


Disney is changing the way it warns modern viewers about potentially offensive content in its older films streamed on Disney+. The move comes amid a rethink of diversity efforts at the company.
The old warnings, which played automatically, varied by film. Movies with disclaimers included “Peter Pan” over its depiction of American Indians, “Dumbo” over its singing crows that played on depictions of Black people in minstrel shows, and “The Aristocats” for a character that played on stereotypes of Asians.
On a now-defunct webpage, Disney provided the core message of these disclaimers, which said that a “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.”
Instead, there will be a disclaimer in the details section for certain Disney movies explaining they’re “presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions,” sources familiar with the change told Axios.
The move comes amid other changes Disney has made to how it approaches diversity, equity and inclusion.
The defunct page that had the old content warning on it, live as of Jan. 31, now redirects to a page that stresses inclusion. The company writes at the top of the new page that “at Disney, we want everyone to belong and thrive.”
In a memo to company leadership Tuesday, Disney Chief Human Resources Officer Sonia Coleman also detailed a change to the company’s metrics for deciding how executives will be compensated.
Previously, “Diversity & Inclusion” was one of multiple “Other Performance Factors” Disney weighed. It has now been replaced with “Talent Strategy,” which Ms. Coleman said in the memo “represents an evolution of important concepts in the former Diversity & Inclusion OPF,” according to Variety.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.