5:35
- culture
- November 5, 2020
'The Witches' remake receives backlash
Warner Bros. issued a statement on the controversy.
\"My fear is that children will watch this film, unaware that it massively exaggerates the Roald Dahl original and that limb differences [are] to be feared,\" Marren wrote. \"I am fully aware that this is a film and these are Witches. But Witches are essentially monsters.\"
The Paralympic Games retweeted Marren's statement and expressed on its official Twitter, \"Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalised.\"
Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalised. #NotAWitch calls out ‘#TheWitches’ movie for portrayal of disability 👉 https://t.co/aSY1U6TymE pic.twitter.com/UCU87bUeV8
— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) November 3, 2020
Warner Bros., who is behind \"The Witches,\" shared a statement to \"Good Morning America\" regarding the controversy.
\"We the filmmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures are deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in 'THE WITCHES' could upset people with disabilities, and regret any offense caused,\" the statement read. \"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,\" the statement continued. Warner Bros. went on to say that the film centers on \"the power of kindness and friendship\" and they hope people can enjoy the \"empowering, love-filled theme.”
\"The Witches,\" starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and narrated by Chris Rock, premiered on HBO Max on Oct. 22.
ABC News' Hayley FitzPatrick contributed to this report.
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