Warner Bros.' The Witches received criticism from people with disabilities and organizations that support the community over the design of Anne 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.
Based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name, The Witches centers on a young boy who works with his grandmother to thwart the sinister plot of a group of witches led by Hathaway's the Grand High Witch. Director Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of the story depicts the Grand High Witch with missing fingers, which people with disabilities have noted suggests the character may have Ectrodactyly, a limb abnormality more commonly known as split or cleft hand. The character's design prompted members of the community to raise concerns about the potential negative consequences of portraying individuals with physical defects as people to be feared.
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In a statement on her official Twitter account, Paralympic athlete Amy Marren said that she was disappointed by Warner Bros.' decision to depict individuals with limb differences as "something scary." Afterward, the official Twitter account for the Paralympic Games supported Marren's statement by adding that differences should be celebrated and disabilities should be normalized.
"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," 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."
The Witches was originally scheduled to be released in theaters in October 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic led to Warner Bros. pulling the film from its release schedule. The studio later decided to debut the film in the United States on October 22, 2020, through HBO Max while releasing it theatrically in select international markets. In spite of receiving mixed reviews, The Witches ranked as the ninth-most watched straight-to-streaming title of the year upon its release.
Zemeckis' remake of The Witches marks the second time the story has been adapted as a feature film. Director Nicolas Roeg previously brought the novel to life with an adaptation featuring Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch.
This is not the first time issues concerning witches and representation in media have been raised in the last month. N'ganga Makhosi, a Los Angeles practitioner of the spiritual tradition called hoodoo, recently criticized the depiction of Black witches in film and television.
The Witches is now available on HBO Max.
Source: Variety