In September 2024, the movie Togo: The Untold True Story, an original movie introduced exclusively for streaming on Disney+, was removed from the streaming service. This movie retells the true story of how Togo, a brave Siberian Husky, led his team through the most dangerous stretch in a hazardous sled dog relay to deliver crucial diphtheria medicine to critically sick children in 1925. When it began streaming on Disney+ in December 2019, it was a critical success and touched the hearts of many customers around the world, including mine. In addition, the movie corrected the historical record, which for nearly a century, had painted Balto, who merely led his team in the final leg of the relay, as the main hero, to the point that Balto even received a statue in Central Park. This misconception was only exacerbated by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, who in 1995, released Balto, an animated film depicting Balto as the sole hero in the run.

As a result, for many years, people grew up believing Balto to have been the primary hero, while Togo was unjustly overlooked. This was until 2019, when Disney produced Togo, and released it exclusively to Disney+, without ever giving it a 4K Blu-Ray release. In June 2023, Disney removed much of their Disney+-original content that they believed to be under-streamed, as a cost-cutting measure, which affected such movies as Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, Flora and Ulysses, and many others. Much of this content was re-released for digital purchase and streaming on other platforms in the following months, but in September 2024, Disney removed even more original content, including Togo. Since then, Togo has not received a digital re-release elsewhere, nor has it received any sort of physical media release.

What's especially insulting is that the movie was removed JUST before the 100th anniversary of the serum run and the Iditarod. In addition, Disney has been recently releasing many of their Disney+-original mini-series on 4K Blu-Ray, but none of their original MOVIES. I find this to be greatly unjust. Without any legal way to watch Togo: The Untold True Story, people will continue to grow up believing a lie. We urge Disney to grant Togo a 4K Blu-Ray release, so that everybody around the world can know this story the way it truly happened, and learn from a wonderful animal such as Togo. Please sign this petition to help us achieve our goal.