Disney Secretly Deletes Inappropriate Blooper From Toy Story 2

That didn't age well.

Sharp-eyed fans have taken to online forums to point out that on the recent 4K release of Toy Story 2, one of the "bloopers" featured during the closing credits was conspicuously missing — one which doesn't play so great in the #MeToo era. (via Rerelease News)

Pixar's films have a long and storied history of including faux-bloopers or outtakes during their credits, and the 1999 sequel was no exception. The gag in question involved the old prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer), who is caught having a questionable chat with the Barbie twins by Woody (Tom Hanks) while supposedly unaware that the cameras were still rolling.

In the clip, Woody asks his horse, "Bullseye, are you with me?" to which he gets a comical response. "Prospector, how about you?" the cowboy asks, turning around his box to reveal Pete inside with the twins. "And so, you two are absolutely identical?" Pete asks. "You know, I'm sure I could get you a part in Toy Story 3... I'm sorry, are we back? Oh! Alright, girls, lovely talking with you, yes, anytime you'd like some tips on acting, I'd be glad to chat with you. Alright, off you go, then!"

In retrospect, it's a little amazing that the "blooper" made it into Toy Story 2 at all, even 20 years ago. But in the context of the modern era — a time when such former Hollywood luminaries as Harvey Weinstein, Bryan Singer, and Louis C.K. have all been thoroughly disgraced in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual impropriety — the joke lands with an absolute thud.

For that matter, Pixar and the Toy Story franchise have not been unaffected. John Lasseter, who co-founded Pixar and wrote and directed the first two Toy Story movies, took a leave of absence from the company in 2017 after admitting to "missteps" with female employees. These allegedly included "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes," (via The Hollywood Reporter), and in mid-2018, it was announced that Lasseter would be leaving Pixar permanently.

While Lasseter is officially no more, his shadow doubtless still looms large over the animation company he helped found, and it's pretty likely that Disney executives are well aware that his self-inflicted troubles are still very much ongoing. Early this year, he was hired to head up Skydance Animation, which is getting ready to field its first feature (titled Luck) in 2021. In the wake of his hiring, Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson — who had been set to voice a role in the flick — dropped out in protest. 

In light of all this, it's pretty easy to see why Disney would be keen to quietly cut a scene which featured a member of Toy Story 2's cast in a lascivious "casting couch" scenario with a couple of Barbie dolls. Users on forums like Reddit and BluRay.com jumped all over the omission, although many were quick to point out that the scene hasn't always been included in all versions of the film (such as the DVD release, which included it as a special feature instead). In addition to the 4K Blu Ray, the scene has also been wiped from all official digital downloads, but according to Yahoo! Movies, it's still featured on the version of the film offered by U.K. streaming service Disney Life.

In our humble opinion, this is one instance in which what could be perceived as censorship is totally appropriate. Pixar films are family films, and while it's one thing to include slightly more sophisticated gags that can be caught by adults after flying over the heads of their kids, it's quite another to stick a character in a perfectly charming film you just watched into an obviously sleazy scenario. Especially in light of Lasseter's behavior, it would've been more shocking had Disney not chosen to pull the offending gag, and as for the surreptitious nature of the cut, let us ask you this: if you were Disney, would you want to call attention a Toy Story "casting couch" scene directed by a man accused of engaging in a widespread pattern of sexual misconduct? A scene put to film seven years before the company's acquisition of Pixar?

No, no you would not. We're 100% behind Mickey on this one.