. Disney+ has a Kids mode, which drastically locks down what content can be seen.

However, many parents would love to have more options available in the future, such as being able to lock out selected films or shows, especially as kids move out of the Disney Junior zone. Hopefully, Disney looks into this feature, which is available on Netflix, in the future. During the interview, Dana did say they are also looking into ways of engage with different types of content.

Clearly, as kids get older, they’re consuming content on a number of different platforms. They’re on social media, they’re gaming, they’re clearly on YouTube. And we have a meaningful and great partnership with YouTube. We produce thousands of videos based on our series, specifically for YouTube Disney Junior, I think, has 22 million subscribers. So why do we do that?

We do that because we know that’s where kids like to consume content along with Disney+. We want to keep them engaged. We want to keep incubating IP on a platform that’s important to creators and kids. And ultimately, the work we’re doing now, although I have nothing specific to announce, on the technology side is features that will specifically address how kids are interacting with content right now in a very contemporary way. So very mindful of that.

And then as kids get older, of course, they’re watching content. They’re watching live sports. They’re watching live entertainment. We see it in Dancing with the Stars and American Idol, they are of course watching our giant Tentpole animated films and they’re watching it them over and over again. So again, looking holistically at that kid’s audience, we know we have the stories that they love. We’re working on the technology that will allow them to engage with them in the way they want.

Last year, Disney+ added a new curated playlist, which is like a live channel, called Disney Playtime, which featured Disney Junior shows on a repeated loop. When asked about the addition of this new feature, Dana confirmed that its been a success for Disney+.

Absolutely. And Disney playtime has been very successful because of course parents don’t have to keep selecting another show at the end of — they can watch Louie or all of our programming and that again is helping us to introduce this young audience to multiple franchises.

Roger’s Take: At its heart, Disney is a company that makes content for families and children, with huge blockbuster hits like the recent Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, plus its many popular preschool shows.  However, I do think Disney hasn’t been able to engage with older children in the same way it used to be able to, due to the rise in social media, YouTube and other content. 

Over the past few years, the company has also struggled to find the balance in how it tells stories for a modern audience. With recent political changes forcing companies to dial back their progressive content, we are going to see Disney return more to the middle ground, trying to avoid alienating audiences.   Disney is too reliant on its established franchises, and it doesn’t put its full PR campaign around any new franchise until it’s a proven hit.  With Disney scaling back its output, I can’t help but think Disney should lean in further on what it does well: kids’ content.  It’s one of the main reasons people have Disney+ and they need to invest in much more than they are right now.

Do you think Disney needs to invest in more children’s content? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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