Disney has introduced updated content warnings for some of its most iconic classic films on Disney+, such as Peter Pan and Dumbo. These notices alert viewers to the presence of outdated and harmful stereotypes.
Rather than editing or removing these films, Disney includes a disclaimer to educate audiences about the damaging impact of negative portrayals.
In 2019, Disney began displaying content warnings before certain movies on the platform. The message, originally brief, has been revised and now lingers on screen for 10 seconds before playback begins.
This warning precedes older Disney films like The Aristocats, Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Swiss Family Robinson.
These movies contain offensive stereotypes. Peter Pan, for example, portrays Indigenous peoples in ways that disregard their authentic traditions, appropriating and mocking their cultural imagery.
Similarly, in The Aristocats, one character serves as a racist caricature of East Asian people, voiced by a white actor in a mocking accent with lyrics ridiculing the Chinese language.
The entertainment industry is reckoning with biases in historical content. Approaches to re-releasing such works vary: Warner Bros. prepends warnings to many classic cartoons addressing racial stereotyping.
In June 2020, HBO Max temporarily pulled the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, later restoring it with a note explaining how it "denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacies of racial inequality."
Alongside this update, Disney launched its Stories Matter website, confronting the company's past while reaffirming its dedication to diversity and inclusion. An advisory board of media narrative change organizations provided guidance.
These warnings stem from broader cultural shifts—take time to explore why these depictions are harmful. Disney joins others in this effort; Netflix, for instance, recently curated a collection to illuminate the Black Lives Matter movement's importance.
