OpEd: The problem with censoring classic Disney movies on Disney+ – Inside the Magic
As the launch of Disney+ drew near, there was both a fear and expectation that a PC filter would be put on classic Disney movies, censoring several scenes now deemed too controversial and outright racist. Now that Disney+ is live, it is now clear that Disney had no intention of censoring its content and instead opted for a disclaimer written in each films description. This news came at both the horror and relief of many Disniacs seeking their idea of purity.
But there is a major problem The Walt Disney Company is faced with: They CANT take those scenes out because we find them at what are objectively extremely crucial plot points. Here are three of the most controversial scenes to prove this point:
Please note: This piece does NOT deny the views of the majority today. Instead, this piece stands to prove unfortunately objective points of storytelling and to show a need for us to be able to view stories through a lens beyond our own.
Yes, the lead crow in Dumbois named Jim Crow. Yes, a murder is what you call a group of crows, and yes, together, they are portrayed in ways that would make the Twittersphere cry racist! But these wise-cracking birds appear in one of the most important scenes in the film.
Why are they so important? THEY TEACH DUMBO TO FLY. They give him the magic feather, and they sing the most iconic song to come out of that movie after Baby Mine: When I see a elephant fly(which includes an ingenious level of puns). In all the racist ebonics-shouting hokiness, these crows are intended to be seen as heroes in what was written at the time to be a scene that starts with heckling banter and turns into one thats fun, and literally uplifting.
Okay, outside of the obviously racist cartoony Asian voices, this is still just a creepy, annoying, and uncomfortable song that should make everybody cringe. But it is a crucial scene for this telling.
Why are they so important? Because the cats sing their song as they trash the house, and they represent an invasion on Ladys home on an animal front as well as Aunt Saras human front. It is after this that the cats frame Lady for the crimes, and it drives their owner, Aunt Sara, to put Lady in a muzzle. The muzzle was the last straw, and Lady ran away. That scene is supposed to be disturbing and uncomfortable and distasteful from every angle and be a driving force to get Lady out of the house and on her adventure with Tramp.
I was just going to mention the Powwow scene, but lets talk about their role in the movie in general. Disney has a horrid track record of portraying Amerindians in a way that that would be favored in todays society, and the straight-up red-faced, raspy-voiced portrayal of the Indians in Peter Panis no exception (especially when the beautiful women like Tiger Lily are shown to have the most caucasian features, but thats a-whole-nother can of worms). But they are still crucial to the story.
Why are they so important? Well, for those of you who know Peter Pan,you know J.M. Barrie made them a rather crucial part of the story, and the same is true for Disneys version. When John, Michael, and the Lost Boys get captured by the Indians, we learn that Tiger Lily was captured by Captain Hook, which sends Peter and Wendy on their quest. The Powwow scenewhich is meant to serve as comic relief after the intense encounter with Captain Hookis what finally disillusions Wendy to Neverland and makes her ready to go home.
In short, there is no clean way to sufficiently clean up these stories other than investing in remakes to re-write movies and Disney canon to fit our time. Adding disclaimers and keeping the movies pure is the best way to go. But this writer wants to challenge every Disniac out there to try to view these movies from the world for which they were released and understand that none of the above scenes were produced to be maliciously racist and degrading. Society has a way of making things once okay be not okay anymore.
We should teach the next generation of Disniacs to see that dissonance between the moviegoing world of the past and today so that they can still appreciate these films for what they are, and still see what is good and funny today while understanding what is not OK anymore. Believe it or not, it is possible. Getting hung up on every PR blemishwith Disney or otherwiseis just as bad as agreeing with or blatantly ignoring them.
Continue reading here:
OpEd: The problem with censoring classic Disney movies on Disney+ - Inside the Magic
- Screening of The Librarians spotlights rising censorship and harassment of librarians - WRGB - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- "Books Unbanned - Freedom to Read" in Viroqua to highlight censorship of books - WXOW - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- A lesson on media consolidation and censorship from a Texas prison - Freedom of the Press Foundation - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- In Argentina, Journalists Accuse Milei of Censorship and Attacks on the Press - ColombiaOne.com - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The Power of Transparency Without Censorship: Raising Political Leaders You Can Trust - LaGrange Daily News - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- Putin's rating falls for the seventh week due to war and censorship - ISW - () - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- Cannes ACID Doc 'Into the Jaws of the Ogre' Boards Rediance for Sales - Variety - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- Judge Says DOJ and DHS Likely Coerced Tech Firms To Censor ICE-Tracking Platforms - Reason Magazine - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- The Uncensored Version of 2026's Most Controversial Anime Episode Is Getting an Official Release - ScreenRant - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- From Gaza to Venice Gabrielle Goliaths feminist breath transcends national censorship - Daily Maverick - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- EU to Tighten Online Censorship via Russia Sanctions - Gript - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- An NYT article goes missing from Pakistan edition. Its about censoring the Shia voice - ThePrint - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- Over 10,000 Experts Fled the Federal Government and One Former NASA Scientist Reveals the Grim Censorship Inside - ZME Science - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Court To Bondi: Demanding Platforms Censor Speech And Bragging About It On Fox News Is, In Fact, A First Amendment Violation - Techdirt. - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Ai Weiwei Wrote the Book on Censorship - Hyperallergic - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Europe: Chinas censorship of cultural institutions must be challenged - ARTICLE 19 - Defending freedom of expression and information. - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- 2025 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns as censors move to more targeted blocks - TechRadar - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- The Increased Prominence of Censorship Compromising Students Educational Freedom - codcourier.org - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- UW's academic freedom group caught censoring its own professors - seattlered.com - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- We just scored a big win against government censorship but the censors are doubling down - NewsGuard's Reality Check - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- There are criticisms that AI models touted as 'censorship-free models' are actually failing to remove any censorship at all. - GIGAZINE - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Judges slam Trump admin over social media censorship, limits on transgender treatments for kids - Washington Times - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Updated Speakers for April 23 Event on Draft IT Rules 2021 Amendments - MediaNama - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Free Speech Under Fire: Glenn Greenwald Takes on Censorship, Hypocrisy, and the Politics of Fear - scheerpost.com - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- West Bengal: On the Lalgola streets: A call for protest amid censorship and SIR opacity - Maktoob - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Nigerian broadcast regulator accused of 'censorship' ahead of 2027 vote - Jacaranda FM - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Bizzare 'censorship' row as top Scottish football pundit banned from Hampden carpark - The National Scot - April 21st, 2026 [April 21st, 2026]
- Yale Admits Self-Censorship and Political Bias Are Eroding Trust in Higher Education - Yahoo - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The Supreme Court Ruled Against 'Informal Censorship' 6 Decades Ago but Officials Are Still Jawboning - Yahoo - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The 1930 censorship law that got an insufficiently respectful Jodie Foster movie banned from cinemas - Far Out Magazine - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Crypto censorship resistance is questioned as major fight breaks out over who gets to freeze your digital dollars - CryptoSlate - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Yale Admits Self-Censorship and Political Bias Are Eroding Trust in Higher Education - Reason Magazine - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- University of Michigan subreddit censors WSWS articles on suicide of Chinese researcher - World Socialist Web Site - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Breaking Iran announces closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Trumps statements - - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Atiku Slams NBC Advisory, Warns Against Creeping Censorship Ahead of Elections - Nigeria Info FM - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Attacks on secularism at school: 56% of teachers say they self-censor in class, they need to be trained and supported even more - MVNU - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- No Fee, No Jury, No Censorship: Art All Night Returns With 22 Hours of Pittsburgh Creativity - Pittsburgh Magazine - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Facebook and Instagram Tighten Censorship Rules for Saying Antifa - The Intercept - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Opinion: Self-censorship has become the safest form of expression - The Globe and Mail - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Snapshots of Censorship: The Philosophy Professor Kept from Teaching Plato - PEN America - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Censorship and Surveillance at US Universities - Middle East Research and Information Project - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Censorship in the lecture halls - smudailycampus.com - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Playing Chicken With Censorship: The South Park Story - hercampus.com - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- 'We do see this as censorship': Bow Valley libraries push back on Bill 28 - Rocky Mountain Outlook - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- NEW: Censorship and Surveillance at US Universities - Middle East Research and Information Project - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- 100 Grassroots Groups Urge Congress to Reject Bill to Censor Books in Public Schools - PEN America - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- The Iran Wars Hidden Front: Censorship, Satellite Imagery, and Narrative Power - Homeland Security Today - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- You dont need to live in China to experience Chinas censorship - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Carneys stolen majority, new censorship bills + the REAL story behind the Juno News BC Leadership Debate - Juno News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Free Speech and Censorship Symposium: Shedding Light with Truth - PantherNOW - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Censorship of artist Basma al-Sharif continues: Germanys foreign ministry reprimands Goethe-Institut for showcasing her work - World Socialist Web... - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Hungary: The signs that heralded Pter Magyars landslide - Index on Censorship - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Crash, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and the laughable loopholes in British censorship - Far Out Magazine - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- It is censorship, EPL head says of proposed restrictions - Taproot Edmonton - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Film on book bans to screen free at Tiverton library - Fall River Herald News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Paxton, FTC Win Against Ad Firms Accused of Censoring Conservatives - Woodlands Online - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Bangladesh Social Media Regulation | From censorship to chaos, we must steer clear of the extremes of social media - The Daily Star - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Telegram CEO urges Russians to 'stock up' on VPNs as the platform gets an anti-censorship boost - TechRadar - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- V&A Museum deleted maps and images deemed sensitive by Chinese censors - London Evening Standard - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Hollywood Theatre and PSU present: The Cinema of Jafar Panahi - KATU - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- US lawmakers allege European Commission interference, censorship ahead of Hungary election - The Kyiv Independent - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- State Dept. settles with conservative media outlets that sued for censorship during Biden admin: Never again - New York Post - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- The Twilight Zone Writers Had One Censorship Rule That Only Creator Rod Serling Ignored - IMDb - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- The Twilight Zone Writers Had One Censorship Rule That Only Creator Rod Serling Ignored - SlashFilm - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Letter to the Editor re: I Wrote a Book About Censorship. Then People Tried to Censor It. - The Free Press - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Cancelled Clancy event becomes example of censorship at U.S. Senate hearing - News From The States - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Gone are the days when Tbilisi was safe for journalists escaping persecution - Index on Censorship - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- How governments have tried to hide information about the Iran war online - NPR - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Pentagon ordered to stop censoring journalists again - Freedom of the Press Foundation - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Journalist bodies demand withdrawal of Draft IT Rules 2026, warn of censorship and chilling effect - Maktoob Media - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- Nations tried to impose a digital fog of war in Iran. The results are mixed - NPR - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Its not censorship: Why relocating LGBTQIA books to the adult section protects both rights and kids - Christian Post - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Where and How Book Censorship Is Impacting Children's Publishing Right Now: Book Censorship News, April 10, 2026 - Book Riot - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Librarians on the Front Line: University Libraries Address Book Bans, Censorship - SBU News - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Kurdish journalists targeted in new wave of online censorship - Bianet - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Canceled and Silenced: From Instagram Ban to Fears of Censorship - The Fulcrum - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Why Its Such A Big Deal That Chinese Automaker BYD Is Threatening To Sue Us - The Autopian - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Online censorship and algospeak: Confusifying the masses with newfangled linguification - The Daily Star - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Did the US Holocaust Memorial Museum self-censor to preempt Trumps wrath? - The Art Newspaper - April 8th, 2026 [April 8th, 2026]
- Unpacking viral theories: Censorship, Mojtaba missing, and death hoaxes - The Jerusalem Post - April 8th, 2026 [April 8th, 2026]