Overview

• Disney+ pulled The Abyss from its UK service after the RSPCA objected to an unedited scene showing a rat submerged in fluorocarbon liquid.
• That scene has been banned from UK cinemas, television and home media since the 1980s under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 and Video Recordings Act 1984 on BBFC advice.
• Streaming platforms are not bound by the same animal welfare rules as traditional outlets, allowing the uncut version to appear on Disney+ earlier this year.
• RSPCA Head of Public Affairs David Bowles urged Disney+ to reinstate the film without the troubling sequence and warned existing rules fail to shield audiences from animal abuse content.
• The charity is pressing Ofcom and lawmakers to extend a Media Act code to streaming services to guarantee consistent animal cruelty safeguards across all media.