Disney+ pulls Hollywood film from streaming service over 'troubling' scene
The 1989 Hollywood blockbuster has now been removed from the streaming giant
Disney+ has pulled the acclaimed film The Abyss from its offerings, stirring up quite a storm over a contentious sequence.
Helmed by iconic director James Cameron, the 1989 release featuring Ed Harris delved deep into a covert mission to salvage a mysteriously sunken nuclear submarine in Earth's most profound depths.
Yet upon its original release, uproar ensued due to a particular scene involving an actual rat submerged in fluorocarbon liquid against its will. Although the rodent actors reportedly survived the filming ordeal, the UK has firmly barred the scene from being shown in cinemas or distributed on home video formats.
Having sought counsel from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) banned the distressing shot because "the forcible immersion of the rat ... caused terror".
This ban stems from the prohibitions of the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 and Video Recordings Act 1984, leading to the scene's excision from the UK's theatrical, Blu-Ray, and DVD versions. Similarly, television channels in the UK must comply with Ofcom's Broadcasting Code which bars any material that the BBFC has refused classification from being broadcast, effectively proscribing the aforementioned scene from traditional TV as well.
Streaming services, however, don't traditionally fall under these legislative restrictions; thus, the controversial scene had been included when The Abyss appeared on Disney+. But after concerns raised by the RSCPA, the streaming giant has decided to withdraw the film from its platform, reports the Liverpool Echo.
David Bowles, the RSPCA's Head of Public Affairs, commented: "This isn't about cancel culture - we'd welcome Disney Plus reinstating the film to their platform, just with this troubling scene removed - as is already the case in cinemas, on TV, and on DVD.
"This was instead about highlighting a loophole that currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes - and protecting the public from having to see this animal abuse content.
"The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC - so it was hard to fathom why Disney+ decided to broadcast it.
"People deserve to be assured they will not be inadvertently exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals; and as the way most households consume entertainment changes, regulations must be agile to that and continue to robustly protect animals."
The RSPCA is optimistic that the forthcoming Media Act will introduce a "degree of consistency" regarding animal abuse content across various platforms. Mr Bowles added: "We hope a new code of conduct under the Media Act will help close this loophole.
"Disney Plus seemingly opting to later remove this film highlights how we need a system that introduces a degree of consistency between streaming platforms and other forms of more traditional entertainment, so people can have confidence when watching films and other shows.
"It doesn't make sense that we have robust safeguards for animal-related content shown in cinemas, on DVDs or on traditional television channels - yet those protections could go out the window when you turn on a major streaming service. We can't backtrack now on what society deems is acceptable in terms of how we treat animals."
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