Following Backlash, Disney+ Walks Back Some Titles From Content Purge
Disney+ is walking back the purging of content after public backlash. A report from yesterday stated the Disney branded streaming service planned to remove titles from its library starting next month, with one of the largest being Willow. Hulu is also set to lose a large number of titles as well, which has caused fans to show their outrage on social media. However, according to Deadline, at least one title will not be leaving Disney+ after all: Howard, a documentary focused on the lyricist Howard Ashman, who is a gay man that also co-wrote songs for 1989's The Little Mermaid animated movie.
"The list of titles coming off of Hulu and Disney+ next week is still being finalized," a representative for Disney said. Since the list of titles is still being worked on, it's possible that more content aside from Howard could be saved, or go the other way and even more titles added to the scrub list. The news of Howard leaving Disney+ came at an awkward time considering the live-action hybrid The Little Mermaid is about to release in theaters, and we're also up on LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Willow Fans Respond to Disney+ Removal
Disney+ is planning to remove Willow from the service alongside dozens of other streaming titles. Along with the adventure fantasy series that was canceled after one season in March, titles slated to be removed from Disney+ next week include the recently canceled Mysterious Benedict Society and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Big Shot, Turner & Hooch, Just Beyond, Diary of a Future President, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Disney-owned Hulu will also pull content, removing Y: The Last Man, Dollface, The Hot Zone, Maggie, Pistol, and Little Demon. All titles will cease to be available on Disney+ and Hulu starting May 26th.
"They gave us six months. Not even," Willow staff writer John Bickerstaff, who co-wrote Episode 3 of the Disney+ series, tweeted Thursday. "This business has become absolutely cruel."
"Well, you work on something for years, pour your heart and soul into it, as do hundreds of other artists. You make it during a global pandemic, far from home. Then it is canceled before it even has a chance to finish airing," Hulu's Y: The Last Man showrunner Eliza Clark tweeted. "Then, it is disappeared…"
The eight-episode first season of Willow, which premiered in November, served as a sequel to the 1988 Ron Howard-directed fantasy film and saw Warwick Davis reprise his role as the Nelwyn sorcerer Willow Ufgood. Developed by Jonathan Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story), the series featured a diverse international cast that included Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Ellie Bamber, Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, Dempsey Bryk, and Joanne Whalley.
Fans had similarly stunned reactions to the removal news. "Disney+ purging Willow is such a pathetic move. Purging any content — already bought and paid for — is a pathetic move," Collider's Maggie Lovitt tweeted. "They better shop it to another streamer and not just bury it." Another Twitter user criticized a "multi-billion dollar company removing a show that hasn't even been out for half a year due to 'cost-cutting reasons'," while others praised the show for its "hopeful, love-led storytelling with diversity and queerness forefront."