Disney+ has blocked Peter Pan, Dumbo and more from child profiles due to their depiction of racist stereotypes.
CBR has verified these titles are being blocked from accounts for kids who are 7 and under on Disney+ and cannot be found by searching for them. Among the other films no longer available to children's profiles on the streaming platform are The Aristocats and Swiss Family Robinson.
All of these movies remain available to stream on adult Disney+ profiles with an offensive content disclaimer, reading, "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."
The disclaimer also directs viewers to the Stories Matter section of Disney's website to learn more about the racist stereotypes depicted in these films. For Dumbo, that includes the crow characters who "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."
There's a similar explanation for the criticism of Peter Pan, saying 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, a form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples' culture and imagery."
In addition to identifying offensive content on its streaming platform, Disney has taken steps to address the longstanding criticisms of negative depictions of races and cultures in its theme parks. Recently, Disneyland announced it will redesign the Jungle Cruise ride to remove the elements featuring racist caricatures of Indigenous people. Likewise, in June 2020, Disney announced it will be rebranding Splash Mountain as a ride based on the studio's 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog, rather than the infamous 1946 live-action/animated movie Song of the South.