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Credit: Inside the MagicHow far do you think Disney will go to protect its audiences?
The Walt Disney Company has been on the “woke” radar for years. From its diverse Strange World (2022) movie to the casting and changes made to the recent live-action Snow White (2025) film, the Mouse House’s entertainment slate has come under intense scrutiny and criticism, prompting discourse far and wide.
Many critics believe Disney’s recent turbulent box office results are inherently tied to its decision to infuse its releases with diversity and messages.
Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger addressed this early last year. Speaking to CNBC in April 2024, the Disney leader said, “Infusing messaging is not what we’re up to […] We need to be entertaining.” His comments came after projects like Pixar’s 2022 movies Turning Red and Lightyear, as well as Marvel’s female-led The Marvels (2023), all drew scrutiny for the themes they included.
It hasn’t all been disastrous at the box office, though. Last year, The Walt Disney Company scored three back-to-back billion-dollar successes with Inside Out (2024), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and Moana 2 (2024).
Before its release, many discussed whether Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2 would delve deeper into teenagehood and identity due to its main character’s age, potentially echoing elements of 2022’s Turning Red. It didn’t, as such, but concept art showed that the Pixar movie could have explored puberty even more with a Puberty Park location.
Audiences tend to be split when dissecting the onscreen experience of growing up in Disney movies. Some are grateful that the Mouse House uses its movies to navigate important life events, while others believe that Disney films should not mention “adult” experiences. Such was the case for Turning Red, which explored teenagehood and included that tampon scene.
Pixar’s Turning Red (2022) marked a bold step forward for the acclaimed animation studio, bringing a unique blend of magical transformation and heartfelt adolescence to the Disney sphere. Directed by Domee Shi—who previously helmed the Oscar-winning short Bao—this coming-of-age fantasy-comedy centers on Meilin “Mei” Lee, a confident and quirky 13-year-old girl growing up in early-2000s Toronto.
Mei is juggling school, friendships, and the high expectations of her overprotective mother when she suddenly discovers that, thanks to a mystical family trait, she transforms into a giant red panda whenever she feels strong emotions. What follows is a chaotic and personal journey of self-discovery that taps into puberty’s awkward and emotional whirlwind.
Upon its release, Turning Red sparked considerable online discourse. It was celebrated for its cultural authenticity, but challenged for its depiction of puberty and exploration of identity and family dynamics—topics rarely addressed so directly in mainstream animation.
Many praised the film’s specificity as its strength, particularly its focus on a Chinese-Canadian household and the emotional complexity between mothers and daughters.
However, even a family movie can be censored for other audiences.
When Turning Red made its Disney Channel debut on May 25, 2025, a number of subtle but notable edits were made to tailor the film for a younger audience. One of the most prominent changes came during a scene where Ming Lee confronts Devon.
Originally, she says, “This is what happens when you don’t wear sunblock and do drugs all day,” but the word “drugs” was softened to “things” in the broadcast version, toning down the intensity of the implication. Another adjustment involved Meilin’s reaction after she trips and falls—her exclamation, “Oh, crap!” was removed entirely, eliminating the mild profanity for Disney’s family-friendly standards.
Disney also altered some of the film’s slang and cultural references. In a classroom scene where Mei proudly refers to her presentation as “the bomb dot com,” the line was shortened to just “bomb,” likely to remove a phrase that might feel dated or confusing for today’s younger viewers.
Similarly, a line from Abby describing boy band 4*Town’s music as “stripper music” was changed to “strong music,” stripping away any mature or suggestive undertones.
These edits align with Disney Channel’s focus on audiences aged 2–14, particularly those who might be watching alongside family or on Disney Junior.
By softening language and removing more mature references, Disney seemingly ensured that Turning Red remained accessible and appropriate across all its platforms, though the changes also reignited conversations about how studios modify content depending on where and how it’s shown. The changes can be seen in the X post below:
Here are all of the censorship examples we caught of Turning Red on Disney Channel.
Here are all of the censorship examples we caught of Turning Red on Disney Channel. pic.twitter.com/9qdQTCBfEf
— The Disney Beat (@DisneyBeat101) May 26, 2025
Turning Red, without this censorship, can be found on The Walt Disney Company’s streaming platform, Disney+. The movie features the voice talents of Rosalie Chiang as Mei and Killing Eve’s Sandra Oh as Ming, her devoted but overbearing mother.
Rounding out Mei’s circle of supportive and equally eccentric friends are Ava Morse as Miriam, Hyein Park as Abby, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya. The film, produced by Lindsey Collins and written by Shi alongside Julia Cho and Sarah Streicher, made history as Pixar’s first feature to be solely directed by a woman and led by an all-female creative team.
How do you feel about these words being removed or changed from the movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!