Dumbo and other old movies get a content warning on Disney+
After years of buildup, Disney+ has officially launched. The new streaming platform is hosting almost all the movies and TV shows produced by Disney (along with many produced by companies like Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox that have since been acquired by Disney). But given that some of those movies date back to the ’40s, some elements have not aged well. So a select amount of Disney movies come with a content warning: “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”
The movies given this warning include Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia, and more. Dumbo famously features a scene with crow characters that embody racist stereotypes, and one of the birds is literally named Jim Crow. But there are many other offenses of varying degrees in Disney’s archive.
That scene was not included in Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo remake, just as the new Lady and the Tramp remake (a Disney+ exclusive) cuts out the original’s “Siamese Cat Song.” There were rumors earlier this year that Disney might cut such scenes from the animated originals as well, but that has not come to pass. Instead, there is the content warning.
At least one thing remains true: There is still no legal way to watch Song of the South.
Disney did not respond to EW’s request for comment for this story.
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