Disney. The producer that can do no wrong, that cannot hurt anyone’s feelings. The creator of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story. Nothing can go wrong with them, in their parks or wearing Mickey Mouse ears, right? Well, not exactly. Because the truth is that, in their more than one hundred years of history, they have a lot to hide, from racist feature films to collaborations with people they never wanted to work with or things so bad that they can only sweep them under the embarrassed carpet.
Do you want to take a look at everything Disney hides from us even on Disney+ itself? Welcome to a walk on the wild, ethical, and forbidden side of the world’s most famous producer!
Song of the South
Did you know that this movie was going to arrive, so we got it out of the way quickly? Released in 1946 with the hope of being its own Gone with the Wind, Song of the South went on to win an Oscar and an honorary award. But over the years, accusations of racism grew (rightfully so) and it became a headache for Disney, which has not released it on VHS or DVD in the United States (although, be aware, it has in other countries around the world).
It doesn’t matter how much Whoopi Goldberg tries to put it into context, or how much fans want to see it in 4K: the company has already stated that it will never appear on Disney+ nor will it be talked about again. Because, apparently, if you act like something never existed, it magically disappears.
The Fantastic Four
No, we are not talking about the new Marvel movie with Pedro Pascal, nor the versions from 2015 (although it is true that they should censor it) and 2005, but rather a much lesser-known version from 1994 that Constantin Film made in collaboration with Roger Corman in production to avoid losing the rights. The movie is a bit of a mess, yes, but at the same time one of the best possible adaptations of the First Family.
It cost just one million dollars and was created, according to Stan Lee, to never be released (although Corman says otherwise, that it clearly states in his contract that it would be released in theaters). The only reality is that it will remain that way forever, only available through piracy. That said, if you’re curious to see everything that happened, you can always check out the documentary Doomed… Which, obviously, they won’t release on Disney+ either. That’s just how it is.
Dad, Crazy to Tie Up (The Simpsons)
I know it’s not a movie, but it’s the episode of The Simpsons that has caused Disney the most trouble since the purchase of Fox: the one in which Homer goes crazy and is committed to a mental institution alongside a man who claims to be Michael Jackson… And who was voiced, incognito, by the singer himself.
After the allegations of sexual abuse against minors, the last thing Disney+ wants is to be accused, even remotely, of allowing or supporting them, so they have removed it worldwide. At least they came to their senses and allowed The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson to be available again and aired years after 9/11. Something is better than nothing.
Star Wars Holiday Special
I suppose you know the story: in 1978, after the success of Star Wars and while waiting for The Empire Strikes Back, CBS came to the rescue of fans with a Thanksgiving special where the entire original cast of the movie appeared, and they had to take Chewbacca to celebrate Life Day with his family. In between, there were musical numbers, animated shorts introducing new characters (Boba Fett), embarrassing scenes, and an excessive focus on the wookiee family.
It was only aired once, on November 17, and since then George Lucas has tried to erase its memory. Interestingly, although we will never see the entire special on Disney+ (it is available in other places on the Internet), the Boba short can be enjoyed under the title of The Story of the Faithful Wookiee. For the most dedicated fans.
Der Fuehrer’s Face
Not only is it one of my favorite animated shorts, but it also won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 1943. In it, Donald is trapped in Nazi Germany and has to work in exchange for ridiculously bad food. In the end, he discovers that he lives in the United States and is glad not to be living in that nightmare. Obviously, it is a propaganda short (with a terribly catchy song, by the way), but Disney assumes that no child wants to see Donald Duck with his arm raised like Elon Musk. Except, I suppose, for Elon Musk.
The Sweatbox
This is perhaps the most curious of all the mentioned, because it is a documentary that should be a simple making of The Emperor’s New Groove, from the time it was called Kingdom of the Sun, showing how the story, the script, and the songs by Sting changed, and in particular the singer’s suffering as he saw how his creations conflicted with the story and had to disappear.
Trudie Styler, the director, is also the wife of the singer, and that opened all the doors of production for her. When the Disney team was able to see it, there was applause among the animators and embarrassment among the executives, who decided to buy the rights to never release it. We wouldn’t want to discover that the creative secret of the production company has always been to go a bit haphazardly and annoy the poor animators.
