‘Peter Pan’, ‘Dumbo? and Aristocats’ have been subject to censorship by the Disney + audiovisual platform, restricting their reproduction for children under 7 years of age, due to the racist nature content that some of their scenes contain. They have been rated as tapes that include “negative representations.”
The culture of censorship for a more inclusive culture free of stereotypes and discrimination has not left out the child population. This has been demonstrated by Disney +, the video streaming service belonging to the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of the Walt Disney Company, which has announced the censorship of some iconic children’s films for their content of a racist nature and marked social stereotypes.
Films such as Peter Pan, Dumbo, Aristocats and Swiss Family Robinson have been censored for Disney + users under 7 years of age, who will only be able to access these content from the profile of an adult, with their authorization and company.
The reasons? Disney + has explained that these productions can have a negative impact on the smaller population, due to racist messages and inappropriate treatment of people and cultures. Here are some examples:
In ‘Dumbo’ (1941) – one of the most controversial films in terms of its racial content – images of enslaved African Americans working in the fields are shown, happily singing a song that says “we will be slaves until we are dead, but still we are happy (…) we don’t know when we are going to get paid, but when we do we will waste our money ”; These scenes would refer to the racial segregation laws in force in the United States until 1965.
Other examples, in ‘Peter Pan’ (1953) Native Americans are named as a tribe of “Indians” or “Redskins”; in ‘Aristocats’ (1970) the Siamese cat Shun Gon has slanted eyes that could fit in with the caricature of Asian citizens that was given to the Japanese population after World War II.
The decision by one of the largest entertainment companies has caused discussion among its users, some claim that these films were created at a time in history where it simply reflects what society was like at that time, and that not necessarily the message that is shown goes with an ultimate aim of discriminating against certain social groups or races; while others, appreciate the visibility of a social problem where content that may seem innocent has a negative impact on those who are just forming their opinion and understanding of society.
The message Disney + delivers prior to playing these tapes as a disclaimer says, “This content includes negative portrayals or inappropriate treatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were incorrect then and they are now ”, it continues saying that “instead of eliminating this content, we want to recognize its harmful impact, learn and encourage people to talk about it to create a more inclusive future for all of us ”.
