Disney+ streaming service comes with vault of racist content

Has Disney+ found a way to combat “cancel culture”?

In adding its extensive catalog of beloved movies — both live-action and animated — on the new streaming service, Disney has also opened itself up to criticism for including works that contain potentially offensive scenes: Viewers of the new streaming service point out that some of the company’s older films are rife with racist content.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, some films on the platform would be edited to remove content offensive to some. Others have suggested that the 1941 movie “Dumbo,” for instance, would be edited to remove a scene involving a crow named Jim Crow, a specific reference to a blackface theater character from the 1800s.

However, in descriptions of “Dumbo” and other films — such as “The Jungle Book” and “Fantasia” — Disney+ instead includes a disclaimer: “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”

Not everyone is convinced that’s the way to go, with one observer filing it under the hashtag #DisneyPlusfail, while others applauded the decision to show “accountability” and post a warning.

That said, not every seemingly problematic film in the Disney vault will see the light of day, either. In particular, the 1946 movie “Song of the South” — long criticized for its stereotyped portrayals of post-Civil War African Americans — is nowhere to be found on Disney+, or elsewhere on home video or streaming. But The Guardian notes that a Change.org petition — with more than 4,000 signatures — is encouraging the company to not “bury” its release “so we can learn from history and make our own decisions.” (In 2011, Disney CEO Bob Iger said releasing it “wouldn’t necessarily sit right or feel right to a number of people today.”)

Such cultural grievances are not the only #DisneyPlusFail some viewers have noted since the streamer fired up on Tuesday. Beyond initial streaming problems, fans of “The Simpsons” were quick to note that episodes from the first 30 seasons of that animated series are getting cropped from their original 4:3 ratio into a widescreen 16:9 format. Fans couldn’t help but notice that some of the show’s prolific sight gags were getting left out.

via: https://nypost.com/2019/11/13/disney-catches-heat-for-streaming-movies-with-racist-content/

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Co./Everett Collection