Disney bosses have banned under-sevens watching animated classics like Peter Pan and Dumbo due to worries over its portrayal of racial stereotypes.
The 1953 tale of the little boy which has been delighting youngsters for nearly seven decades is now deemed too offensive for its audience.
It has been removed from children’s accounts on its subscription service.
The main reason for its outlawing is understood to be because it features a Native American tribe whose members are referred to as ‘redskins’.
Three other long-standing family favourites – The Aristocrats, Swiss Family Robinson and Dumbo – have also been barred from younger viewers.
Another movie removed from children’s profiles is Dumbo (Image: Disney)
The 1970 movie The Aristocats has a Siamese cat character called Shun Gon (corr) whose slanted eyes and prominent teeth have been described as a caricature of East Asian people.
Swiss Family Robinson, made in 1960, has been criticised for its ‘yellow face’ and ‘brown face’ pirates.
While 1941 cartoon Dumbo – about a lovable flying elephant – has been accused of ridiculing enslaved African-Americans on Southern plantations.
Some classics, like Peter Pan, have been taken off the kids’ profiles (Image: Disney)
At one point during a musical interlude faceless black workers toil away to lyrics such as, ‘When we get our pay, we throw our money all away’.
All four films flunked a recent ‘content advisories’ review leaving parents paying for the company’s £5.99 service stunned.
One said: “I wanted to watch Peter Pan with my daughter, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
“Then I realised they had all gone. They had been removed from the kids’ accounts. It was shocking.”
One mum wanted to watch Peter Pan with her daughter but couldn’t find the film (Image: Daily Record)
Disney has been reviewing its content for issues surrounding racial stereotypes.
The decision to ban the films was made by external experts brought in to assess if the content ‘represented global audiences’.
While they remain available on adult accounts they come with a disclaimer that says: “This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.
“These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.
Some of the films were removed from younger accounts over worries of the portrayal of racial stereotypes (Image: Disney)
“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 said on its website it was committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the diversity of the human experience around the globe.
“We can’t change the past, but we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together to create a tomorrow that today can only dream of,’” it added.
A spokesman for Disney declined to comment.
But a company source said the four films had been removed from ‘kids’ profiles’ on the channel which were designed for its youngest viewers.
Under-sevens could still watch them on other non-kid profiles within the same account.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
