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James Besanvalle
Nov 04, 2020
Roald Dahl’s The Witches has come under fire for the depiction of “evil” characters as having three fingers.
The film – starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Jahzir Bruno – sees a group of antagonist witches try to turn children into mice.
Around non-witches, these villains appear just like regular humans but when no one else is around, they take off their gloves to reveal that they only have three fingers on each hand.
Disability rights groups and people with hand differences are not happy about the representation – saying it paints upper limb differences as “creepy and evil”:
As a person with a #limbdifference I am deeply offended by the portrayal of #TheWitches, a limb difference is not s… https://t.co/BKK2OjqutN— Jude Hamer (@Jude Hamer) 1604410868
@Chikipepr @ReachCharity @wbpictures @warnerbros @LeedsNews @octaviaspencer @chrisrock @luckyfinproject @ChrisRuden… https://t.co/t5B8E2akul— Bionic Bev 🦾Ⓥ🦊 (@Bionic Bev 🦾Ⓥ🦊) 1604306068
@Chikipepr @alex_brooker @ReachCharity @wbpictures @warnerbros @LeedsNews @octaviaspencer @chrisrock… https://t.co/uzXnmc8qMG— Beth Ruffell (@Beth Ruffell) 1604312550
@Chikipepr @ReachCharity @wbpictures @warnerbros @LeedsNews @octaviaspencer @chrisrock @luckyfinproject @ChrisRuden… https://t.co/j6naNhZxRb— Natalie Bayfield (@Natalie Bayfield) 1604308533
@Melissa_Clare_J This is the literal visual embodiment of what I mean when I talk about ableist monstering tropes i… https://t.co/mVRtlFWqot— The Darkling Thrush (they/she)☮️🌹 (@The Darkling Thrush (they/she)☮️🌹) 1604384774
1/2 I’m no snowflake and certainly not easily offended but The Witches’ portrayal of limb differences as something… https://t.co/44YMcooT7q— Meg O'Gara (@Meg O'Gara) 1604429403
Former Coronation Street star Melissa Johns slammed the remake for “using disability to highlight a character as a baddie”.
Why missing fingers?? Here we go again... Using disability as a costume and to highlight a character as a “baddie”… https://t.co/mwFih8ej0H— Melissa Johns (@Melissa Johns) 1604324931
Similarly, children’s limb difference charity Reach said the depiction could be “extremely damaging”.
They said:
Many limb difference children and young people have a significant challenging time accepting being different, overcoming mental health and physical challenges that many others take for granted and being subjected to bullying.
Warner Bros Pictures is yet to publicly comment on the backlash.