by Thinus Ferreira
Following the reelection in the United States of Donald Trump and a marked shift within the Trump administration away from diversity, called DEI in that country, The Walt Disney Company is once again removing and shortening content warnings on some of its old films and other content on Disney+ and toning it down.
On Tuesday Axios first reported that Disney is once again altering and shortening the content warnings before its films, toning it down and rolling it back to a previous, briefer version.
Not only is Disney shortening its content warnings, it is removing them from auto-playing in front of film selections and shunting it to within the details in an information tab.
Films like Dumbo, Peter Pan and The Aristocats will once again have a less specific content warning - and this time relegated to a details tab - as Disney is backtracking on its corporate initiatives to promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion in the United States and affecting how Disney+ looks globally.
The content advisory disclaimers that ran before certain Disney+ titles like Dumbo, until now used to have a content warning that stated content "includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures".
Now Disney is deliberately rolling it back to a shortened version stating "This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions". It's also removed from auto-play and dumped in a side tab.
Disney first started to add content warnings to some of its outdated and offensive content on Disney+ in November 2019 with the original note that stated "This programme is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions".
A year later in October 2020, Disney made its content warnings on Disney+ longer and much more specific.
The updated and longer Disney+ content warning read: "This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now".
"Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe."
Now Disney is walking this back and is backsliding to the earlier and shorter 2019 version of its content warnings that will no longer play in front of problematic films but is getting moved to the side as an additional detail.
