If you watch "Splash" on Disney Plus, it may play a little differently than you remembered.
The 1984 Tom Hanks' starring movie about a man who falls in love with a mermaid, Madison (Daryl Hannah), has a few edits from the original film to hide Hannah's butt when showed briefly in a few scenes.
Allison Pregler first pointed out the biggest edit in the film, which shows the addition of digital hair to completely cover Hannah's behind as she dives into the ocean.
—Allison Pregler 📼 (@AllisonPregler) April 13, 2020
Insider confirmed the change to the 1984 original film on the streaming service. It's a bit of a puzzling revision given that the original film also covers most of Hannah's backside in the same scene.
Here's a look at the Disney Plus version of the film versus the unedited movie available for rent and purchase on YouTube:
People seem a bit confused over the Disney Plus edit, remarking that it probably would have been fine if the edit wasn't so noticeable. Instead, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
—Matthew (@matt_tbr) April 13, 2020
—Phelan Porteous (@Phelous) April 13, 2020
—Social Distance Warrior Arvu (@ArvuReBantra) April 13, 2020
—A. S. Mascareño (@AlexSM10000ft) April 13, 2020
—AliceInBondageLand (@BondageLand) April 13, 2020
That's not the only edit to the film.
The Disney Plus version of the Touchstone film begins with a disclaimer saying the film has been edited from its original version for "content."
If you compare the Disney Plus stream with the original, you'll see that other moments in the film are cropped, blurred, or slightly edited. Another major moment in the film that's changed in the movie on Disney Plus is when Madison first appears at the Statue of Liberty fully nude.
The Disney Plus version carefully blurs and edits Madison climbing over a rail and walking towards a crowd of people. We've added black bars to the original versions of the movie below. You can see how the Disney Plus edit has zoomed in on part of the frame on the lower image.
Why does "Splash" edit the nudity in the film?
Bob Iger, who has recently reasserted control of Disney after stepping down as CEO, has previously said that Disney Plus will be home to family-friendly programming. The brief nudity may be seen as inappropriate if the streaming service is easily accessible to younger children who may be searching the app on their own without adult supervision.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed to Insider that a few scenes in the film were slightly edited to remove nudity.
But even without the censorship, "Splash" was already rated PG. (Disney Plus gives it a PG-13 rating.)
If the nudity is really that large of an issue, Disney could easily put the full, unedited title to stream on Hulu, which it also owns.
