Claim: The photographic image of a topless woman appears in the background of a scene in The Rescuers.

 

TRUE

Origins: On 8 January 1999, Disney announced a recall of the home video version of their 1977 animated feature The Rescuers because it contained an "objectionable background image." That image was one which appeared in a scene approximately 38 minutes into the film: as rodent heroes Bianca and Bernard fly through the city in a sardine box strapped to the back of Orville, proprietor of Albatross Air Charter Service, the photographic image of a topless woman can be seen at the window of a building in the background in two different non-consecutive frames, first in the bottom left corner, then at the top center portion of the frame:

 


Unlike most rumors of risqué words and visuals hidden in Disney's animated films, this one was clearly true, and the images in question were undeniably purposely inserted into the movie.

The two "topless woman" frames had reputedly been present in the film ever since its original theatrical release in 1977 (a fact apparently confirmed by Disney, whose spokesperson said that the tampering "was done more than 20 years ago"), although Disney claimed that they were not included in the 1992 home video release because that version "was made from a different print." Disney also maintained that the images were not placed in the film by any of their animators but were instead inserted during the post-production process. The company decided to recall 3.4 million copies of the video "to keep our promise to families that we can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the finest in family entertainment."

Claim: The photographic image of a topless woman appears in the background of a scene in The Rescuers.

 

TRUE

Origins: On 8 January 1999, Disney announced a recall of the home video version of their 1977 animated feature The Rescuers because it contained an "objectionable background image." That image was one which appeared in a scene approximately 38 minutes into the film: as rodent heroes Bianca and Bernard fly through the city in a sardine box strapped to the back of Orville, proprietor of Albatross Air Charter Service, the photographic image of a topless woman can be seen at the window of a building in the background in two different non-consecutive frames, first in the bottom left corner, then at the top center portion of the frame:

 


Unlike most rumors of risqué words and visuals hidden in Disney's animated films, this one was clearly true, and the images in question were undeniably purposely inserted into the movie.

The two "topless woman" frames had reputedly been present in the film ever since its original theatrical release in 1977 (a fact apparently confirmed by Disney, whose spokesperson said that the tampering "was done more than 20 years ago"), although Disney claimed that they were not included in the 1992 home video release because that version "was made from a different print." Disney also maintained that the images were not placed in the film by any of their animators but were instead inserted during the post-production process. The company decided to recall 3.4 million copies of the video "to keep our promise to families that we can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the finest in family entertainment."