Cult classic film removed from Disney+ over controversial scene that had it banned from TV

A 1989 James Cameron movie has been removed from Disney+.

Cameron is behind some fan favorite films like The Terminator and Avatar franchises, as well as Titanic and Aliens, but there's one particular movie of his that landed him in hot water with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) which forced the director to cut a scene from it.

The film boasts an impressive 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but this hasn't stopped it from being pulled from Disney+ for UK viewers.

The sci-fi is movie about a diving team who are tasked with searching for a lost nuclear submarine and ultimately end up facing an alien aquatic species.

Upon its theatrical release, the BBFC (which was established in 1912) said that Cameron had to cut a scene depicting a rat being abused.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio stars in the 1989 movie (20th Century Fox)

In the movie, titled The Abyss, a real-life rat was dunked into a vat of fluorocarbon liquid. The rodent is said to have survived the ordeal, but many animal charities voiced their concerns.

Said scene depicting animal cruelty had to be cut from the film when it was later released on DVD in the UK and could not be aired on TV either.

But in an apparent 'loophole', the original version of The Abyss was added to Disney+. Streaming platforms are not bound to the BBFC's ruling; the organization is known to work closely with Netflix, however.

With this in mind, the RSPCA - the largest animal welfare charity in the UK - protested Disney+'s decision to put the uncut version of The Abyss on the platform.

There's an unnerving scene involving a rat in the James Cameron movie (20th Century Fox)

David Bowles, the RSPCA's Head of Public Affairs, 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 out why Disney Plus has 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 and continues to consistently protect people and animals."

It seems as if Disney has since taken the concerns onboard and removed The Abyss from the platform for British viewers while it remains on America's Disney+.

It's unclear if there are plans to add the BBFC-friendly version of the movie to the UK platform at a later date.

UNILAD has approached Disney+ UK for comment.