Michael Cooke from Bonchurch has been scouring Isle of Wight charity shops for the original, uncensored versions of more than 160 Disney films – and needs just 3 more to complete his collection.
Michael, who works in the Co-Op, currently has a total of 160 Disney films in his possession and only needs 3 more to complete his rather unique collection. The 3 films he has yet to find are: Raya the Last Dragon, Fantasia 2000 and Make Mine Music.
The 36-year-old is driven to collect the original DVDs because of today’s climate of political correctness, which has led to the words of the original versions being censored and some films being made completely unavailable.
For example, the words of the opening song Arabian Nights in his favourite Disney film Aladdin have been censored following complaints by Arab-American organisations:
The lyrics of the original version of Arabian Nights were:
Oh, I come from a land
From a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam.
Where they cut off your ear
If they don’t like your face
It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.
In the censored version, the lyrics are:
Oh, I come from a land
From a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam.
Where it’s flat and immense
And the heat is intense,
It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.
Michael loves Disney because it is what he has grown up with and the attraction has never faded. He loves watching Disney with his fiance (Kay) and friends.
Speaking to Island Echo, Michael has said:
“I’ve been a collector of Disney DVDs since October 2022. I had a goal in mind to collect as many Disney animated classics as possible. I also collect Disney figures.
“The main goal was to get all the animated classics, uncensored because the digital (Disney plus) are highly censored and some are even unavailable.
“Some films are not feasible to get from a charity shop, but I achieved 95% from charity shops on the Isle of Wight, between the Ventnor shops RSPCA, Mountbatten Hospice and St Catherine’s charity shop, and the British Heart Foundation, Ability for Blind Dogs, Samaritans and Kissy Puppy in Newport.
“My best finds were Jungle book diamond edition for 20p and Fox and the Hound 2 for 20p
“My fiance (Kay) isn’t the biggest fan of the charity shops, saying “what rubbish have you bought now?”, but she respects that all the money I am spending is going to good causes on the island and beyond.
“I have always liked Disney from watching Aladdin, to watching my sisters watch Aristocats and Beauty and the Beast, to going with school friends to watch Toy Story 3 and crying in the cinema at the end.
“My collection is my love letter to the animated world of cartoons, which have always been a key part of my life from a child up to now.”
The Ventnor man claims to dig up his DVD gold mainly in Ventnor and Newport shops. His favourite outlets are Ability Dogs 4 Young People, RSPCA and Mountbatten. He says he can purchase his treasures for as little as 10p with the most expensive items costing no more than a quid.
Michael would like to emphasise that he is not asking to be given the 3 missing films from his collection.
He has said:
“I am not asking for anyone to contribute to my collection in anyway. I’m sure they will pop up in charity shops soon enough. Wish me luck.”
Sounds like a nice fella…..surprised he’s got a girlfriend tho.
“The 36-year-old is driven to collect the original DVDs because of today’s climate of political correctness”
Somebody needs to get out more..
An immensely valuable collection from the pre-woke era. I’d be interested to know if a woke’d Jungle Book no longer has Baloo saying to Mowgli outside the man village (a designation itself politically incorrect) ‘birds of a feather should stick together’..
Yaaaaawn!
Somebody needs to get out more
I wonder what the house keeper with the broom is up to nowadays ?
( Tom & Jerry )
Well done, good on yah with all this correctness tripe going on. What and how it was made should be left as originally intended. If they don’t like how it was made with it’s original contents etc. Then don’t watch it. For goodness sake it’s a cartoon.
Fantastic Rodney. (I call him that as he looks like Rodders from Only Fools and Horses). He is always cheerful and chatty and helpful (in the Co-op) Hope you find the remaining 3