Disney censored Simpsons in China, Beatles’ Get Back in US, say reports

Both the New York Times and The Guardian reported on Monday that Disney’s November launch of a Hong Kong version of Disney Plus arrived with most of the streaming platform’s content, one notable work was excluded: “Goo Goo Gai Pain,” a 2005 episode from season 12 of The Simpsons. The episode centers around Marge’s sister Selma pretending to be married to Homer while attempting to adopt a child from China.

“Goo Goo Gai Pain” includes scenes in which the family visits the embalmed tomb of Chairman Mao; Homer calls the leader “a little angel that killed 50 million people”; a Chinese minder named Madame Wu (Lucy Liu) mocks Tibetan independence; Homer tricks Chinese soldiers by pretending to be a Buddha statue; and the family walks through Tiananmen Square to find a plaque reading “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.” Soon after, Madame Wu arrives in Tiananmen Square in a tank, allowing Selma to recreate the famed June 5, 1989 “Tank Man” photograph.

While the Hong Kong Free Press notes that the episode is still accessible using VPN circumvention tools, the Times and Guardians were unable to clarify why “Goo Go Gai Pan” was missing from the service in the first place. Although the Chinese government expanded Hong Kong’s censorship laws recently, they only apply to movies and not streaming TV. Media experts speculate that Disney is preemptively restricting its content.

“Disney obviously sent out a clear signal to the local audience that it will remove controversial programs in order to please” government officials, Grace Leung, an expert in media regulation at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, tells the Times.

But Disney’s self-censorship isn’t limited to foreign markets. Disney Plus allows the entertainment industry giant to edit and alter a wide range of properties. Some changes, however, are much more complicated than others. For example: the option to not present any content at all. Simpsons Episodes are shown in 16:9 aspect ratio as opposed to 4:3. This destroys several visual gags.

Disney also has the digital knife for other works, with the sole purpose of changing the way things can be seen. This is the first episode of The Simpsons’ third season, “Stark Raving Dad,” which features a guest appearance from Michael Jackson, is not available on Disney Plus. As in Hong Kong, the season starts with the next episode and skips over previous episodes.

You can also find other non-invasive, alternative options.Simpsons-Similar changes also occurred. This year the service modified the movie 1984 Tom Hanks. Splash meant to stop any semblance or nudity. The long-rumored “sex” background in The Lion King, where stars in the sky actually spell out “sfx,” or special effects, was also changed to clear up any confusion.

There are also a number of cuts and changes concerning Disney’s racist characters of the past, which populate many of its most famous works. Disney sometimes decides to completely remove characters, like the Sunflower racist caricature. Fantasia. Other animated works like Aristocats Lady and the Tramp Disney left the works unaltered, but removed them from the Children section. The warning was given beforehand.

These pressures extend to contemporary works. Disney enjoys the praises. Recover Your Money, Peter Jackson’s recent documentary on The Beatles, Jackson told NME that the company wanted to remove all swearing from the movie until Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison’s former wife Olivia intervened. In other movies featured on Disney Plus, like National Geographic’s Singles Get Free And the Touchstone film from 1987 Babysitting AdventuresYou can now swear.

Regardless of the result of any individual edit or change, Disney Plus continues to trend toward sanitization, and keeping its content within the company’s own framework of what constitutes “family friendly.” These cuts, changes, and flat-out removals will likely continue on, with viewers in Hong Kong and America experiencing Disney history as Disney sees fit.