Disney Accused of Censoring Old Content, Rewriting Cinematic History

Viewers have noticed that Disney seems to be censoring old content, sparking online debate about rewriting cinematic history.

With hundreds of films and thousands of TV show episodes, Disney+ is home to some of the best media content the industry has to offer. That ranges from animated Disney classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to beloved newer entries like Frozen (2013), as well as mega-franchises such as Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Indiana Jones.

Disney recently announced that they plan to merge Disney+ with Hulu, further diversifying the options available to at-home audiences. However, for now, Disney+ is losing, not gaining, content. Titles such as The One and Only Ivan (2020), Diary of a Future President, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum were removed in May as part of Disney’s cost-cutting measures.

Now, audiences have noticed another change to Disney-owned titles. Some older content appears to have been edited to censor politically incorrect scenes.

Some users are reporting that their version of the Oscar-winning crime drama French Connection (1961) has had a sequence in which a character calls another a racial slur edited. This applies not just to Disney+ for some but to digital copies of the film purchased through other outlets, and any future theatrical screenings.

This has sparked debate on Twitter, where users have accused Disney of being “the worst custodians of film history.”

“If Disney makes it a habit of CENSORING @WilliamFriedkin ‘s multiple Oscar-winning film (including Best Picture), well then…shareholders should take a good long look at what the studio is doing with 20th Century Studio’s legacy,” wrote user @BurnettRM.

User @MysteryDiseased commented: “If they are happy censoring classics, what chance do smaller films have. Shameful behaviour by @Disney.”

Another user accused Disney of “selectively censoring and editing for DECADES.” Past examples include editing out cigarettes in Saludos Amigos (1942) and removing a “casting couch” joke from Toy Story 2 (1999). While some have defended such edits as trivial changes that don’t impact the final film in any way, others feel very passionately about Disney preserving tells from a bygone era – controversial or not.

What do you think about editing old movies to match modern-day sensibilities? Let us know in the comments!