After President Donald Trump and his administration took a wrecking ball to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Disney is falling in line by adjusting content warnings before old movies and scaling back their DEI strategy.
Disney first added content warnings to older films like Dumbo and The Aristocats back in 2019 due to racist and culturally insensitive depictions present in Disney films from the ‘40s and ‘50s. In light of Disney scaling back its DEI efforts, the company is also changing the disclaimer that autoplays before their streaming movie.
The disclaimers originally warned viewers that the film “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures,” but was updated in 2020 to be even more detailed. “This program 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 expanded statement read.
But now the new version only tells the audience that the “program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions,” Deadline reports.
During the firestorm of executive orders Trump signed when he took office, he shutdown federal DEI initiatives and put employees on leave. In response to Trump being elected companies like Target, Google, and McDonalds began shuttering their own DEI programs.
An internal memo today obtained by Deadline from Disney’s HR chief Sonia Coleman, begins by talking about how diversity is key to the success of the company before diving into the ways they are scaling back their DEI initiates. “We create entertainment that appeals to a global audience, and having a workforce that reflects the consumers we serve helps drive our business.”
The memo outlines how Disney will replace their Diversity & Inclusion metric with a “Talent Strategy factor” to their executive compensation planning that will "assess how leaders uphold our company values, incorporate different perspectives to drive business success, cultivate an environment where all employees can thrive, and sustain a robust pipeline to ensure long-term organizational strength.”
Coleman concluded with a mention of Disney’s commitment to making everyone feel like they belong, “While this will continue to evolve, what won’t change is our commitment to fostering a company culture where everyone belongs and everyone can excel, enabling us to deliver the globally appealing entertainment that drives our business.”