Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing
And just to kick this off: Peter Rabbit focuses on a human trying to get rid of CGI-animated furry animals. Yes, let’s kick things off there.
Parents of children with food allergies are pissed off and calling for a boycott of the new Peter Rabbit movie, accusing the film of promoting “food allergy bullying.” Oh boy. The scene in question? Well the human enemy, played by Domhnall Gleeson, is allergic to blackberries and goes into anaphylactic shock, forcing him to inject himself with an epipen. So what do these a-hole furry creatures do? Attack him with blackberries to keep him out of the garden.
Some people were not fans of that scene at all, including charity group Kids with Food Allergies, who issued a warning on social media, and the president and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, who urged Sony to “examine your portrayal of bullying in your films geared toward a young audience.”
Now this doesn’t end here as Twitter chimed in, but mainly from parents who felt the same exact way.
As a mother of a toddler allergic to several foods, I am disgusted that Sony would make a joke out of flicking an allergen at a food allergic individual. Doing so is felony aggravated assault! What kind of message does that scene send to kids?! #boycottpeterrabbit
— hydrogirl71 (@hydrogirl71) February 10, 2018
@SonyPictures What a disgrace – teaching children it’s okay to bully and harass others with food allergies. You obviously have no staff with children who could DIE from food allergies. #attemptedmurder #foodallergies #boycottpeterrabbit
— Allison Wells (@OrangeAlli) February 10, 2018
How can Sony Pictures release a film where food allergy bullying is acceptable? I guess the film industry won’t understand how wrong this is till they’re covered in hives and struggling to breathe. #boycottpeterrabbit
— Julia B (@PartyVIP101) February 11, 2018
And some, like most of us, think this is absurd:
Maybe you should read about the storyline instead of thinking they’re just making light of food allergies. BTW, I have food allergies & carry an epipen and think this boycott is ridiculous. And last I checked, it’s a movie about talking rabbits!
— QnBeautifulCriminal (@Redmond_1753) February 13, 2018
— nekopunch (@nekop0nch) February 13, 2018
It is a fictional film you absolute lemon
— David Taheny (@Davey2343) February 12, 2018
You do know the farmer in the movie tries to kill the rabbits right? And eat them. Its also fictional.
— Rex Rockaway (@RexRockaway) February 11, 2018
People need to grow the fuck up it’s a kids movie if your child actually takes a movie about an animated talking rabbit throwing black berries seriously then you need to explain to them what the difference is between reality and fantasy
— DAMON MCBALLEN (@dpmcfall13) February 13, 2018
Hell, Sony even had to chime in:
“Food allergies are a serious issue. Our film should not have made light of Peter Rabbit’s arch-nemesis, Mr. McGregor, being allergic to blackberries, even in a cartoonish, slapstick way. We sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize.”
While I understand that some people are sensitive to certain topics, what it comes down to this is a kids movie featuring bad CGI and bad one-liners. And kids will love it and will be too focused on the talking animals to give a damn about anything else. Just lighten up, people.
h/t Maxim
