In 2019, Disney made headlines due to controversial imagery from “Fantasia” (1940), a series of short films and animations surrounding orchestra music.
One of the shorts includes Sunflower, the young black centaurette who serves the older white centaurettes as they try to get ready to present themselves to the young male centaurs.
Sunflower can be seen rolling out a red carpet and frantically setting up everything in the scene to be perfect for the centaurettes and centaurs meeting. Sunflower is drawn as a menstrual show caricature popular during the era.
In the same year Disney announced it would remove controversial scenes and characters like Sunflower on videos on Disney+, the show “Lovecraft Country” (2020) used the sci-fi and horror genres to explain the history and significance of these caricatures through the characters “Topsy” and “Bopsy.”
Ultimately, these are contrasting circumstances regarding the use of controversial imagery. However, along with the temporary removal of “Gone With the Wind” from HBO Max, a 5-year debate has sparked about whether problematic scenes should be removed from digital media.
After the release of the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” there was a wave of awareness toward kids shows with disturbing messaging and imagery. With that popularity, the predatory adults who inflicted prolific abuse on these child stars were becoming known.
Many people are reflecting on the shows and many inappropriate jokes and behaviors of the underage actors involved. Many actors and crew members themselves have spoken out since and before the docuseries.
Since the peak of the controversy, some fans noticed their favorite childhood shows have missing scenes. However, TikTok user “Alirucker” noticed a scene from her favorite episode of “Sonny With A Chance (2009)” was missing back in 2020.
Another TikTok user, “Moviegoodorbad,” reported producers and editors were being charged with trimming down and editing their films through streaming services.
User “Justasillygoose420” on TikTok also found an entire episode of the show “Workaholic” was missing on Hulu.
However, missing scenes may not be the more intense part of this newest overhaul by streaming services.
Streaming services have gotten flack in recent years for removing and deleting movies and shows from the internet entirely. One of the most notable is the deletion of numerous projects like “Coyote Vs. Acme” and the removal of 36 shows and movies from HBO Max in 2022.
Most of these decisions are made for streaming platforms to get tax breaks. Yet, many of these decisions are being made despite protests from fans.
One online fan called out this disconnect between fans and creatives with streaming services on TikTok. The user captioned their video with, “streaming services deleting TV shows for tax breaks even though it pisses off fans and creatives.”
Streaming services are also seemingly trying to “declutter” their servers. Platforms like Netflix are said to have a discovery problem regarding content being viewed by users. However, many fans do not agree with this due to streaming services like HBO Max deleting projects before they are even released. The newest Looney Tunes movie, “The Day The Earth Blew Up,” was scrapped by HBO and picked up by Ketchup Entertainment.
Some shows are finding fame on new platforms, while others are being canceled right after the first season’s debut.
Although “Quiet on Set” highlighted the editing and removal of shows and movies, it was not the catalyst some have been pondering about. The newest trend for streaming platforms to conserve space and money has caused entertainment companies to create shortcuts, despite the protests of their fans.
The removal and editing of shows and movies from streaming services raise important questions about artistic preservation, cultural sensitivity and financial motives. From Disney’s removal of controversial scenes in “Fantasia” to the deletion of entire projects like “Coyote Vs. Acme” for tax breaks, these actions reveal the tension between corporate interests and audience appreciation.
Growing awareness, fueled by series like “Quiet on Set,” highlights the struggle between preserving historical accuracy and shielding viewers from harmful content. Fans’ frustration over lost media suggests a disconnect between creative intentions and corporate decisions.
As streaming platforms focus on profits and server management, the future of storytelling and cultural representation remains uncertain, leaving viewers and creators to grapple with these complicated issues.
