Disney cuts Simpsons episode for criticizing China
Disney cut an episode of The Simpsons from its Disney+ streaming platform in Hong Kong because the episode mentioned Chinese forced labor camps, according to a report from the Financial Times.
The Simpsons episode in question, titled “One Angry Lisa,” shows Marge Simpson attending a virtual bike class where the instructor says, “Behold the wonders of China: Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.”
Hong Kong’s government told the Financial Times that although it has had a censorship framework in place since 2021 to ban content that may threaten “national security,” it does not apply to streaming services.
This marks the second time Disney has removed an episode of The Simpsons from its platform. In 2021, an episode which referenced the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square was also pulled.
The entertainment giant, which used to produce strictly child-friendly content, has a history of modifying its content to accommodate China.
Last year, while a Disney executive was proudly admitting “there is a not-at-all-secret gay agenda” at the company, it was removing that agenda for China at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). So, while the rest of the world was subjected to a same-sex attraction scene in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, audiences in China never saw it.
In 2020 Disney thanked the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the credits for Mulan for allowing the company to shoot the film in China. Disney also thanked several government entities in Xinjiang, the province where the movie was filmed and also reported to host several Uyghur concentration camps. Liu Yifei, Mulan’s lead actress, voiced public and unapologetic support for Hong Kong police brutality against pro-democracy protesters.
Furthermore, in order to distribute the original 1998 cartoon version of Mulan to Chinese audiences, the CCP first made Disney jump through hoops to do so. Disney was forced to first buy the rights to two Chinese foreign films, hire a Chinese performance group for the film’s European release and consider opening a theme park in China. Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016.
According to a report from free speech organization PEN America, Disney is not alone in its indulgence of the Chinese Communist Party, and the practice has been going on for decades.
“Behind closed doors, Disney, and indeed all of Hollywood, have been self-censoring plots, characters, and dialogues for decades to appease the Chinese Communist Party,” says the report.
American filmmakers already “pre-emptively censor” content intended for China release, including removing any references to Taiwan or mentions of minorities. They dutifully back Chinese claims to the South China Sea. Hollywood studios often hire Chinese regulators on set to advise what should be written out of the film to gain access to Chinese audiences.
This has ultimately resulted in Hollywood’s self-censorship of art and new ideas.
“Over time, writers and creators don’t even conceive of ideas, stories, or characters that would flout the rules, because there is no point in doing so,” says PEN.
When the organization tried interviewing Hollywood producers on the subject, they were found to be extremely tight-lipped for fear of reprisal from China.
“All of us are fearful of being named in an article even generally discussing China in Hollywood,” said one who declined to be named.
“It’s hard for people to speak on the record if they want to keep their jobs,” echoed another producer.
