The mystery of Disney’s topless woman
If you were to go to YouTube now and look for videos of details hidden inside Disney movies, you’d be met with a barrage of different options. The amount of fun animators have when putting these films together is quite something, as they pay respects to previous films, hint at future ones and include some inside jokes. There was one occasion, however, when one of these hidden details almost ruined the animation studio.
In 1977, The Rescuers made its debut. It was a well-received Disney film that combined all the loveable elements that Disney prided itself on. There was comedy, action, drama, and adventure, all wrapped up into a movie in which two mice, members of the Rescue Aid Society, help free a six-year-old orphan, Penny, from two treasure hunters.
The movie is still considered a classic to this day, and it’s easy to see why. It was popular enough that it sparked sequels afterwards, giving audiences even more insight into The Rescuers’ adventures. Because of the film’s popularity, when it eventually came out on video, households all over the world were keen on owning it. However, once people had the ability to pause and rewind the film, they were able to find a glaring issue with it.
The people who make those YouTube videos need to have a good eagle eye. It’s not enough to just watch a movie; you need to be ready to scrutinise it and pick out all of the essential details that a casual viewer might miss. This eagle vision predates YouTube by some time, as when the video for The Rescuers came out in 1999, it didn’t take long for people to spot a few frames where a topless woman could be seen.
During a sequence where the mice fly through the streets on an albatross, there’s a moment where they pass a window, and a topless woman can be seen. It’s a blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it moment, as the woman is only in two frames of the 110,000 that make up the movie. It’s a miracle that people could even spot her, but when they did, Disney had no choice but to recall the remaining videos.
This came at quite the cost for Disney, as they had to recall 3.4 million copies of the film, all of which had to be thrown away. While this might seem extreme, the animation studio prides itself on its ability to provide family-friendly entertainment. Subsequently, they didn’t have much of a choice other than to get rid of any images of the topless woman.
The woman’s identity and the person responsible for putting her in the film remain a complete mystery. Disney also hasn’t spoken much about the incident. All that we have is a statement released when the videos were recalled, in which spokeswoman Claudia Peters said they had “to keep our promise to families that we can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the finest in family entertainment.”
