Why Did Disney Cancel Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Aristocats and More?
If you are a Disney+ subscriber you are going to find it a bit more difficult to find some kid's movies including Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Aristocats, Swiss Family Robinson.
To be clear the movies aren't being canceled as in you can't get the flicks anymore, but perhaps 'canceled' as in a victim of a cancel culture. The movies were pulled from children's profiles but parents can still view the movies that contain the following disclaimer:
“This program 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."
So just exactly what was it that caused the Dumbo, Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson, and The Aristocats to get sent to the principles office? Disney explained on their website:
“Dumbo” (1941): “The crows and musical numbers pay homage to racist minstrel shows, where white performers with blackened faces and tattered clothing imitated and ridiculed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations. The leader of the group in Dumbo is Jim Crow, which shares the name of laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.”
“Peter Pan” (1953): “The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions. It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as ‘redskins,’ an offensive term. Peter and the Lost Boys engage in dancing, wearing headdresses and other exaggerated tropes.”
“Swiss Family Robinson” (1960): “The pirates who antagonize the Robinson family are portrayed as a stereotypical foreign menace. Many appear in ‘yellow face’ or ‘brown face’ and are costumed in an exaggerated and inaccurate manner with top knot hairstyles, queues, robes, and overdone facial make-up and jewelry, reinforcing their barbarism and ‘otherness.’”
“The Aristocats” (1970): “The (Siamese) cat (Shun Gon) is depicted as a racist caricature of East Asian peoples with exaggerated stereotypical traits such as slanted eyes and buck teeth. He sings in poorly accented English voiced by a white actor and plays the piano with chopsticks.”
To learn more about how stories have impacted society, please visit
www.disney.com/StoriesMatter
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