For many fans, the idea that there are Simpsons episodes not on Disney Plus makes no sense. The streaming service has continued to evolve since its November 2019 launch. One thing that remains a growing pain for some fans is the number of episodes of classic television series that are out of order or missing completely. As Disney+ mines the past for content, mistakes are bound to happen. But, in some cases, the decision to alter or leave out content altogether is a deliberate decision by Disney+.
While some episodes and scenes in classic shows have not aged well, the latest original shows on the streaming platform aren’t immune to changes. As Disney+ continues to add new content to its ever-growing archive of material, it has become apparent that it continues to alter or remove episodes and elements from series that fans might have expected to appear. Fans of shows might wonder why there are Simpsons episodes not on Disney Plus and find no answers. The reasons are available, and many of them come from problematic scenes.
Fans of the series may still argue if Lizzie McGuire is too similar to Andi Mack, but one way they aren’t is that Lizzie McGuire is completely accessible on Disney+. Numerous episodes of Andi Mack are missing from Disney and it’s the third season that retains the most episodes, with 17 of the 20 available to watch. The first season is missing the most, with only two left to watch on the streaming service (“Were We Ever” and “Best Surprise Ever”) while the second season has 12 of the 25 episodes.
One of the second season’s missing episodes made history for the Disney Channel: “Cyrus’ Bash-Mitzvah!” The episode revealed the coming-out of Andi’s friend, Cyrus. In all, there are only 29 episodes on Disney+. These episodes are missing because of a specific cast member from the show appearing in them as Stoney Westmoreland, who played Andi’s grandfather, was arrested for sex crimes. Every Andi Mack episode he appeared in was removed from Disney+ (via PopCulture.com).
Some people might not know that The Little Mermaid actually boasted a spin-off TV show. While most of the episodes of this kids’ series are now available on Disney+, mysteriously, the pilot is actually absent from the streaming service. There doesn’t appear to be a reason that Whale Of A Tale is missing, considering it isn’t banned and doesn’t include content that Disney would wish to avoid. Instead, the DIsney+ menu lists “The Great Sebastian” as the show’s first episode instead of the actual pilot.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, “Whale of a Tale” has Ariel befriend a young baby Killer Whale and attempt to take him in, all while her father forbids it. This story takes place one year before The Little Mermaid movie and sometime after the events from the spin-off movie, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning. However, there is some good news for Little Mermaid fans who want to see the episode despite Disney+ removing it. It’s still available to watch on YouTube and some other platforms, so fans of the show will have to settle for that.
Darkwing Duck is a beloved classic within the Walt Disney archives. With so many fantastic Darkwing Duck episodes to watch, those with the streaming service are spoiled for choice considering the quality of the kid’s TV series. However, there is one episode that is missing from Disney+. The reason this is not on Disney+ has to do with the parental groups that protested the episode when it was originally released on television. The reason given was “it’s religiously sensitive subject matter.”
More specifically, this episode has what many parents claimed were “Satanic themes.” The plot has Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Morgana go to Morgana’s old magic school where Gosalyn is allowed to take some classes. Soon, Beelzebub learns they are there and decides he will get Darkwing once and for all, and he eventually steals the hero’s soul, only for Gosalyn and Morgana to have to save him. Four Darkwing Duck episodes were banned (“Tiff of the Titans,” “Bearskin Thug,” and “Aduckyphobia”), but this was the only one that was never shown again.
TaleSpin is a cult hit and another show that’s gaining a second life within the context of Disney+. It would be strange for any episodes of this great series to be missing. Yet, Disney+ has failed to upload two key episodes from TaleSpin — Lost Horizons and Flying Dupes. Fans watching TaleSpin on Amazon or YouTube find that every single episode from the show is available to enjoy. The real reason why Disney decided they would not air these two adventures is the outdated themes.
When it comes to “Lost Horizons,” the episode is a satire of World War II and has harsh Asian stereotyping involved. While it aired on Toon Disney, it was pulled in 2002 and is not available to be shown in reruns, or on Disney+, because of sensitivity issues. The episode “Flying Dupes” has a terrorist theme, as Baloo is tasked with delivering a package to the Thembrian High Marshall that he doesn’t know contains a bomb. It was on the DVD release but was pulled from syndication and is not on Disney+.
There are two episodes of The Muppet Show missing from its Disney+ release. The first one is the season 5 episode with Brooke Shields as the main guest star. The second is also from season 5, this one with guest star Chris Langham. When it came to why Brooke Shields’ episode didn’t make the cut for Disney+, a representative for Disney said it was all about licensing the music. For Langham, it is missing because he is a convicted sex offender (via Yahoo! Movies).
Also, due to rights issues, all scenes containing the song “Lullaby of Birdland” have been deleted from an episode in season two of the original The Muppet Show series. Actor Don Knotts guest-starred in the episode, which is available on the platform, but with the song cut out of the show. The episode has Fozzie running the show, and he gets the band to play the song “Lullaby of Birdland” to end the episode. This also caused backstage scenes to get removed, and a Swedish Chef skit ended up closing the episode in a weird moment.
An entire episode of the 80s animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends is missing from Disney+. One of the best episodes of Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, “The Quest Of The Red Skull,” has not been included with the others on the platform. This isn’t actually the first time the episode has been omitted as it was also left out of syndication in years past because of its subject matter. The episode centers around the Red Skull and his past in Nazi Germany and an attempt to destroy the world.
The main reason this episode is not on Disney+, and was pulled from syndicated reruns after it originally aired, was the Nazi symbolism. The episode does not shy away from showing Swastikas, referencing Hitler and the Nazis, and many of Red Skull’s minions yelling “Heil Hitler.” While this is also on display in the MCU movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as The Rocketeer, those movies are rated PG-13, while this cartoon is meant for kids and Disney+ chose to omit it (via CBR).
A pair of episodes of the original DuckTales animated series are missing from Disney+. They include “Sphinx for the Memories” and “Launchpad’s Civil War.” In “Sphinx for the Memories,” the episode features the gang traveling to Egypt and exploring a marketplace. This episode was available on VHS and DVD in the past, but it is not on Disney+ and it’s not clear why.
As for “Launchpad’s Civil War,” this is an episode where the characters go to Duck Ridge for an American Civil War reenactment. When Launchpad meets some of the aged Union veterans who once served under his ancestors, he wants to avenge his family’s honor by having a rematch against the Confederate re-enactors. Disney gave no reason why this episode is missing. However, the fact there are Confederate flags everywhere and the mayor is proud his great-grandfather won the battle as a Confederate might play into its omission.
Concerning The Simpsons episodes not on Disney Plus, it is no surprise that “Stark Raving Dad” is not on the streaming service. Most fans know it as “the Michael Jackson episode” because Jackson voices a character impersonating Michael Jackson in a mental institution. However, this is not a Disney+ decision, as the episode was removed from syndication and reruns before Disney+ ever launched.
Executive producer James L. Brooks chose to pull the episode from all streaming services, future DVD boxed sets, and syndication in March 2019. His decision came after HBO released the documentary, Leaving Neverland, a film about allegations made against Jackson. “This is our book, and we’re allowed to take out a chapter,” Brooks said. As a result, the episode is not available to stream anywhere anymore, including its spot as one of The Simpsons episodes not on Disney Plus.
On Disney+, Smart Guy features six episodes in its first season but it actually had seven episodes. The original fourth episode is called “Don’t Do That Thing You Do” and it is not present on the streaming platform. With a plot centering on Marcus’s band Markadocious, the episode seems like it wouldn’t cause a problem. It does have a couple of all-star guests, including Gabrielle Union and Christina Milian. This is the only episode of the series missing from Disney+.
However, the reason that “Don’t Do That Thing You Do” might be missing from Disney+ is because of licensing issues. The problem likely lies with the song “I Don’t Know Why” by Jason Weaver. The track is from Weaver’s 1996 EP “Stay With Me” and it plays in two different scenes in the series. It is there both as a lyrical and an instrumental version as the “Featured Song” of the episode. This is a problem with several shows, such as the two episodes of The Muppet Show that were either removed or altered due to music rights.