Disney at Odds: May Censor Decades-Old Content

in Disney, Entertainment

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger looking at Disney Brand Image with Castle and Logo

Credit: Inside the Magic

In a world where cinematic milestones have marked James Cameron’s career for over three decades, Disney recently found itself considering the censorship of a decades-old film.

The Walt Disney Company building
Credit: The Walt Disney Company

James Cameron, known for delivering massive-scale films that rake in impressive box office numbers, has often stirred up controversy with his directorial choices.

Cameron, who has seen the success of franchises like Avatar and Terminator, consistently pushed the boundaries of filmmaking throughout his illustrious career. One such instance occurred in his movie The Abyss (1989), where a controversial scene involving a white pet rat became a point of contention, according to recent reports from ScreenRant.

In this particular scene, Monk conducts a demonstration of liquid breathing by submerging the rat in a container filled with a special liquid and securing it with a steel mesh to enable the rat to breathe underwater. Although the rat initially struggled, it eventually adapted to the oxygen-rich liquid. However, reports suggested that five rats were used during the filming, with strategic editing to avoid showing the rats defecating out of anxiety.

'The Abyss' Directed by James Cameron
Credit: 20th Century Studios

This portrayal of animal cruelty sparked backlash, with American Humane, a non-profit organization focused on animal safety in entertainment, criticizing the scene as unnecessary. The controversy surrounding the scene eventually faded into obscurity, only to resurface in 2023 when UK censors demanded its removal from the movie’s 4K release.

Disney faced a decision regarding this scene’s fate in The Abyss. Initially, they reportedly expressed willingness to comply with the request to delete the controversial scene from the UK 4K release. However, James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, firmly declined the request. As a result, Disney had no choice but to cancel the UK 4K release of The Abyss, ScreenRant reports.

Homer and Marge Simpsons
Credit: 20th Century Studios

The fact that Disney contemplated censoring a scene from a James Cameron film, more than 34 years after its initial release, raises intriguing questions, to say the least. But this isn’t the first time Disney has grappled with the idea of censorship. In the past, the entertainment giant has encountered similar dilemmas regarding certain scenes in its movies and television shows.

One of the most prevalent of these is Disney’s relationship with China. Countless Disney movies and television shows– including The Simpsons— have been censored in the country. Disney and other studios have been accused of “self-censorship” in China releases, as well as other areas like the Middle East. This past fall, reports came forward again expressing concern over these censorships. Representative Mike Gallagher met with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Tim Cook from Apple to discuss censorship in China back in September. Per the congressmen, after the meeting, “My concern about censorship remains as strong, if not stronger than ever.”

Bob Iger presenting at the D23 Expo 2019
Credit: Nagi Usano, Flickr

While this is a very different discussion than the U.K. release over a controversial scene, it still underscores the constant flow of pressure that The Walt Disney Company is facing, not just in recent releases but also in content from more than three decades ago.

What do you think of Disney censoring its old content? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!

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