There’s a fine line between admitting to a mistake and trying to rewrite history, and the line between the two became more blurred than ever when the world found itself in the midst of a huge push for social and racial equality. As a knee-jerk reaction, many networks and streaming services began pulling titles from their libraries so as not to cause offense, although the motivations were questionable in some cases.
Removing content that’s viewed as culturally unacceptable today is one thing, but having the internet call out Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in Tropic Thunder is something else entirely, especially when his Academy Award nominated turn was created specifically to mock the entitlement of vain actors that think they can play any role regardless of race, creed or gender.
As the most staunchly family-friendly corporate monolith in the business, Disney were never going to include something like Song of the South in the content library of their streaming service, but viewers have nonetheless picked up on some bizarre edits made in an effort to censor a few of their movies.
Now, the platform has added a disclaimer that plays in front of older animated titles including Peter Pan, Dumbo, Swiss Family Robinson, The Aristocats and more, warning folks that they may find some of the content offensive, and you can see the full statement below.
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.”
Of course, a number of Disney animations are very much products of their time and haven’t aged particularly gracefully when viewed through a modern lens, and offering an advisory warning before the movie is a much better option than simply pulling it entirely in an effort to avoid any sort of backlash or controversy whatsoever.