That article I linked to above suggests that a good chunk of their movies are tied up on other services such as Netflix and, as a result of the current deals, it will take some time to get them all on Disney+. So some of their content will be drip fed as a result.
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Jerome Fynn has joined the cast of Amazon's adaptation of The Dark Tower as an as yet unnamed cowboyComment
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Though Disney+ will eventually play host to the company's vaulted content, the famed Disney Vault won't be left completely empty and without use. Disney have confirmed that Song of the South won't be available on the service. Additionally, Dumbo will be cut down to remove the crows.
Song of the South is an expected, understandable but still complicated omission. Dumbo's is a difficult one, the crows are very involved in the scene where Dumbo first discovers he flew and are part of how he does so again, as well as the films ending. To edit them out Disney will need to remove that discovery altogether, Dumbo suddenly knowing how to fly, and sever the films ending as well as the famous 'When I See an Elephant Fly' song which will no doubt cause an fuss no matter the intentions.
It also raises questions about what Disney plans for its long list of timeless classics, Dumbo being far from the only film that could have such criticisms levied at it
For the seventh time in four years Netflix is taking on more debt. The service is taking on another $2bn in debt which will increase Netflix's long term debt owed to an eye watering $12.3bn. So far Netflix has been unable to make any significant repayments on its debts. This. This right here is the golden key to how Netflix will meet its demise.Comment
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Disney are in a difficult position with those films precisely because they can feel so timeless. Most old films you can watch and evaluate with a certain awareness of history and context. Kids don’t get that with those Disney classics and yet, of course, they are of their time and some things won’t be right for a modern audience. This is normal. They have no choice but to either bury them or alter them.Comment
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Era often cites this as a good example for what companies with such content should be looking at introducing
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That works for adults. It doesn’t work for four year olds.Comment
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True, but it's a quick step into a deep rabbit hole if banning content that later becomes considered reflective of past discriminations becomes common place. Pretty much most content would fail one benchmark or another. For me, it's definitely a hard one to figure out how to frame for the best but exorcising things as though they were never created doesn't feel like the right pathComment
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It's their own content. It's hardly banning. They are making decisions on their content for their audience, their main target being children. I think that's only a problem for someone who is well outside their core audience or for historical purposes (and I'm sure the originals are being documented - historical purposes doesn't mean mass-market). And you're right - as time goes on, more content will fail those tests and some probably for reasons we can't even predict yet and, if they didn't adapt, they'd be that company that keeps putting out stuff that is in no way right for the modern world. Disney are determined to stay relevant for each new generation of children and this is part of how that's going to work. Like I said, the only other way is burying it and, like with Song of the South, they'll do it eventually if edits don't cut it.Comment
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Don't all the DVDs and Blu Rays currently in the homes of children include these scenes?Comment
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For Dumbo? Yes, as far as I know they do.Comment
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Seems strange to ban them now. It never occurred to me as racist when I watched it.Comment
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The same is true for me, being honest. But it's really important to keep in mind that, while every country no doubt has its own racist baggage, the US baggage is very different to the UK baggage and, in the context of US history, it's obvious that many find that racial stereotyping to be out of date and, yeah, straight out racist. And as a white guy from a whole different country with a different history, it would be wrong of me to say they're wrong.
Sensibilities change over the ages. That will never stop. Some things will get away with it and persist over generations for various reasons but not everything and context will be important. But Disney want to market their content to new generations every time starting very young and they won't have that context so, at some point, decisions like this will be made.Comment
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I wonder if it will lead to regional variants for some of their films. Peter Pan is another one that would require extensive editing but largely for the benefit of the US audience. Given that these are heavily mass cherished films rather than simply just old films there's bound to be an outcry from other territories where the offensive aspects aren't seen in the same light so it'll be interesting to see how Disney tackles that double edged sword.Comment
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It's possible but I'm guessing Disney will go global with their edits just for ease. While there will no doubt be complaints and clickbait and plenty of YouTube rants, there won't be an outcry from the kids Disney are doing it for. Thing is, this happens all the time. Content is retired and buried every decade. It's the fact that these films still have relevance that makes them the exception. And until Disney are only selling to adult collectors rather than actual children, we're going to see more rather than less of this.Comment
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I'm definitely curious to see the cuts. Some of these are going to be hard to do without butchering the films and outside of the films themselves Disney is deeply invested in mining the properties so it can backfire very easily for them. It's easier with stuff like Song of the South where the whole product has a question mark hanging over it but picking and choosing is a minefield.
Aristocats! That one tooComment
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