In a move to appease Disney fans after the worldwide protest on racial injustice of George Floyd, Disney+ added warnings of racism in films. Disney favorites like "Peter Pan," "Dumbo," and "Lady and the Tramp" now have the warnings.
Disney Updates Small Text Box Warning of Racism in Films
The previous year saw Disney Plus adding warnings in several of its contents. They noted that some films contained outdated depictions. These notes were placed in a small text box on the screen.
Now, the updated disclosure is shown at the beginning of the film. Disney+ allows about 10 seconds for the warning to be read by the viewer.
The new warning forewarns that the program includes negative depictions of cultures and mistreatment of people, Variety revealed. Disney further admits that the stereotypes were wrong, both when they were launched and at present.
Disney Plus reveals the reason why the company did not remove the content, despite knowledge of its harmful impact. "We can learn from these films instead of removing them," is the company's reason.
Disney added that they hope to create a more inclusive future following conversations from such films. Moving forward, Disney pledges to create inspirations stories rich with diversity.
Disney Updates Dumbo Film, Removes Racist Clip
Previously, Disney+ launched "Dumbo" with a shorter content warning on its racist depictions. The warning revealed that the film was "presented as originally created."
However, later this year Disney Plus decided to delete a controversial clip from the 1941 animated classic. The scene in question featured a crow named Jim Crow who, ironically was voiced by a male actor, Cliff Edwards.
During the World War II, returning African American soldiers faced humiliating Jim Crow laws which enforced racial segregation. Disney CEO Bob Iger explained that such scenes and films no longer sit right with certain viewers of today, NBC News reported.
Embracing Diversity
Disney+ updated their warnings with a link to Disney.com/StoriesMatter. There viewers can find information on diverse storytelling of different cultures.
Entertainment professionals like Cristela Alonzo, Geena Davis, and Gil Robertson participated in Disney's Stories Matter endeavor.
Stronger Message to Embrace People of Color
Disney+ films that show racism include "The Aristocats" (1970) wherein a yellow-faced cat was seen playing the piano, not with hands but with chopsticks portraying Asians in a negative light.
In "Lady and the Tramp" (1955) Si and Am are Siamese cats represented as stereotypes of anti-Asians. In another scene, dogs from Mexico and Russia were portrayed with heavy accents.
Another Disney classic, "Peter Pan" also had an updated warning. In the film, Native Americans were called "redskins." Disney now admits it is a form of mockery to Native peoples' imagery and culture, BBC reported.
Other racist scenes found in Disney films included "Jungle Book" (1968). The film showed stereotype of lazy African-Americans with poor linguistic skills through the ape character, King Louie.
However, there are no comments on the scenes themselves wherein children can tell for themselves that these are racist behavior. Parental advice remains necessary.
