A little over two years ago, we talked about how Splashmade waves across the internet for the wrong reasons. The beloved movie that stars Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah in a mermaid-out-of-water romantic comedy went through an unjustified edit that left many wondering what Disney would do to maintain its family-friendly brand.
When Disney+ launched 36 months ago, viewers were eager to rewatch Splash but noticed that something was… off.
In one scene, Daryl Hannah’s character runs back into the ocean and her posterior is barely visible beneath her long hair after Tom Hanks asks her for her number. Disney, believing the brief moment of mooning was unsuitable for its audience, edited the scene so Hannah’s hair covered her body.
As one of Touchstone’s films, an offshoot of Disney that focused on movies for older teens and adults, Splash was a massive hit when it was released to the public. But Disney decided that kids shouldn’t see butts on film.
Strangely enough, Disney also made edits to certain films and shows. Fans of the series Wizards of Waverly Place noticed in 2020 that the company blurred the cleavage of actor Maria Canals-Barrera in an episode, and removed certain episodes from The Simpsonsand Adventures in Babysitting that the company viewed as problematic in today’s age.
While these episodes or films are problematic from a modern perspective, it is still important to keep the art of filmmaking and TV as it is. If we try to erase the history and art created years ago, then we are failing to have conversations about why those decisions were made and what we must learn and carry into our current work.
'Splash'Credit: Buena Vista Distribution
According to CBR, Disney is going back on its decision by giving Splash a 4K upgrade with an uncensored “nude” scene. The update was installed in the service in March. Viewers now have an option for content rating restrictions and the ability to add a PIN for certain profiles.
If you want to see this “uncensored” scene, you will have to go into the streamer’s parental controls.
CBR notes that the company updated its parental controls so the streaming service could include all of the Netflix Marvel shows, which are edgier and adult-friendly compared to recent Marvel shows like Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye.
Butts or no butts, Disney is planning a remake of Splash with Channing Tatum as the mermaid and Jillian Bell as the human. While we don’t have a release date, I doubt that we will get to see any butts—per corporate policy.
Let us know what you think of the change in the comments!
Source: CBR
