A 1980s sci-fi movie nominated for four Oscars has been taken down from Disney Plus due to a controversial scene.
Released in 1989, The Abyss was written and directed by James Cameron, who went on to direct blockbusters like Titanic and the Avatar franchise.
The movie followed a US search and recovery team working with an oil platform crew to save people onboard a submarine after it sinks in the Caribbean.
At the same time, they are racing against Soviet vessels to recover the boat, but, deep in the ocean they face an unexpected encounter.
The Abyss starred Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. It was met with mixed reviews, but grossed $90million (£66million) and was nominated for four Oscars, winning Best Visual Effects.
In 2023 Cameron announced that a 4K remastered version would return to cinemas for a one-night-only event.
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A DVD version was then rolled out in March last year, however a UK release for the 4K restoration was cancelled due to production company Lightstorm Entertainment’s refusal to cut a scene involving a rat.
The scene in question showed the character, Navy SEAL Ensign Monk (Adam Nelson) submerge a rat in a small tub of breathing fluorocarbon liquid, trying to demonstrate how a human might be able to breathe underwater.
The film used five real rats for the scene, with the animal shown in the scene struggling and panicking when it thinks its drowning.
However it eventually calms down and starts breathing the liquid, which contains oxygen.
This scene was banned in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification on animal cruelty grounds. That ruling meant the scene needed to be cut from any theatrical, home video or terrestrial cuts of the film.
However, when the remastered movie version was rolled out on Disney Plus in April, it showed the scene, as streaming services were not bound by the ruling.
A few months on, the movie has now completely disappeared and can’t be found on the platform.
Although Disney Plus is yet to comment on why the film has been pulled entirely, the RSPCA has weighed in on what it believes is a wider issue.
In a statement, the RSPCA’s head of public affairs David Bowles said: ‘The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes.
‘The Abyss’ controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it’s hard to fathom why Disney Plus decided to broadcast it.
‘We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it’s vital the legal framework is responsive to that.’
Despite the backlash, The Abyss has been called a ‘totally gripping, claustrophobic thriller, complete with an interesting crew of characters’ on review site Rotten Tomatoes, where it holds a score of 89%.
Metro has contacted Disney Plus for comment.
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