Disney Warns Of 'Outdated Cultural Depictions' Alongside Older Content Available Unaltered On Disney+

Older films and cartoons available on Disney+ contain warnings to let viewers know culturally insensitive content and images have not been edited out.

The potentially objectionable content can be found in films like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan,” which contain depictions of African and Native Americans, respectively, now considered racist.

The message reads: “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”

The message is part of a larger decision by Disney not to censor older content. Some have met the decision with praise, saying it’s an important step in addressing a past filled with racial and stereotypical depictions in films.

“They are accounting for the fact that, ‘Yes, this is the company that we once were, but we’re moving in a new direction,’” University of Virginia media studies Professor Shilpa Davé told The Washington Post. “It’s a safe way of saying they understand the moment in which their company exists and in which we are in now.”

Others have pushed back, saying the message could be seen as somewhat dismissive and deficient.

“It really feels like a first step,” InQUEST Consulting senior partner Michael Baran said. “I think that they could be so much more forceful in not only what they are saying, in the warning, but also in what they’re doing.”

Some have pointed to the extensive warning before older Warner Bros. cartoons that have been similarly criticized for racist and insensitive depictions.

It's worth noting that the controversial and widely criticized film "Song of the South," notorious for it's apparent glorification of slave life in the South, is not avaiable to stream on Disney+.