Warner Bros. apologizes after campaigners slam depiction of physical disabilities in 'The Witches' remake
- Warner Bros. has apologized after equal rights campaigners slammed the studio's depiction of physical disabilities in "The Witches."
- In a statement given to Deadline, Warner Bros. said that it is "deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities" and that it "regretted any offense caused."
- In the film, Anne Hathaway plays the powerful Grand High Witch, and throughout she makes a series of dramatic and evil transformations where she is presented with long clawed hands that are missing fingers, which campaigners say mimics limb abnormality ectrodactyly or "split finger."
Warner Bros has apologized after equal rights campaigners slammed the studio's depiction of physical disabilities in its new reimagining of Roald Dahl's "The Witches."
In a statement given to Deadline, Warner Bros. said that it is "deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities" and that it "regretted any offense caused."
The spokesperson added: "In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them."
In the new movie, Anne Hathaway takes on the role of the powerful Grand High Witch, and throughout, Hathaway makes a series of dramatic and evil transformations where she is presented with long clawed hands that are missing fingers.
But disability campaigners, including former Paralympic swimming champion Amy Marren, slammed the film, noting that Hathaway's appearance directly mimics real-life limb impairments and is another example of Hollywood once again linking physical and mental disabilities with evil characters.
Amy Marren first highlighted the issue tweeting: "Was there much thought given as to how this representation of limb differences would effect the limb difference community?"
Amy's post was quickly followed up with support from the official Paralympic Twitter account who said: "Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalized."
Other disability campaigners created the hashtag "not a witch" to share their own personal stories and challenge the depictions in the film.
One person posted that "The Witches" would make life even more difficult for children with "limb difference" who already have "much against them already."
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, "The Witches" was produced by Warner Bros, but it was released on HBO Max last month. It is the second adaptation of Dahl's popular novel after Nicolas Roeg's 1990 adaption.
Read More: