The very first Disney short, Steamboat Willie, was released all the way back in 1928, and it’s safe to say that in the last 92 years, cultural norms and the acceptance of other cultures has changed quite a bit.
And because of those shifting norms, some old Disney films haven’t aged so well.
Instead of ignoring or erasing its culturally insensitive past, Disney is now adding a new advisory to certain titles that they are hoping will help to encourage a dialog about hurtful stereotypes. This statement now appears for ten seconds on screen prior to each of these movies beginning on Disney+.
A panel of experts from outside of the Walt Disney Company will consult on which films will get the new advisory. Organizations on the advisory council include the African-American Film Critics Association, Define American, GLAAD Media Institure, The National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and more.
The message will appear in front of movies such as Aristocats, Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Swiss Family Robinson. The Stories Matter website then elaborates on why the particular scene depicted is harmful. For instance, it states that the Siamese cat in Aristocats “reinforces the ‘perpetual foreigner’ stereotype, while the film also features lyrics that mock the Chinese language and culture such as ‘Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Foo Young. Fortune cookie always wrong.'”
The hope is to represent communities accurately and admit when, in the past, Disney hasn’t. While we have seen this message listed on the films on Disney+ in the past, this will now put the message front and center prior to each of the movies.
The 10 Best Animated Movies on Disney+ You Haven’t Watched Yet
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
This is awesome! A much better alternative to pretending they never existed. These are teachable moments.
I can only hope that Song of the South can return and we can keep Splash Mountain.
Contrarywise, don’t you think going up the hill to the big drop while “Friends on the Other Side” plays would be awesome?
“Are you REAAAADY????”