Disney slap racism warnings on classic films Peter Pan, Dumbo and The Jungle Book due to ‘negative racial depictions and mistreatment of people or cultures’
- Much-loved classics have all been prefixed with the warnings on streaming service Disney+
- The warnings are understood to be part of an ongoing review carried out by Disney across its extensive back catalogue films
- Other features to include the warning include The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, and Swiss Family Robinsonn
- Disney+ have also made the decision to completely overlook certain features, among them controversial 1946 film Song Of The South
A series of classic animated Disney films have been given content advisory warnings to alert potentially sensitive viewers of any negative racial depictions or outdated ethnic stereotypes.
Much-loved films Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and Dumbo have all been prefixed with the warnings on streaming service Disney+, part of the ongoing march in Hollywood’s battle with racism.
A message offered to viewers reads: ‘This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.
Warning: A series of classic animated Disney films , among them Peter Pan (pictured) have been given content advisory warnings to alert p viewers of any negative racial depictions
‘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.’
The warnings are understood to be part of an ongoing review carried out by Disney across its extensive back catalogue films.
Other features to include the warning include 1970 musical comedy The Aristocats, canine love story Lady and the Tramp – a hit for Disney in 1955 – and 1960 adventure Swiss Family Robinson.
Not so harmless: Dumbo comes under fire for its references to racist segregationist laws in the deep south, as well as its use of affected African-American voices
In relation to The Aristocats – a film about a group of musical felines – Disney warns viewers that one of the cats “sings in poorly accented English voiced by a white actor and plays the piano with chopsticks.”
Meanwhile Peter Pan viewers are warned that Native Americans Indians are referred to as “redskins”.
Disney also claim scenes in which Peter and The Lost Boys dance in native American headdresses are a “form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples’ culture and imagery.”
It’s a bear necessity: The Jungle Book, a 1967 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s novel, has also been highlighted for its perceived use of negative racial stereotypes
In the doghouse: Lady and Tramp has been placed on the list due to its perceived stereotyping of Asians
The Jungle Book, a 1967 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s novel, has also been highlighted for its perceived use of negative racial stereotypes.
Elsewhere 1941 release Dumbo comes under fire for its references to racist segregationist laws in the deep south, as well as its use of affected African-American voices.
Lady and Tramp has been placed on the list due to its perceived stereotyping of Asians courtesy of Siamese cats Si and Am, while a dog pound features canines with largely ethnic names and accents, including Mexican and Russian.
Divisive: Disney+ have also made the decision to completely overlook certain features, among them controversial 1946 film Song Of The South
Unreleased: Set on a plantation during America’s Reconstruction Era, Song of the South has never been given a DVD or video release in the United States due to its distasteful handling of race
Disney+ have also made the decision to completely overlook certain features, among them controversial 1946 film Song Of The South.
Set on a plantation during America’s Reconstruction Era, Song of the South has never been given a DVD or video release in the United States due to its distasteful handling of race.
Writing for the The Afro-American following its release, reviewer Richard B. Dier labelled it “as vicious a piece of propaganda for white supremacy as Hollywood ever produced.”