Sony Pictures says it regrets its decision to release “Peter Rabbit” with a scene involving a key character’s allergic reaction to blackberries.
The big-screen adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s mischievous rabbit was too much for Kids with Food Allergies, a division of The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, upon its Feb. 9 release.
The group’s condemnation of a scene in which Mr. McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) is purposefully pelted with blackberries to cause anaphylactic shock prompted an apology on Monday.
“Food allergies are a serious issue,” the studio said in a statement, Entertainment Weekly reported. “Our film should not have made light of Peter Rabbit’s archnemesis, 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.”
AAFA CEO Kenneth Menendez blasted Sony for “making light of this condition” in a way that allegedly “encourages the public not to take the risk of allergic reactions seriously,” the website reported.
The film by director Will Gluck made $25 million its opening weekend.
Comedian James Corden voices the role of Peter Rabbit.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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