As a long-time Disney enthusiast, I have witnessed the fascinating evolution of this beloved entertainment empire over the years. Growing up with Disney classics like “Dumbo,” “Fantasia,” and “Peter Pan,” it’s intriguing to see how their characters have been reevaluated and sometimes modified in response to changing societal norms.
The history of animation is fraught with portrayals, imagery, and iconography that hasn’t aged well. The medium is over 100 years old, so naturally, what seemed acceptable and au currant when it first became popular now seems utterly outrageous, offensive, and even repugnant to some viewers. Companies have gone on to handle their storied legacies in different ways.
Essentially, Warner Brothers and Disney+ have shared a practice of releasing or streaming older Looney Tunes and Disney shorts with disclaimers acknowledging that some content from their past may be considered controversial due to its origins in a different era. However, Disney has taken additional steps at times, such as altering or removing certain characters and properties from their products and parks. For instance, the Splash Mountain ride in their theme parks was reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Lately, Disney has rechristened another character from one of their theme park attractions. This transformation might not be as high-profile as the adjustments made to Splash Mountain, but it underscores Disney’s readiness to revise its past in order to boost guest satisfaction – an endeavor that doesn’t always yield positive results for them.
Disney had to remove and rename this offensive character in 2024
The character named “Liver Lips McGrowl” may not be familiar to many Disney enthusiasts, but he has been part of the Country Bear Jamboree since its inception in 1971. In the Disney World version of this attraction, Liver Lips has been changed to Romeo McGrowl. This adjustment is said to show consideration towards individuals struggling with alcoholism, as “liver lips” might be seen as an offensive term related to them, based on information from Disney’s Inside the Magic blog. Some sources also claim that it was a derogatory term used against African Americans in certain dialects. There were unsubstantiated discussions on Reddit about Liver Lips/Romeo no longer appearing in the parks, but no concrete evidence has been provided to support this claim.
It’s important to mention that during certain performances, you might spot jugs marked with x’s scattered across the bears’ stage, and one of the Five Bears is often seen playing one. This is just one of many modifications made to this attraction, which has undergone multiple transformations over time. In 2012, the bears’ performance list was revised to feature songs inspired by real country music hits. Unfortunately, the Disneyland version of the attraction closed in 2012. In January 2024, the Walt Disney World iteration received an extensive makeover that extended beyond routine refurbishments. Upon reopening in summer 2024, the bears now perform country-style versions of songs from Disney movies, retaining only “Come Again” and The Five Bear Rugs’ jam from the original act. This renovation coincided with the Splash Mountain redesign. With all these changes happening across different parks, whispers started that other characters might have been moved off the main stage as well.
Did Disney really ‘cancel’ Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell for being controversial?
Interestingly enough, rumors have spread that a much more famous character has been removed from the parks as a meet and greet character — Tinker Bell from “Peter Pan.” The whispers claimed that her jealous attitude toward Wendy in the film meant she was a negative role model and that Disney was “cancelling” the character. So, did Disney Parks rid themselves of Tinker Bell? The answer is no. While she isn’t available as a meet and greet character at Disney World, fans can book a meet and greet with her at Disneyland. You can also spot her in Disney World’s parades and as a character setting off the park’s evening-ending fireworks display. It’s common for Disney World to rotate available characters at its meet and greets, they report, and ergo it’s likely she’ll be back soon. On top of that, A Disney spokesperson gave Reuters a statement that declared the claim “completely false.”
From where did the false rumor about Tinker Bell being cancelled originate? Reuters directs readers to an Instagram post that distorts an article from The Street, claiming Tinker Bell has been cancelled. However, the original article does not state this; instead, it reveals that the character is under review by the company’s “Stories Matter” team due to her self-centered behavior and fixation on Peter Pan. Despite the concerns, Tinker Bell still appears in the parks.
It is logical that Disney decided to retain Tinker Bell, as they have spent considerable time in recent years enhancing her image. In modern times, she has starred in a series of six direct-to-video films, beginning in the late 2000s and ending in the mid 2010s. These movies, set in her homeland of Pixie Hollow, have given Tinker Bell a voice. In fact, she has her own meeting spot at Disney World based on these films. Although Tinker Bell’s status seems secure, other characters have been placed in the Disney vault, which may mean they will never see the light of day again.
Disney has cut more offensive characters than you might think
Despite Tinker Bell and Liver Lips McGrowl’s removal from Disney Parks signifying a shift in Disney’s approach to what constitutes family-friendly entertainment, their films have not been immune to self-editing and review. For instance, iconic short films like “Dumbo,” “Fantasia,” “Peter Pan,” and infamously, “Song of the South” have seen changes or omissions in either re-releases or streaming versions. Notably, “Song of the South” is no longer available in its entirety, and with Splash Mountain being dismantled, its characters are generally off-limits within the Disney realm.
Characters impacted by changes include the singing crows from “Dumbo,” Tiger Lily and her Native American tribe in “Peter Pan,” and Sunflower, a centaur featured in the Pastoral Symphony section of “Fantasia.” Although the motives behind their removal or alterations, as well as their roles within Disney’s history, vary, they’ve all undergone revisions or modifications to some degree, either through censorship or visual changes.
Disney continues to face controversies over offensive characters
What was the process behind altering or removing these specific characters? For instance, in the movie “Dumbo,” the crows have been criticized as racist stereotypes due to their minstrel show-like actions. The leader of the crows, originally voiced by a white actor, was even named Jim Crow, which was a reference to a blackface character that later became the namesake for Jim Crow laws. His name was changed to Jim “Dandy” Crow in the 1950s, but the negative impact had already occurred. However, some, such as Black Disney legend Floyd Norman, have defended these characters. In the 2019 live-action remake of “Dumbo,” these crows were left out of the cast. The film remains unaltered and is only suitable for viewers aged 6 and above on Disney+.
In the 1960s, the character of Sunflower, a dark-skinned centaur who served as a maid to other white centaurs in “Fantasia”, was deemed stereotypical and problematic by Disney’s team. As a result, she was removed from the film before it was rebroadcast as part of “The Wonderful World of Disney” in 1963. Although the film aired intact in 1966, Sunflower was completely eliminated for the film’s theatrical re-release in 1969 and from every subsequent version that has been streamed, aired, or re-released.
In certain showings of the debated “Peter Pan,” the song “What Made the Red Man Red?” has been omitted, and it is accompanied by a warning on Disney+. However, intriguingly, Tiger Lily and her tribe underwent a transformation in August at the Magic Kingdom’s Peter Pan’s Flight in Disney World. They were revamped to better reflect Native American traditions. It was announced that Disneyland will follow suit and redesign their version of the ride soon.
Without a doubt, the most controversial Disney production is “Song of the South,” which has never been made available for home viewing, DVR recording, or streaming. Although you may hear “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” at their parks, the film has remained stored away in Disney’s vault since 1986. It seems unlikely that “Song of the South” will ever be released again as long as Bob Iger remains in charge. In a meeting with shareholders in 2020, he stated that the film would not be formally re-released.
Over time, it appears that Disney and controversy will continue to be intertwined, as societal values shift and people mature. However, the one consistent factor remains change – we’ll have to wait and see how evolving cultural norms impact public opinion.
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2024-09-22 04:00