Disney hasn’t scrapped trigger warnings – but it is changing them

Entertainment giant Disney will not be eliminating content and trigger warnings from its films and TV shows. Instead, it will be changing the message to a couple of lines, to be played before stories that contain culturally outdated depictions or views.

First reported by Axios, Disney will be removing and adjusting messages played before certain titles.

The company began using brief warnings in 2019, beginning with the film Dumbo. Following the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, Disney changed the wording to a longer statement.

The title read: “This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. 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”.

The new version reads: “This programme is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions”.

The move comes as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to rollback DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) measures in government bodies, encouraging the private sector to do the same. In 2023, the company found itself at odds with Florida governor Ron DeSantis over his Anti-LGBTQ+ policies, with protestors gathering outside Disney World waving images of the politician as well as swastika flags.

Last December, Disney drew criticism for removing a transgender themed storyline from forthcoming Pixar animated series Win Or Lose.

Chanel Stewart, who played the character at the centre of the plot, said: “I was very disheartened. From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard”.

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