Disney + is removing some of its classics from the children’s catalog for inappropriate content

Madrid. The entertainment giant Disney has chosen to strengthen the security of its Disney + streaming platform by removing classic movies from the children’s catalog, such as “Dumbo” or “Peter Pan”, which include negative representations and / or mistreatment of people or cultures, although it continues to be available on adult accounts.

According to a company spokesman to Efe, this measure strengthens the one adopted in October last year when revised content notifications were added for some Disney + titles, where it was reported that, being so old, it could includes some racist connotations.

Now several of his animated classics such as “Dumbo” (1941), “Peter Pan” (1953), “Lady and the Tramp” (1955), “The Jungle Book” (1967) and “The Aristo Cats” (1970) ) have They are now considered appropriate content only for people over the age of 7 and have been blocked in child profiles (under 7) due to inappropriate content.

The company decided to ban films from children’s accounts after meeting the opinion of a group of external experts, made up of “top organizations that advocate for the communities they represent and are at the forefront of leading narrative change in media and entertainment. ”.

A position that is part of the commitment to “create stories with inspiring and ambitious themes that reflect the rich diversity of human experience around the world,” as reflected on Disney on its website.

Until now, the mouse company had dealt with the problem by issuing a warning message, which was played back 10 seconds before the movie started.

Even then, Disney said it did not consider it necessary to change the content of the films because, although they were wrong stereotypes “then and now,” the fact that they were in the original version allowed them to “learn and generate conversations to create a better future together.” inclusive ”.

The formula now chosen by Disney in its new streaming platform is to prevent minors under the age of seven from accessing the tapes, not even warned, and remove from the catalog movies considered inappropriate due to their racist content, leaving the option only for viewing older than that age. .

The problem of racist connotations of some classics is old, dating back to the release of certain films.

In “Dumbo,” for example, a scene includes a group of crows who use stereotypes to represent African Americans and led by a christened character Jim Crow, a derogatory term previously used to insult black men in the United States.

A similar problem arises in “The Jungle Book,” while “Peter Pan” has been criticized for describing Native Americans and “Aristo Cats” for his stereotype of Asians in Shun Gon’s image, A Siamese Cat, as in the same thing happens in “Lady and the Tramp” with two Siamese cats appearing in the film.