Disney+, the new streaming service launched on November 12, 2019 (incidentally Song of the South’s anniversary), predictably does not include Song of the South among its available films. Several of their other older films have also recently had a disclaimer added:
This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
So far the films confirmed to have this disclaimer added include:
- Dumbo (1941)
- Peter Pan (1953)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Jungle Book (1967)
- The Aristocats (1970)
It is unclear what criteria must be met for these films to receive this disclaimer. There are several other films that could be considered offensive to some, including more recent films such as Aladdin (1992) and Pocahontas (1995). What about the cigar-smoking parrot José Carioca in Saludos Amigos (1942), or the depiction of Panchito Pistoles as a gun-toting, sombrero-wearing rooster in The Three Caballeros (1944)? Where does one draw the line? There are also several films from the 1940s that Disney has inconsistently censored, including:
- Removing the Martins and the Coys sequence from Make Mine Music (1947) for its depiction of gunplay
- Removing the cigarette from Pecos Bill’s mouth in Melody Time (1948) for its depiction of smoking (yet they left his guns)
- Removing the centaur Sunflower from Fantasia (1940) for its stereotypical depiction of African Americans
This begs the question if they will restore these above films to their original content, and add these disclaimers? One has to wonder if they will eventually do the same for Song of the South as well. You can suggest a title be added to Disney+ by going to the Help section and selecting “Request a film or show”.
Thanks to everyone for the news reports!