Toon Disney/Disney Channel Edits Darkwing Duck Episodes 7/15
As a devoted Gargoyles fan, I had recently been made aware that Toon Disney had edited scenes of the show that originally aired in 94-96, but are deemed now too violent for television in 2001. I thought this was ridiculous. Disney shows usually show the consequences of their violence--they're very responsible about these things. However, the network seems to lack trust in the shows. By gum, those shows corrupted kids in the early 90s, better make sure that doesn't happen today!
Right...
I don't mean for this to be an inflammatory tirade against Toon Disney/Disney Channel and their censors. I'm sure those people work very hard, and it's great we even have a Toon Disney in the first place. But I can't help but find it ridiculous that even shows like Darkwing Duck have been edited down, apparently in the name of excessive violence.
The episode in particular that I have taken note of is "Time and Punishment." While watching this episode, which was just aired last night, I took note of a particular scene towards the end. "Time and Punishment "is one of my favorite DW episodes--I have it practically memorized. So when I didn't see Darkwarrior Duck pull his missile-gun-weapon on his daughter, I knew something was amiss. Besides, it was a terribly crappy editing job.
In the original "Time and Punishment" that I had taped off of the UPN network, Gosalyn tells Darkwarrior:
Gosalyn: This isn't you! I think inside you're still Darkwing Duck. And you're still my dad.
She goes to her father who's carrying a hose.
At this point, Darkwarrior pulls out what appears to be a gas gun.
Gos: I'm not afraid of your old gas gun!
She sticks a finger in the barrel of the gun.
DW: Gas gun? Hah! I haven't used a gas gun in years!
His gun then sprouts a missile through the barrell. Gosalyn gulps.
DW: I should have recognized you as a bad egg from the start.
He starts walking towards her, threatening her with the gun.
The love between a father and a daughter. Ain't it beautiful? However, The Disney TV networks found this scene a little too violent for their tastes. Everything was cut between "still my dad" and "I should have recognized."
Now what could possibly have been dangerous about this little scene? (that without, makes the show seem badly edited between DW holding a hose to a gun.) Could it be DW pulling a gun on Gosalyn? Could it be Gosalyn sticking her finger in the gun? Could it be the missile popping out of the gun and Gosalyn's fear of imminent destruction? Well, it's probably a mix of those things. But seriously...look at other instances in "Time and Punishment" as an example. They didn't edit out the earlier instance of Darkwing firing a missile at Gos and LP, and then jumping down and taking the missile impact himself. They didn't edit out his dropping a large anvil on the criminals of St. Canard. In other episodes, Negaduck wields his chainsaw freely. Heck, in the footage that airs between commercial breaks, Negaduck pulls a gun on Launchpad. And somehow, this little scene in "Time and Punishment" is worth banishing to the archives forever?
Now I can see the point--they probably don't want children emulating Gosalyn by sticking their fingers in the barrels of guns. But HELLO? A very cartoony gun, a very cartoony situation. Children aren't given enough credit for their intelligence. Kids are capable, and frequently do get "the big picture." I don't remember ever having any piqued interest in touching a gun from Darkwing Duck(save my Kellogg's bubble blower gas gun--that thing rules!). And the creators and writers of the shows aren't given enough credit for being responsible with their violence, depicting it in a cartoony light and in a completely non-offensive way. We live in a very different world from the 1990s, that is a sad truth in everyday life, and in the cartoon industry. Media and cartoons children watch is NOT the problem, is not the cause of youth violence in society. By censoring time tested shows, the Disney network simply propagates the idea that censorship is the answer to a bigger problem--and it is NOT the answer. Parents, family, sitting down, watching shows with their children, teaching their children right from wrong, is. And by making their cartoons "violence-free," Toon Disney sends the message to parents that it's "ok" to sit your child down and raise them in front of the television.
Now I know I've made some strong contentions in my last paragraph, but it is how I feel. Again, I do not write this to be necessarily accusatory, but to simply shed light on a minor problem that has major implications. How do you feel about Toon Disney editing scenes from their cartoons? Are there any other edited scenes from Darkwing Duck you'd like to report? E-mail them my way, and they'll make it on this page.
More Edits:
In "Twin Beaks," Bushroot's quip about "not calling us a bunch of pansies" was cut.
In "Inherit the Wimp," the Whittlin' Kid's gun sequence in the flasback was cut.