10 Scandals Disney REALLY Wants You To Forget

Founded way back in 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy, Disney is one of the oldest and biggest companies in the entertainment biz and over its long history its given us such childhood-defining films as Bambi and The Lion King all the while expanding its empire with theme parks, TV channels and huge business acquisitions.

Throughout its nigh on 100 years in business, Disney has projected a certain image – one that’s wholesome, family-friendly and squeaky clean. But a company can’t stay in business that long without racking up at least a few controversies and Disney is no different.

Take a look into the company’s long and often murky history and you’ll find more than a few skeletons in its proverbial closet that cast the Happiest Corporation on the Planet™ in a whole new light. You know, things like blatant racism, exploitation and the negligent deaths of animals it likes to anthropomorphise in its movies and make tonnes of money off.

If this was any other company we probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid at such shenanigans but for a company that so often proclaims itself as a paradigm of wholesome values scandals like this are pretty jarring. Prepare yourself to be shocked.

A movie so controversial that Disney has never released it on home video in the USA, Song of the South paints a picture-perfect portrayal of America’s Deep South during the post-Civil War years in which freed slaves live in perfect harmony with their former masters which was just a tad historically inaccurate to say the least. In reality, it was less zip-a-dee-doo-dah more hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity.

It’s tempting to view the 1946 film as a product of its far less progressive times but even back then when black people weren’t even allowed to attend the same movie theatres as white people, it was hugely controversial with both the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) and many media outlets criticising its misrepresentation of history and Uncle Tom-like stereotypes.

Even rumoured racist Walt Disney himself had misgivings prior to its release and hired left-wing Jewish screenwriter Maurice Rapf in an attempt to make Song of the South less Uncle Tom-ish while Disney publicist Vern Caldwell warned its producer Perce Pearce the film would likely spark controversy. We can’t even place the blame on outdated ignorance – Disney knew exactly what Song of the South was and chose to release it regardless.