Disclaimer before ‘The Jungle Book’ on Disney Plus sparks discussion

Executives at Disney Plus have some explaining to do, at least according to a handful of fans, after a disclaimer was featured in the 1967 animated film The Jungle Book. 

The Jungle Book’s premise is about the difficulties Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear face when attempting to convince an orphan boy named Mowgli to return to society following his extended stay in the jungle after a tiger named Sheer Khan tries to hunt him down. The classic movie’s success spawned a sequel, spinoffs, and a live-action remake. 

In a recent Reedit post, a social media user shared a screenshot of the Disney Plus disclaimer that appeared on their television when they tried to watch The Jungle Book. The disclaimer touched points on how the film contained “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures,” and that the company wanted to “acknowledge the harmful impact” instead of removing certain scenes or the overall film in hopes of generating a discussion that creates “a more inclusive future.” 

Despite the disclaimer, Disney Plus didn’t mention the particular scenes that were considered to be damaging. As the upload went viral, the majority of the comments praised the decision, while others wondered about the company’s motives. 

One Redditor said they would rather Disney Plus put a disclaimer on the projects that needed it, rather than the company try to alter or remove it altogether. 

At the same time, another individual echoed similar sentiments while bringing up Steven Spielberg’s past discrepancy.

The remarks shifted when a third social media user claimed that the only thing they could think of being racist in The Jungle Book is the scenes including King Louie, an orangutan, because, at one time, his traits could have represented stereotypes of those within the African community. But due to viewers needing clarification and not addressing it, it never sparked a controversy. 

A person stated that the company’s only intention is to make money because if this negative representation of other people were an issue, they would have removed it from their streaming service.

Despite what anyone may think regarding the disclaimer, the mission has succeeded because people are engaging in conversation and highlighting the real issues in the industry.