Reviewing the past always has to be done with perspective, because otherwise things like what just happened with Mary Poppins happen. The mythical movie from Disney has just gone from being rated as U, which in the United States means Universal, to PG, which means “parental guidance suggested”.
The change is not very significant, but it means that it is a movie that is no longer for all audiences freely. The reason? Discriminatory language. Apparently, in the movie there is a word that is used to refer to chimney sweeps with sooty faces that originally came from white Europeans to refer to the nomadic peoples of southern Africa.
A subtle but meaningful change
The movie “exceeds our guidelines” as defined by the BBFC, despite being only for the use of this word. So, if you want to show a movie about a caregiver with umbrellas and penguins jumping from frame to frame to your children, now you will have to do it at your own risk.
