‘Toy Story 2’ casting-couch outtake is not so funny. So Disney deleted it

The far-reaching #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have hit the Walt Disney Co. yet again, resulting in the reported deletion of a 20-year-old casting-couch scene in “Toy Story 2.�

The scene, which appears in a faux blooper reel at the end of the 1999 animated film, is no longer part of new home-entertainment releases, according to several reports. That likely means it also won’t appear on the streaming version of the film when Disney launches Disney+ in November.

The deletion was first noted in online forums when Disney re-released the “Toy Story� trilogy on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and digital HD formats ahead of “Toy Story 4’s� theatrical release in June.

Representatives for Disney were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.

The outtake-style clip features Tom Hanks’ Woody interrupting a surreptitious meeting between the collectible Prospector toy, Stinky Pete, and twin Barbie dolls inside a toy box. Pete, a villain in the film, ogles, strokes and suggestively talks to the dolls and implies that he can get them parts in “Toy Story 3.�

The so-called casting couch — when bosses lord their power over fledgling actresses and actors — has essentially become a microcosm of the power imbalance in Hollywood and beyond. It looks like Disney recognized that its mere suggestion no longer has a place in its family-friendly films.

The move is the latest in Disney’s recent history of course-correcting, which includes updates to its Pirates of the Caribbean ride at its theme parks and other tweaks. The studio has also become more self-aware and self-referential, updating stereotypical narratives for its iconic princesses in films such as “Moana,� “Ralph Breaks the Internet� and the live-action “Beauty and the Beast� and “Aladdin� remakes.

The monolithic Walt Disney Co. faced its own Time’s Up reckoning last summer when it ended its relationship with Pixar Animation co-founder John Lasseter, who was accused of misconduct. Lasseter, who co-directed “Toy Story 2� incidentally, later joined the animation division of Skydance Media, but was publicly shamed during the comeback, particularly in an open letter from actress Emma Thompson, who refused to work with him.

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