Disney+ Removes An Episode “The Simpsons” In Hong Kong
A recent episode of “The Simpsons” called “One Angry Lisa” has been removed from Disney+ in Hong Kong, according to Variety.
The second episode from the 34th season, sees Lisa getting called for jury duty while Marge becomes obsessed with her exercise bike. During the episode, while Lisa is on a virtual bike tour, at one point there is an image of the Great Wall of China, and the exercise instructor says, “Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labour camps where children make smartphones.”
Hong Kong is a “special administrative region” of China that has a degree of policy independence from Beijing, but over the years, there has been more interference from the government of China, resulting in protests and issues with any criticism of the Communist Party of China.
This isn’t the first time Disney has removed content from Disney+, as it has previously removed an episode of “The Simpsons”, which touched on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Disney has also previously said that it operates a policy of following local laws and regulations in all the territories in which it operates.
According to Kenny Ng, a film censorship expert at Hong Kong Baptist University.
“The company may have proactively removed any potentially offensive images or narratives from its products and streaming service to play safe for its future business in China,”
There has been criticism of Disney in the past, who have been accused of pandering to the China government, such as filming parts of the live-action version of “Mulan” in Xinjiang. China is an important region for Disney, as it has theme parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai, plus it has recently been able to release films like “Avatar: The Way Of Water”, after a few years of issues with getting films released in the country.
Roger Palmer
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