diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
index e88667480d3..1f8b67b6177 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
@@ -195,22 +195,23 @@ class Play(Base, Taggable, Become):
     def _load_vars_prompt(self, attr, ds):
         new_ds = preprocess_vars(ds)
         vars_prompts = []
-        for prompt_data in new_ds:
-            if 'name' not in prompt_data:
-                display.deprecated("Using the 'short form' for vars_prompt has been deprecated", version="2.7")
-                for vname, prompt in prompt_data.items():
-                    vars_prompts.append(dict(
-                        name=vname,
-                        prompt=prompt,
-                        default=None,
-                        private=None,
-                        confirm=None,
-                        encrypt=None,
-                        salt_size=None,
-                        salt=None,
-                    ))
-            else:
-                vars_prompts.append(prompt_data)
+        if new_ds is not None:
+            for prompt_data in new_ds:
+                if 'name' not in prompt_data:
+                    display.deprecated("Using the 'short form' for vars_prompt has been deprecated", version="2.7")
+                    for vname, prompt in prompt_data.items():
+                        vars_prompts.append(dict(
+                            name=vname,
+                            prompt=prompt,
+                            default=None,
+                            private=None,
+                            confirm=None,
+                            encrypt=None,
+                            salt_size=None,
+                            salt=None,
+                        ))
+                else:
+                    vars_prompts.append(prompt_data)
         return vars_prompts
 
     def _compile_roles(self):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py b/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
index 09e8c400ada..f1b48e85ef9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
@@ -151,26 +151,6 @@ class VariableManager:
             raise AnsibleAssertionError("the type of 'value' for options_vars should be a dict, but is a %s" % type(value))
         self._options_vars = value.copy()
 
-    def _preprocess_vars(self, a):
-        '''
-        Ensures that vars contained in the parameter passed in are
-        returned as a list of dictionaries, to ensure for instance
-        that vars loaded from a file conform to an expected state.
-        '''
-
-        if a is None:
-            return None
-        elif not isinstance(a, list):
-            data = [a]
-        else:
-            data = a
-
-        for item in data:
-            if not isinstance(item, MutableMapping):
-                raise AnsibleError("variable files must contain either a dictionary of variables, or a list of dictionaries. Got: %s (%s)" % (a, type(a)))
-
-        return data
-
     def get_vars(self, play=None, host=None, task=None, include_hostvars=True, include_delegate_to=True, use_cache=True):
         '''
         Returns the variables, with optional "context" given via the parameters