{"id":112284,"date":"2020-11-04T20:17:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T20:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/the-witches-anne-hathaway-controversy-prompts-apology-from-warner-bros\/"},"modified":"2020-11-04T20:17:43","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T20:17:43","slug":"the-witches-design-controversy-prompts-apology-from-warner-bros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/11\/04\/the-witches-design-controversy-prompts-apology-from-warner-bros\/","title":{"rendered":"The Witches Design Controversy Prompts Apology From Warner Bros."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Warner Bros.’ The Witches<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0received criticism from\u00a0people with disabilities and organizations that support the community\u00a0over the design of\u00a0Anne Hathaway’s character. Now the studio has issued an apology for any offense caused by the depiction of people with disabilities in the HBO Max film.<\/p>\n

Based on the\u00a0Roald Dahl novel of the same name, The Witches<\/em> centers on a young boy who\u00a0works with his grandmother to thwart the sinister plot of a group of witches led by Hathaway<\/a>‘s\u00a0the\u00a0Grand High Witch.\u00a0Director Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the story depicts the Grand High Witch with missing fingers, which people with disabilities\u00a0have noted suggests the character may have\u00a0Ectrodactyly, a limb\u00a0abnormality more commonly known as split or\u00a0cleft hand. The character’s design prompted members of the community to raise concerns about the potential negative consequences of portraying\u00a0individuals\u00a0with physical defects as people to be feared.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Anne Hathaway Nerds out Over Back to the Future and Robert Zemeckis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In a statement on her official Twitter account, Paralympic athlete Amy Marren\u00a0said that she was disappointed by Warner Bros.’ decision<\/a> to depict individuals with limb differences as “something scary.” Afterward, the official Twitter account for the Paralympic Games supported Marren’s statement\u00a0by adding that differences should be celebrated and disabilities should be normalized.<\/p>\n

“We the filmmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures are deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches<\/em> could upset people with disabilities, and regret any offense caused,” said a Warner Bros. spokesperson in a statement responding to the criticism. “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. This film is about the power of kindness and friendship. It is our hope that families and children can enjoy the film and embrace this empowering, love-filled theme.”<\/p>\n