Entertainment giant Disney has added expanded trigger warnings over “racist content” to many of its classic films, including Peter Pan, Dumbo, Fantasia, and Lady and the Tramp, on its streaming service Disney Plus.
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures,” read the warnings, which appear on audience screens for ten seconds after the films are selected for viewing, according to Variety. “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.”
The new verbiage replaces previous warnings on films such as Dumbo that simply read, “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”
The warnings also contain a link to Disney.com/StoriesMatter, featuring a short video pushing the concept of “diverse storytelling,” which maintains that only “diverse” writer rooms, characters, and stories are worthy for depiction.
Watch below:
The latest warning screens are part of the company’s continuing effort to slap warning notes on its past content. Disney had already labeled Dumbo, Jungle Book, Lady and the Tramp, and others as “offensive.” The latest warnings are an expansion of the campaign to marginalize its own past works.
Other TV networks have also slapped warning labels on movies. On HBO Max, the classic Civil War era love story, Gone With The Wind, was temporarily deleted after activists attacked the film. The service later brought the film back but festooned with warning labels. And in June, cable giant Comcast added a warning to Disney’s 1992 and 2019 versions of Aladdin claiming the films featured “outdated attitudes” that may “cause offense today.”
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