A fairly recent episode of The Simpsons containing a reference to China’s use of forced labor camps has disappeared from the Disney Plus streaming service in Hong Kong. First seen by the financial times and then Confirmed by Axiosthe episode titled “One Angry Lisa” is not available to stream on Disney Plus, although the rest of The Simpsons’ Season 34 is. The episode contains a line criticizing the country: “Behold the wonders of China: Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.”
This is the second episode of The Simpsons to be removed from Disney Plus in Hong Kong
Disney has not revealed the reasons behind pulling out The Simpsons episode in Hong Kong, and it is unclear whether the removal was at the direct request of Chinese authorities or a proactive move to protect their business interests in mainland China. The company has had a rocky relationship with China in recent years, with almost every movie released by the Disney-owned Marvel Studios in the past three years. not shown in the country. We’ve reached out to Disney to clarify why the episode was pulled and will update this story if we hear back.
The entertainment giant has a previous story to comply with the demands of China’s state censors, sometimes edit parts of your TV series and movies to ensure that it is allowed to be released in the region. An example of this is the decision not to include any reference to Tibet (which China insists is not an independent country). in strange doctor, despite its importance to the comic’s source material. This is also not the first time that an episode of The Simpsons has been removed from Disney Plus. Season 16 episode 12, titled “Goo Goo Gai Pan”, was shot in 2021 for containing a reference to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
