When Disney's streaming service "Disney+" released in November of 2019, it added a warning for some of its classic properties that feature racist elements such as Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), The Jungle Book (1967), Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Aristocats (1970), and more.

The disclaimer for these films is as follows: "This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions."

Experts argue about the semantics of this warning – which should be rewritten because 'outdated' implies that racism was acceptable then, but isn't today – 2 films in the Disney catalog should also require a warning as well. Concurrently, Warner Bros' issues a warning with stronger wording for their Looney Toons cartoons holding themselves accountable for the decisions of the past and their current views.

1996's animated adaptation of Victor Hugo's beloved novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney's bleaker and more mature properties due to its themes of eugenics and sin. One of the main characters in the film, Esmeralda, is of Romani descent. Throughout the movie, she is called the term "g*psy," which is deemed a racial slur by many members of the very real Roma community and wrongfully normalized by popular culture – whether it be through a classic Fleetwood Mac song or undeniably offensive, "sexy" Halloween costumes. Despite the film tackling injustices, it still demonizes the Roma community, dilutes their plight (the hit 1939 version Disney takes inspiration from does not), and fetishizes one of its prominent Roma characters. This cognitive dissonance is further propelled by aspects such as the comic relief gargoyle characters; the movie's tone suffers, but more importantly, the depictions and endorsements of the treatment of Romani people (and the use of the word "g*psy" when referring to Roma) render indecipherable for modern audiences.

1995's Pocahontas is a graphic misrepresentation of the real-life Native American story. While the film does confront various prejudices against the Powhatan, it also validates and endorses the various artistic liberties taken by the storytellers such as changing Pocahontas' age, sexualizing her physique, and fabricating a romantic relationship with the film's colonizer male lead John Smith. 

Even though these films do not serve to educate, the target audience (mainly being children) cherish the media of their formative years regardless of its contents; it provides an escape from reality, but these people actually exist. The Roma and Powhatan are real communities that have historically undergone systemic oppression and forcible displacement. Hunchback and Pocahontas' depictions of these peoples have been and always will be irresponsible, but removing them from circulation will contribute to the erasure of peoples who have already been overlooked in society and in media. Adding a warning to these films provides the opportunity for audiences –– young and old, dedicated and casual –– to engage in media literacy and learn from Disney's stereotypical mistakes rather than censoring and pretending like these injustices never existed. 

Disney's newer properties like Moana and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series display a dedication to growth in their representation of minorities (that is not to say 2000s films like Brother Bear and Lilo & Stitch aren't steps in the right direction). Their US theme parks plan to rebrand tentpole attraction "Splash Mountain" from the irrelevant, pro-Jim Crow Song of the South (1946) to 2009's The Princess and the Frog. In addition, their donations to racial justice organizations in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murder at the hands of police motion the viewpoint that their entertainment of the past does not reflect their current views as a company. Disney should be held accountable for their problematic portrayals, as well as diversify its staff in all facets of their brand. Adding a disclaimer with substantial phrasing as to how these films blatantly propagate racism is a great – and necessary – start.