Disney+ Censorship

Conservative MP Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge) was among Tory backbenchers who said age ratings used by video on-demand platforms should be mandated to use either British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) or equivalent standards.

The Tory MP, a member of the right wing New Conservatives faction, told the Commons the watershed for adult content has become increasingly redundant in the streaming era as MPs continued their consideration of the Media Bill, which aims to impose broadcast TV censorship rules on internet streaming companies. Cates said:

We urgently need to apply the same standards of child protection to on-demand video as we do to cinema releases, physical DVDs and linear TV.

She warned the current position of the Bill is to shy away from setting that minimum standard for age ratings, and said Netflix and Amazon Prime have both voluntarily set up partnerships to include BBFC ratings on their content. But the reluctance of Disney Plus and others to follow suit shows why this kind of regulation is needed, she said.

Gary Streeter, the Conservative MP for South West Devon, tabled an amendment to the Media Bill setting out objective criteria for age ratings, targeted at streaming services like Disney.

While he commended Netflix, Apple and Amazon for using BBFC ratings, he added:

The current ratings free-for-all has seen Disney Plus classify scenes of sexual abuse as suitable for nine-year-olds, scenes of graphic misogynistic violence or offensive antisemitic stereotypes as suitable for 12-year-olds, and that is lower than they classify some of their Star Wars or superhero content.

An episode of the popular kids' show Bluey is not, and probably never will be shown on Disney+ or Disney Junior.

The Bluey Season 2 episode Dad Baby , is as of this writing, banned from the US, and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon.

Airing on March 29, 2020, on CBeebies in the UK and Australia, Dad Baby, is the 13th episode of Bluey Season 2. In it, the dad, Bandit, pretends to give birth to Bingo, hence the title Dad Baby. Like all of Bluey, this episode is a whimsical take on explaining something in the grownup world, to children.

There are a variety of theories as to why this episode was maybe not allowed on Disney channels and streamers in the US. But there has been no statement from Disney.

The assumption most pundits and fans have made is simple: Disney has deemed it inappropriate for children. Most fans have accused Disney of strange censorship, which is either sexist, prudish, or both.

Trigger warnings in classic Disney films have been updated from last year and now preach from the bible of critical race theory.

When played on the Disney+ streaming service, films such as Dumbo , Peter Pan and Jungle Book now appear with a Disney statement acknowledging its racist content and the company's racism. The statement reads:

This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures, the warning says.

These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.

Rather than remove the content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.

Other films to carry the warning are The Aristocats , which shows a cat in yellow-face playing the piano with chopsticks, and Peter Pan , where Native Americans are referred to by the racist slur 'redskins'.

Wizards of Waverly Place is a 2007 - 2012 USA children's comedy fantasy TV series by Lev L Spiro.
Starring Selena Gomez, David Henrie and Jake T Austin.

"Wizards of Waverly Place" focuses on the Russos. A typical family, which includes a mom, Theresa Russo; a dad, Jerry Russo; a son, Justin Russo; a daughter, Alex Russo; and another son, Max Russo. The kids and the family live normal lives but what their friends don't know is the kids are wizards in training and the dad was a former wizard!

The new Disney+ streaming service for children is continuing to be pulled up for censorship. The latest example is that the channel has been blurring out cleavage in Wizards of Waverly Place. There is nothing overly sexual about the scenes being blurred, just every day street clothes.

The TV series was made by Disney and the cleavage was considered perfectly OK about a decade ago. Maria Canals-Barrera's slight hint of cleavage is what offended Disney censors and required the fogging.

Disney has not responded to questions about the sorry episode.

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 USA children's cartoon comedy by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders.
Starring Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders and Tia Carrere.

The film follows an extra-terrestrial who impersonates a dog and finds himself adopted by a young girl after arriving on Earth. Several moments in the film see the trouble-making pair get up to no good, with one particular scene showing Lilo hiding from her sister in a tumble dryer.

Disney+ users in the US have been left confused by an edit in the children's cartoon Lilo & Stitch .

Those re-watching the film, though, will see Lilo no longer hides in a dryer but within a piece of furniture that is bizarrely blocked by a pizza box.

According to reports, the reason for the change was to avoid the chance for children to emulate Lilo's dangerous behaviour, especially considering they're going to be cooped up indoors due to the coronavirus lockdown.

In fact this is the UK version with cuts as demanded by the BBFC at the time of original release. Presumably the international reach of the channel means that it must comply with multiple territories. And in this case maybe there was a sensible basis to the BBFC cuts anyway.

The BBFC commented in 2002:

Distributor chose to remove sight of dangerous activity which might be copied by young children (child character emerging from a hiding place inside a washing machine or tumble drier) in order to achieve a U. A 12 uncut was available to the distributor.

In response the producers reworked the cartoon so that the dryer was converted to a wooden cupboard.