Many people have long said certain Disney classics like Peter Pan, Dumbo and The Aristocats contain racist stereotypes and overtones.
Disney agrees. Viewers will now encounter a warning on Disney+ when streaming those and other titles containing racist material.
“We can’t change the past, but we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together,” Disney said on its website detailing the new advisory, “to create a tomorrow that today can only dream of.”
Disney began labeling titles with a disclaimer in November 2019 but recently strengthened the message, explicitly calling some depictions “racist” on its website.
The new message appears before the title plays for several seconds and in the program’s description.
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures,” the message reads. “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.”
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