We’re not going to lie, this is pretty yucky. *Tugs collar*
Real life hero Chadwick Boseman, aka Black Panther, tragically died on August 28th, 2020. Now, mere days after the 1-year anniversary of his passing, the 20/20 memorial special dedicated to his life was removed silently from Disney+.
Wowsers.
This time our frustration is a level above the usual disappointment that comes from being the only streaming service to “stealth” remove content. It’s beyond the usual anger that Disney’s promise to stream all content “in perpetuity” unless it had pre-existing contracts didn’t apply to ABC or Disney Channel “specials.”
Nah, this time the anger stems from the tone deaf decision to pull a Disney legend’s memorial special, period. Why they refuse to license specials beyond 1 year is anybody’s guess. They have the money to stream them forever and there’s not a remote chance it would be too costly to stream a 20/20 episode for longer than a year.
It makes it seem like Disney only cared when it was fresh… we know that’s not the case but the Mouse makes far too many of these “corporate” missteps.
As we go try to rinse out the bad taste in our mouth, we leave you with this ever-growing list of apparently permanently vaulted specials:
Permanently Vaulted Disney Specials:
Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (2019)
Disney Channel Summer Singalong (2020)
Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (2020)
Disney Channel Holiday House Party (2020)
Disney Family Singalong Volume 1 (2020)
Disney Family Singalong Volume 2 (2020)
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute For a King (2020)
Upcoming Expected Removals:
Disney Halloween House Party (2020) (Expected removal October 30th, 2021)
The Disney Holiday Singalong (2020) (Definite removal December 4th, 2021)
Disney Holiday Magic Quest (2020) (Expected removal December 11th, 2021)
Disney Channel Epic Holiday Showdown (2020) (Expected removal December 11th, 2021)
Make sure to bookmark and track all removals with our Titles Removed page.
Are you also a bit uncomfortable with the awkward decision not to license the special in perpetuity?
Drew Ryan is a film, TV, and Disney geek. He has degrees in English, Student Personnel Administration, and Library & Information Science from Lawrence University, Concordia University-Wisconsin, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Interested in the minutia and licensing of streaming service content, he is always publishing lists, suggestions, and advocating for Disney’s missing library to be added to Disney+. Drew subscribes to Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Paramount+. You can find him waxing nostalgic over classic Disney Channel or geeking out over Marvel, CW shows, & Disney on Twitter.
