DISNEY WORLD SHUTS DOWN CLASSIC RIDE AMID CONTROVERSY

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

 

Disney World shuts down classic ride amid controversy

BY PATRICIA BATTLE THESTREET

UPDATED JULY 10, 2024 8:23 AM

 

Disney World (DIS) has halted a classic ride that recently received criticism over how certain characters based on a popular 1953 film were depicted.

 

One of the theme park’s most famous rides at Magic Kingdom, Peter Pan’s Flight, has just been temporarily shut down for “refurbishment,” according to a new notification on Disney World’s website. In a permit that was filed to the state of Florida, Disney states that it will “install set elements” as part of the renovation of the ride, which is set to reopen on Aug. 21.

 

The move from Disney World comes after Peter Pan’s Flight, which is based on the 1953 Disney film “Peter Pan,” faced backlash over how it portrayed Native American characters.

 

During the ride, guests travel on a “pirate galleon,” cruising over major London landmarks such as Big Ben and Tower Bridge. They then pass by Neverland, a fictional island from the movie, where they encounter characters from “Indian Village,” which has been flagged for depicting Native Americans in a stereotypical manner.

 

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Disney's Peter Pan contains the infamous song, 'What Made the Red Man Red?' A song full of racist 'redskin' tropes and dehumanizing stereotypes of indigenous people.

 

Despite this, the widely criticized caricatures can still be seen in 'Peter Pan's Flight' at the Disney Parks.

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— GotWhatYaWanted (@LostWhatYaHad)

June 23, 2024

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Disney did not immediately respond to TheStreet’s request for comment.

 

Disney’s Stories Matter team claims on its website that it is committed to diversity and inclusion. It has been reviewing offensive content in Disney's films and TV shows and recently flagged “Peter Pan” for having “negative depictions.”

 

“The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions,” reads the Stories Matter homepage on Disney’s website. “It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as 'redskins,' an offensive term. Peter and the Lost Boys engage in dancing, wearing headdresses and other exaggerated tropes, a form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples' culture and imagery.”

 

The team also recently focused on Tinker Bell, another character from Peter Pan, who was labeled as "potentially problematic" for being “body conscious” and “jealous of Peter Pan’s attention,” according to a 2022 report from The New York Times.

 

Disney World later removed Tinker Bell’s signage from the Town Square Theater at Magic Kingdom, which is the only location where she used to conduct meet-and-greets with guests, signaling that she won’t be returning to meet fans anytime soon after disappearing from the location during the Covid pandemic in 2020.

 

The theme park has recently been on a mission to renovate some of its attractions by quietly removing offensive and derogatory depictions. In January, Disney World shut down its Country Bear Jamboree musical and later unveiled a poster in February that announced the revamped show. The poster revealed that it had updated an original band member, Liver Lips, giving him a new name and blonde hairdo.

 

The term “liver lips” is considered a “derogatory” and “offensive” racial slur that has been used against African Americans to describe the color or shape of their lips as sickly or unhealthy.

 

Disney most likely decided to revamp the character due to the term's controversy. Last year, Disney World also permanently closed its Splash Mountain ride, which is based on Disney’s controversial film “Song of the South.” The movie, released in 1946, is about a 7-year-old boy who visits a plantation. It has received criticism for using racist stereotypes to portray African Americans and plantation life.

 

Splash Mountain was eventually replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure last month, which is based off of the 2009 movie “The Princess and the Frog.”

 

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This story was originally published July 10, 2024, 8:13 AM.