Disney+ Strengthens Advisory Warning About Racist Content In Classic Films

“Instead of removing this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact,” acknowledges the platform’s notice

Disney + has added a warning for racist content or negative representation of different cultures or people in several classic animated films , including titles such as Peter Pan, Dumbo , Fantasy, and Lady and the Tramp.

“This title includes negative representations and / or mistreatment of people or cultures,” says the new notice. “These stereotypes were wrong then and they are wrong now. Rather than removing this content, we want to acknowledge its damaging impact, learn from it, and spark debate to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspiring and ambitious themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the world, ” you can read.

Since last year the streaming service has begun to review its content and add warnings. Since November 2019 Dumbo already had a warning, somewhat shorter than the current one. “This title is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural representations ”, read the first message. The company has also made a link, Disney.com/StoriesMatter, with information on the impact of diverse storytelling on culture.

Although on this occasion they have chosen to include a warning, Disney + previously decided to discard the film “Song of the South” from its catalog due to its racist content. According to Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed at the time that the film will not be released on the streaming platform again. “It is not appropriate in today’s world,” he noted.

Disney + is not the first platform to include this type of message. HBO Max pulled Gone with the Wind from its catalog last June , but later re-listed the film with a notice. “The film’s treatment of this world through a nostalgic vision denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacy of racial inequality,” reads the new observation.

In addition, HBO Max included a second historical context notice consisting of a panel discussion moderated by historian Donald Bogle and titled ‘The Complicated Legacy of Gone With the Wind’, a talk that took place at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April of 2019.