/ CBS News, Disney is adding a disclaimer to some of its old movies that include racist stereotypes, the media giant announced this month. Please disregard such warningsand better yet, dont give Disney another dime of your money. The new disclaimer appears on screen before the start of movies like Aladdin, The Aristocats, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson and The Three Caballeros. The film was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia. If anything it highlighted overcoming a class struggle but I guess Marxism has mutated to race and gender now. Ditch Disney plus there. In Disney's telling of the story, Aladdin is clever, resourceful, and loyal, but underestimated because he is poor. "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures," the statement reads. did apparently meet with Galland at some point, but it remains unclear how much, if any, of the story came from him. It reads: This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. She won Best New Journalist in 2019 at the Australian IT Journalism Awards. Disney Plus Offers Warnings Over 'Outdated Cultural Depictions - IGN For more information, please see our Sonny Skyhawk, founder of American Indians in Film and Television, tells THR thatfilms such as 1995s Pocahontas and 2013s The Lone Rangerrequire the disclaimer due to inaccuracies and insensitivity towards the Native American community. ALADDIN: Genie, I wish for you to make me a prince! Since Disney is so horrified of its own movie, perhaps they should return the hundreds of millions of dollars they made off it. Aladdin was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia (Credit: Alamy), Daniel Newman, professor of Arabic at Durham University, acknowledges that Western portrayals have come a long way from the lotus-eating, Orientalist fantasies of yesteryear, but barring a few exceptions, what has happened is that one clich has been replaced by another; from the scimitar-wielding lascivious Arab, we have gone to the bomb-wielding terrorist Arab. While some moderate characters have been introduced in shows such as Homeland, he says, the pervading feeling is one of threat, based primarily if not exclusively on religion., Id ask the animators to add benevolent market-vendors and heroic guards who befriend Aladdin, Shaheen said of the 1992 Aladdin, conscious of the image of Middle-Eastern people that might be made on the films young viewers. Edit: forgot to write "answer", so i copypasted my original vomment. Outrage flared again when Disney announced that they had cast white actor Billy Magnussen in a newly-created role of a Scandinavian prince vying for Jasmines attention. In the examples below, the, With the advent of the Hollywood film industry, the story returned to its fabled Middle Eastern origins, replete with exotic and exaggerated stereotypes note the poster for a. Yes, Skorodin says. Aladdin is not an entertaining Arabian Nights fantasy as film critics would have us believe, wrote Jack Shaheen in 1992, then a professor of mass communications at Southern Illinois University, but rather a painful reminder to 3 million Americans of Arab heritage, as well as 300 million Arabs and others, that the abhorrent Arab stereotype is as ubiquitous as Aladdins lamp.. In Richard Burton's telling, the "hero" is shallow, lazy, greedy, and easily. Throughout the Victorian era, Aladdin sport[ed] a Manchurian queue and Chinese slippers, and the architecture feature[ed] distinctly Chinese pagodas. The emphasis on the Chinese aspects of Aladdin during this time period through the use of chinoiserie (the imitation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art) was especially popular. Disney's policy here is also sketchy considering the sheer amount of content still edited on Disney+. It actually proves how desperate the Neo-Marxists movement is becoming; they cannot win an open, honest debate; they must invoke feelings of collective anger and mistrust to win short term victories. Instead of simply being upset with her father for restricting who she can marry as in the 1992 version Jasmine aspires to be the first female sultan and is frustrated by her fathers refusal to consider her because of her gender. The level of authenticity Netflix is trying to achieve with this show is definitely what attracted me the most to be part of this project.. It worked. Disney+ "Outdated Cultural Depictions" Disclaimer Raises Questions, Say Hang tough Today, Disneys new content, as well as all its properties, now pushes a radical, left-wing agenda harmful to children and the nuclear family. "Nobody's canceling these movies," he said. KEEP READING:Disney+ Rebrands Non-MCU Marvel Films as Marvel Legacy. Potato Head survived by a thread and liberal white men working at Disneyland saved black women from the horrors of Splash Mountainnow Aladdin is racist. Aladdin never had a content warning until now, but the edited version has always been on Disney+. A lot of it is, honestly, hard to tell or point out when you're not part of the group involved. Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards, experts have criticized the soft language used in its disclaimer, disclaimer acknowledging the "harmful impact" of racist stereotypes, a page titled Stories Matter on the Disney website, racist material in their back catalogs, such as Gone With the Wind, The best movies to watch on Disney Plus for Thanksgiving, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The meetings are held virtually and are very raw according to one attendee. We take a look at the origins of the folktale, the previous dramatic portrayals of the story, the 1992 animated film, and how the filmmakers tried to overcome past controversy in the latest rendition of, At the end of the overview, you can also find. Aspects of the story also have Indian influences, including Jasmines Indian tiger Rajah, and the sultans palace in the animated film looking remarkably similar to the Taj Mahal. Wouldnt it be reasonable that if all the characters in this movie come from the same genetic stock, they should resemble one another? The films with the updated disclaimer includePeter Pan, Dumbo, Lady andthe Tramp, Fantasia,The Jungle BookandSwiss Family Robinson, among others. She covers film and TV news and reviews. The new statement is more strongly worded than one Disneytacked onto some films when Disney+ first rolled out last year. "Disney could have used stronger language, which would more proactively invite a conversation around the context of these caricatures," Swinburne University of Technology film and TV lecturer Jessica Balanzategui told CNET in June. Twenty-seven years ago, Disneys animated version of. Nothing else. Of any of the big, more modern movies Pocahontas should be the first one with a disclaimer. While the movie is set in a city based on Baghdad, Iraq, Aladdin contains aspects of multiple Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. Some other Disney films, like Fantasia, Aladdin, and Peter Pan, have been criticized as well, but notably, Disneys Song of the South remains absent from the service. All Rights Reserved. Aladdin Racist Disney Movie Arab Portrayal Controversy - Refinery29 This week saw the death of Dr Jack Shaheen, one of the most respected and loudest critics of the vilification of Arabs in Hollywood, who successfully campaigned for offensive lyrics to be changed in the original Aladdin soundtrack. Disney is the only media outlet who can show Aladdin. Aladdin does trick the Genie into freeing him from the Cave of Wonders without using a wish. Answer: Well I don't know which version they are showing, but in the origubal the salesman in the beginning sings that in the east they cut off your tongue and ears or something in that fashion when they catch you stealing, which is considered stereotyping. BBC did an article discussing it a few years ago when the remake was being talked about that might point to some examples where it's coming from. 6. You are agreeing to OutKick's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, but don't worry we don't spam. I think you might be right. Which iirc got changed to "With winds in the east and the sun from the west, where the sand and the glass is bright". Disney holds monthly meetings to determine what content in its archive needs to have a warning added. Disney Plus disclaimer now acknowledges 'harmful impact' of - CNET But, a completely white cast voiced the film, and the association of Arabs with violence, greed and other negative traits suggested that Hollywood was insensitive at best and xenophobic at worst. Whether the new film-makers choose to stand in the old guard or vanguard remains to be seen. Its either that or the children are rebelling against authority. They want to make up for any offensive messaging they may have been a part of, Robertson told the publication. Was it possible to accurately depict cultural nuances using a fairy tale? It may contain outdated cultural depictions" accompany the description of each relevant film on the menu page. , Aladdin sport[ed] a Manchurian queue and Chinese slippers, and the architecture feature[ed] distinctly Chinese pagodas. The emphasis on the Chinese aspects of, during this time period through the use of , (the imitation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art) was especially popular. Delivered Wednesdays. The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a press release earlier this week asking reviewers and critics to acknowledge that the "Aladdin myth is rooted by racism, Orientalism and. (a conflict involving Iraqs invasion of neighboring Kuwait) in the early 1990s prompted the directors to set the story in the fictional city of Agrabah, an adaptation of Baghdad. And overdue., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Boycott threatened over transgender inclusion in Hersheys Womans Day promo, Twitch star zaps herself with shock collar live for 1 million fans, gets banned, JK Rowling showing outstanding moral courage as she stands up to vile woke mob, Artist behind Obamas Hope poster, Shepard Fairey, slams cancel culture. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. In June, Disney said it would retheme Disneyland's Splash Mountain, basing it on the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, instead of the 1946 southern plantation movie Song of the South. Bias/Anecdote: While I can't remember too much about Aladdin specifically that might call for this (the changed line about cutting off your hand during the opening theme comes to mind, but that's already been removed), the overall tone plays on a great deal of stereotype tropes for Middle-Eastern cultures that aren't really that accurate or true, or are at least heavily exaggerated. ", The movies that will now start with the disclaimer include "Aristocats," which features racist caricatures of East Asian peoples; "Dumbo," in which the crow characters perform a musical number in the style of racist minstrel shows; "Peter Pan," for its stereotypical portrayal of Native peoples; and "Swiss Family Robinson," in which pirates are portrayed as a stereotypical foreign menace, many in "yellow face" or "brown face.". The 2019 film also removed several instance of the most egregious racism from the animated film. The casting of Naomi Scott, who is of English and Indian descent, upset some fans and critics who believed the role should have been played by a Middle Eastern actress. The original movie contains a scene of Goofy smoking a cigarette that was previously edited on Disney+. If you are a younger person and youre watching something and that youre not aware that theres potential violence or now, cultural insensitivity, I think [the disclaimer] is kind of protecting [filmmakers] the same way that it does those other catchphrases., Still, she says that Disneys decision to include a disclaimer is appreciated, noting it is the first step to correcting things that might not have been thought about 10, 20, 30 years ago when these [films] were being made., Aoki echoes that sentiment, saying he finds Disney today to be a totally different company from the one that existed even 20, 25 years ago. He adds: I spoke to a Disney executive a few years ago who told me that, I think it was every Friday, [CEO] Bob Iger has a meeting with all the company heads, including Marvel and Pixar and everybody that is under their corporate umbrella, and he says, OK, report to me what you have done to further diversity at this company. So its not lip service as far as, Oh, yes, we believe in diversity and we try to have open casting. But maybe thats the issue that Disney and other major corporations cant seem to understand. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe. Disney+ updated its offensive content disclaimer for films such as Aladdin, Peter Pan and Dumbo. Reviews have been mixed but the film has been popular, nonetheless: the. Yeah, probably not because that message doesnt help them pander. Heres a version of that warning, which is notably more in-depth than the one-sentence warning that Disney has implemented. Answer: A lot of older movies (god I hate calling movies from the 90's "older") include often passive stereotypes or themes about minority groups that while may not have been intentionally harmful, still perpetuate potentially harmful or offensive ideas about a culture or location. Versions of Aladdin from the 19th and well into the 20th centuries depict the main character as culturally Asian, not Arab. The new-and-improved, feminist Jasmine even performs an original song, Speechless, in which she sings about not allowing men to silence her. Disney claimed they included white extras only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control, but many still criticized the company for not taking the opportunity to hire more actors and crew members of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage. RELATED:Amazon Prime Video Is Catching up to Netflix While HBO Max Outpaces Disney+ Growth. Why or why not? Why, on Disney plus, does aladdin have a disclaimer but not - reddit The new content warning, appearing on screen before the movie starts. Extra commentary could be added to films requiring a disclaimer, he explains, such as the 2009 DVD rerelease ofBreakfast at Tiffanys that includes a featurette Aoki participated in, discussing Mickey Rooneys problematic character Mr. But, he adds, with Native American actress Irene Bedard as the voice of Pocahontas in the film, some in his community might both enjoy and accept it as presented. And if you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called If You Only Read 6 Things This Week. To learn more about how stories have impacted society, please visit. That is even more important in an era of mass media, all-you-can-watch online streaming. How Disney decides which content gets 'offensive' disclaimer You can also see our lesson plan on exploring stereotypes with American film and television, which offers guided activities for your students. Yet, they and their media family, (like ESPN) are always the first in line seeking to cancel anything that remotely upsets them. Reviews have been mixed but the film has been popular, nonetheless: the 2019 film surpassed the original film within a month of its release at the box office. I cant wait until Disney finally puts a warning label on their films portraying marriage like the fantasy that its never been. A similar decision was recently made by HBO Max for the classic, yet problematic, film Gone With the Wind. Nearly a year later, on Thursday, Disney said that after consulting with a council of organizations representing minorities, it's added a newdisclaimer acknowledging the "harmful impact" of racist stereotypes in some of its older films. are plenty other streamers out there. Take a look at both sides of the argument: Watch the trailer for Aladdin, or see the movie in theaters now, and make your own conclusions. Theyre suddenly switching lanes (without putting on their signal, I should add) and trying to educate when they should just be creating a fun environment. Although Disney posted this message in front of the original Aladdin, the version on Disney+ has still removed the "cut off your ear" line from the opening song and Aladdin's mumbling on the. notions of Oriental interchangeability, pointing to the fact that name Jasmine has Persian roots, not Indian. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Aoki, who has worked with Disney-owned ABC in the past as a part of the Asian Pacific American Media Colation, says he has concerns that the language in the disclaimer would not be understandable to a younger audience, likely the biggest demographic for the massive Disney+ library that dates back over eight decades. Besides from what I vaguely remember about Aladdin was he was a poor theif (or street rat for the non PC types) who befriended an enslaved genie and found a magic carpet ride in order to overcome evil Jafar, win the affection of a bra wearing princess, and became the king of Arabia or something. Makes me think Disney is putting warnings out there so people buy their movies before they go back to retiring movies for a year or two to create demand curves for their products. He also asked the producers to respect Islam and to add a humane character, Aladdins mother, an Arab woman willing to sacrifice everything for her sons happiness.. Proponents of the film also encourage focusing on the great strides the 2019 film made in being more diverse and inclusive. that Disney should stop trying to improve stories that are problematic and should leave them in the past, instead focusing on new stories that wont be tainted by previously offensive versions. Disney also came under fire for allegedly darkening the skin of white actors and crew members. Iconic film critic, Roger Ebert, wrote in his 1992 review: One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. Pocahontas was staight full of lies and racial slurs. The company said that while it can't change he past, "we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together.". pic.twitter.com/X9aGjXv97o. The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee saw light-skinned, Anglicised features in the heroes Aladdin and Jasmine that contrasted sharply with the swarthy, greedy street merchants who had Arabic accents and grotesque facial features. Given that is fictional, whos to say it cant include many different races and ethnic backgrounds? You know, I actually dont mind this in one respect for now; it gives the reactionary, mob something to point at as evidence they are doing something to educate. It can also be argued that outrage about Naomi Scott is invalid, given the. It is also important to think about all the improvements the 2019 movie made over the 1992 adaptation (see #3 on this list above!). While the 1992 movie had all the fairy-tale elements to attract viewers adventure and intrigue, an evil villain, a plucky underdog, a forlorn princess trapped by tradition, and an array of supporting characters, Aladdin didnt fare well with critics. As part of Disneys Stories Matter initiatives advisory council, Robertson and his colleagues watch films believed to possibly be problematic and then tell Disney their reaction. Since Disney Plus launched last November, experts have criticized the soft language used in its disclaimer on older titles like 1941's Dumbo, that warned films "may contain outdated cultural depictions.". Disney is acknowledging that their past depictions of minorities/cultures in Alladin was not okay, but not take it down because removing it may as well be pretending it didn't happen. This is pretty much the progressive movement in a nutshell. Source. Fury of the Gods Special: Shazamily Matters, The Flash Still Shows Best Look Yet at Supergirl's Costume, 25 Years Ago, Michelle Yeoh Starred in James Bond's Most Underrated Movie, 10 Actors Who Have What It Takes To Play Superman In The New DCU. We've received your submission. A lot. "Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.". The sultan's palace in Aladdin, left, and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. On Oct. 15, Disney Plus introduced a new disclaimer that appears before older films like Dumbo (1941) and Aladdin (1992), warning viewers that the films include harmful stereotypes. On " Fixer to Fabulous ," Dave and Jenny Marrs have been doing many remarkable remodels around Bentonville, AR but that's not to say we agree with all of their design . Disney+ updated its policy toward its films containing offensive material, postinga new disclaimer and adding new movies to its list of programs that feature"negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.". Others defended Scott, noting that the story includes Indian aspects, Agrabah is meant to be a melting pot of cultures, and Jasmines mother is said to be from another land, making it entirely plausible that Jasmine could be an Indian woman. Jinns Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya has said, this is a great opportunity to portray Arab youth in a very unique way. 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 is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe. At that time, it simply noted, "This program is presented as originally created. Other companies and brands, likeAunt Jemimaand Uncle Ben's, have also recently taken steps to recognize and distance themselves from racist stereotypes by changing their branding in the wake of widespread protests for racial justice in the U.S. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. 'Aladdin' Among Films Given Content Warnings - Inside the Magic The full cigarette scene is now there at the 24:00 mark for anybody who is curious. Versions of Aladdin from the 19th and well into the 20th centuries depict the main character as culturally Asian, not Arab. Even real-life cities are melting pots of different languages, racial and ethnic groups, and religions, just as Agrabah is. and the story itself argue that the tale of Aladdin is inherently racist and Orientalist, and, regardless of the setting, is simply a colonial European view of the exotic East. This thread is archived Disney also removed the "This program is presented as originally created" description from Saludos Amigos, which is funny because now the movie is actually presented as originally created. Disney updates content warning for racism in classic films - BBC Creating a diverse and primarily non-white cast for the film was a huge step in accurately portraying a land set in the Middle East and moving towards greater diversity in Hollywood. Get the Daily OutKick and get smarter every day. "Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all." After Mr. Though he was skeptical that the disclaimer would have a large impact on children, Dr. Shah said that racist scenes offered learning opportunities when children watched them with their parents. Non-Christian religions, the countries and . The page includes a section explaining in greater detail the negative depictions in certain titles. , with $232.4 million domestic and $372.5 million international for the musical remake. Ghanizada notes a2015 Public Policy Pollin which one-third of Republican primary voters supported bombing the fictional kingdom of Agrabah, the setting ofAladdin. It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as "redskins," an offensive term. The Disney drama kicked into higher gear after we saw Dr. Seuss books go from being $5 to $500. Did watching it ever make you uncomfortable? However, the outbreak of the first Gulf War (a conflict involving Iraqs invasion of neighboring Kuwait) in the early 1990s prompted the directors to set the story in the fictional city of Agrabah, an adaptation of Baghdad. As mentioned above, the original, one of many films released as part of the, Here, TeachMideast provides you with in-depth background and context so you can decide for yourself whether society is succeeding in its demand that Hollywood do a better job portraying minorities. Furthermore, these advisors helped ensure that any Arabic-language text was correctly displayed and that the setting and dress were more culturally realistic.
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