The Censored 11
Never heard of it? Neither have I - till now.
Western Animation / Censored Eleven
In the history of media, there exist works that may not seem overtly controversial at the time of their creation, but later come to be regarded as such as time passes and perceptions of morals, beliefs, and societial issues change. Animation is no different, and the best example of this within the medium is the "Censored Eleven", a group of eleven Looney Tunes animated shorts—ten of which were released under the Merrie Melodies label—were created between the years of 1931 and 1944. The shorts were all banned from further distribution by United Artists (then owner of the 1934-48 Warner Bros. color cartoon library) in 1968 chiefly for the usage of stereotypical blackface character designs for African-Americans, alongside the depiction of Africans as savages. The full list is as follows:
- Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land — 1931, directed by Rudolf Ising.
- Sunday Go to Meetin' Time — 1936, directed by Friz Freleng.
- Clean Pastures — 1937, directed by Friz Freleng. This cartoon was nearly banned at its time of release—not for race, but for religious reasons (the Hays Office thought people at the time would be offended that black people are depicted as heavenly creatures and even The Devil wants to get into Heaven) and for glamorizing vices (gambling, sex (the showgirls dancing to "Sweet Georgia Brown"), swing-dancing, and booze).
- Uncle Tom's Bungalow — 1937, directed by Tex Avery.
- Jungle Jitters — 1938, directed by Friz Freleng. Watch
- The Isle of Pingo Pongo — 1938, directed by Tex Avery. The first travelogue parody done by Avery.
- All This and Rabbit Stew — 1941, directed by Tex Avery. This is the only Bugs Bunny cartoon on this list; it is also on the "12 Banned Bugs Bunny Cartoons" list. This short is in the Public Domain. Watch
- Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs — 1943, directed by Bob Clampett. Despite being banned for its outdated and racist content, it has made two lists (50 Greatest Cartoons and 100 Greatest Looney Tunes) and is considered by a lot of animation fans and historians to be one of Bob Clampett's greatest works.
- Tin Pan Alley Cats — 1943, directed by Bob Clampett. This short also made it to the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes list, despite being banned for its racist caricatures of black people and its World War II references.
- Angel Puss — 1944, directed by Chuck Jones. This is both the only short released under the Looney Tunes label and the only short on the list directed by Jones.
- Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears — 1944, directed by Friz Freleng.
The "Censored Eleven" are called so because in 1968, Associated Artists Productions rightsowner United Artists deemed all eleven of the shorts—which contained numerous depictions of black people that are considered offensive—to be too offensive for contemporary audiences (especially in light of the Civil Rights Movement) and pulled them all from distribution. Unlike other shorts released at the time that were later edited to remove any racially-themed jokes (such as those found in various Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes shorts), the racial themes in the Censored Eleven are so pervasive and thoroughly central to the plot of each short that editing them out would all but render the shorts into nothingness. Since 1968, the owners of the rights to these shorts—including the current rightsholders, Warner Bros. Discovery—have refused to show any one of them on television or (with a single exception) in theaters.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/CensoredEleven
However, if you are curious what was being censured, basically banned, you can still watch them here:
WARNING!: This collection of shorts contains racial stereotypes of black people which may be considered upsetting and/or inappropriate for people under the age of 18 and over. Be warned that these animated cartoons were shown back then originally in theatres, and are now offensive for today's viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
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