Disney has come under fire for leaving a movie on their streaming platform that shows a child involved in a romantic relationship with a grown woman.
Now, with many of us spending more time at home recently, streaming platforms like Disney+ have been crucial in fighting boredom.
In fact, so many Disney+ subscribers have had so much time on their hands that they've gotten around to watching the movies most of us have never even heard of. Case in point: the 1994 comedy Blank Check.
Check out the trailer for the movie below:With this long-forgotten flick rated appropriate for 6 years and up, and only containing a warning for tobacco depictions, you'll probably think it's a sweet family comedy the whole family can enjoy.
Blank Check tells the story of 11-year-old Preston Waters (played by Brian Bonsall) - a kid who longs to be rich. And, after a series of events too convoluted to really get into, he finds himself with $1,000,000.
However, what most first-time viewers of the movie probably don't realize is that the plot sees young Preston falling for a bank teller and undercover FBI agent called Shay Stanley (played by Karen Duffy).
And by "undercover FBI agent", I mean GROWN-A** WOMAN.
As their story unfolds, Shay and Preston end up spending a lot of time together, and at one point they end up soaking wet after some slow-motion dancing in a water fountain. They then take a limo ride, where the tension is - shall we say - inappropriate.
But it doesn't stop there. At the end of the movie, Shay actually kisses Preston on the lips, and then agrees to go on a date with him in six years' time - which would still only make him 17!
At the time of shooting the movie, Brian Bonsall was 11 years old, while Karen Duffy was 31 - a fact that did not go unnoticed back in 1994.
When the movie was originally released, the Chicago Tribune called it "one of the sleazier movies ever marketed to kids", adding that it had "no ethical bedrock".
Understandably, modern-day viewers have been taking to social media to question why Disney thought the movie would be appropriate to include on Disney+.
TikTok user @therjpowell shared his commentary on the movie (above), and captioned his video: "Disney Thought It Was Ok To Make This Movie!!!"
One Twitter user wrote: "wait, so @Disney openly filmed a middle aged woman kiss a CHILD, then they put that movie on @disneyplus???? still can’t wrap my head around this".
Another person tweeted: "The difference between me watching #blankcheck at 30 years old vs me watching it at 12 is that 30 year old me realizes FBI agent Shay Stanley probably shouldn’t be in the FBI or within 2000 feet of a school".
And Natalie Rivera tweeted: "Who else totally forgot that a grown-ass woman kisses a child on the lips in Disney's Blank Check? Did I block this super inappropriate romance all these years? And yes, it's on Disney plus, but Hamilton dropping f-bombs isn't okay."
And replying to a TikTok video discussing the movie, one person commented: "Imagine if that was a 30 year old man doing that too a 12 year old lil girl [sic]".
Do you think people are just being oversensitive or should this movie be pulled from Disney+ - let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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