Following its recent release, The Witches has received a lot of criticism for the way in which it portrays disability and deformity. Is backlash over fictional, non-human characters warranted, or is this a case of political correctness gone too far?
Warner Bros has apologised for the upset and anger caused by their latest Dahl book-to-film adaption, The Witches. Disability campaigners and individuals have aired views that the film is perpetuating stereotypes and stigma, while others defend it for being a work of fiction.
The Witches : New Release
This recent adaptation was directed by Robert Zemeckis, featuring Anne Hathaway as the Grand Witch. This central character has overt limb deformities, including missing fingers.
The Witches debuted in October 2020 on HBO Max. It’s the second movie adaptation of this much-loved Roald Dahl book, which also features Octavia Spencer, Chris Rock and Stanley Tucci. The story is based on a young boy who’s staying at a hotel with his grandmother when he happens upon a gathering of witches. He learns of their evil machinations, with a grand plan to turn the children in the world into mice. Together with his grandmother, he attempts to prevent the witches from carrying out their malevolent scheme.
In the original story, the Grand Witch has cat-like claws. Artists and designers collaborated to give this character’s appearance a new interpretation for the 2020 release. Given as how the character is a “non-human” creature, it wasn’t intended to portray reality; Warner Bros claimed it was intended as a family-friendly film with a “love-filled theme”.
Perpetuating Disability Stigma
Campaigners have pointed out that the character appears to have the ‘limb abnormality’ Ectrodactyly. By portraying this character as a monstrous villain, it further perpetuates stigma and stereotypes, suggesting those with disabilities are somehow frightful and abnormal.
Amy Marren, Paralympic athlete, stated that she was “disappointed” in the portrayal. The Twitter Account for the Paralympic Games furthered this by saying “Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalised”.
RespectAbility, a disability advocacy organisation, believes the issue is that many of Hollywood’s evil and scary characters are somehow deformed and abnormal, which subconsciously suggests we should be afraid of those that look different to us. The hashtag #NotAWitch has been trending on social media as part of the film’s backlash.
The organisation goes on to say that making the witch appear scarier by creating a limb difference essentially “teaches kids that limb differences are hideous or something to be afraid of. What type of message does this send to children with limb differences?”
Apologies On Behalf Of The Witches
Warner Bros has apologised on behalf of the studio, saying they are “deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in ‘The Witches’ could upset people with disabilities.”
Anne Hathaway has also apologised for any offence caused, saying that she’ll “do better” in future now that she knows the upset it has caused. In a social media post, she explained: “Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for”. She continued to say that “I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened,”
Morality Versus Fictional Reality
This begs the question of how to go about changing social perceptions and stigma when it comes to works of fiction. It could be argued that these characters are not human and bear no relation to real world people and situations. It might be argued that witches generally shouldn’t have big noses and boils, which could cause offence and deepen judgements against those with such characteristics.
This runs the risk of any film or other media needing to be critically aware of all issues affecting diversity and inclusion, making filmmakers apprehensive about each and every film they make. Some people think it’s taking a valuable pursuit – increasing awareness and reducing scepticism – too far. It echoes the criticism and attempted erasure of children’s films and old Christmas songs, except this time it’s around disability and deformity. Will the pursuit to do the right thing suck out the enjoyment from entertainment?
There is a definite need to create more awareness of illnesses, disabilities and disfigurement as so many still face a great deal of ignorance, intolerance and judgement from the general public and even medical professionals. However, should this moral pursuit be kept within the realm of real life, or should it cross over into fictional worlds? Does imagination and make-believe of any character, even non-human, need to be policed to ensure it causes no upset and only continues to further the need for greater awareness and inclusion?
Where do we draw the line between fiction and non-human characters borne from imagination, and the moral need to stamp out stigma?
Caz ♥
What do you think? Do you find the portrayal upsetting? Do you think the outrage is justified or has the criticism of this classic tale’s adaptation been taken too far?
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40 comments
I think we have gone way to far when we tell writers to only write real life and to make fantasy less unrealistic. That’s the whole point. Is Star Trek real, do people look like Cyborgs? I think we’ve become too politically correct in many ways. I think advertisers of real products and real like needs to be more inclusive to film and fantasy is just that. If people think all disable people have three fingers they are ignorant. That’s my two cents.
Have a great day.
Fiction and non-fiction are two distinct entities and as such the issue lies in the perception of that fiction, that it doesn’t have to represent real life or make moral stands, no matter if they’re justified, because it’s not real. That’s a viewpoint I think many would agree with, Mel. For a lot of people this backlash seems like political correctness gone too far. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! xx
I find it crass and over-done. Besides that, it’s a cheap plotting device. I think it’s better to show who the characters are by their actions, not by their looks, but that takes better writing.
And as any survivor of domestic abuse can tell you, villains aren’t always different. They can be charming and look as anybody else.
Unless it is part of the story (like an accident or attack happened to her, and she’s out for revenge for that specific incident) then I find it over-done. This is why I hardly watch American TV/movies — I think it’s lazy writing. Oops, I ranted! Great post 🙂
It’s a really interesting prospecting & a fantastic point to make that in real life, villains can look very ‘normal’, just like everyone else. They’re scary and dangerous without deformity and yet fiction relies on aesthetic devices to make the characters frightful. So really, you think the actions and the writing should be able to cultivate that sense of fear along with the character’s personality, without relying on their looks. An excellent point – thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! xx
It would have been easier if they had stuck to cat’s claws, but how many fictional characters are there are who might offend, from dwarves to giants? We can assume that most people in the past did not see many deformities, but modern viewers have been exposed to documentaries which help us understand that whether it’s a girl with two heads ( two conjoined sisters just getting on with life, the same as anybody else! ) or a person with no limbs, they are human, the same as the rest of us. Looks like a scary film though… I had nightmares about the bad fairy after being taken to see Walt Disney Sleeping Beauty cartoon!
I guess if Disney gave you nightmares then they did well with their characterisation of the bad fairy! It’s a good point to make that if they altered this character is any way really it could affect or cause offence to a myriad of other people. There are issues of awareness and inclusivity everywhere, whether she had claws, missing fingers & toes, scaly skin, a limp, and so on. I just wonder how a scary character could be created to ‘look’ scary and different to a human, as she’s a witch, without encroaching upon such divisive issues. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! xx
Huh, very interesting. I think it’s potentially more problematic that the depiction of the hands was different in the movie than in the book.
I can’t imagine it crossed the mind of the filmmakers that this specific thing would become an issue. I suppose it’s part of a bigger issue of “bad” characters in film are othered in various ways, and that’s probably unlikely to change anytime soon, if ever.
The change from the book is certainly a point people have been making as to why this has caused seemingly unnecessary upset. Warner Bros claim they wanted to reinvent the character a little, which is understandable. It’s a piece that’s been done before and they need to make it different and more distinctive. As you say, it’s part of a wider issue but there’s no way to differentiate non-human characters or evil characters in terms of looks that won’t impinge upon issues of awareness and inclusivity. It’s a tricky one. Thank you for sharing your views on it, Ashley. xx
Goodness. I have no opinion about most everything. If I can’t say something nice and or positive I’m not saying anything.
Have a fabulous day, Caz. Big hug. ♥
I understand your approach to saying nothing if you haven’t got anything nice or positive to say, but you really can if you have anything to share. Something like this is pretty divisive but there’s no right or wrong answer, and opinions certainly don’t need to be positive all the time, especially something like this. I tried not to push my own opinions in this piece as it’s interesting to hear the perspectives of others as the thoughts can vary quite dramatically! xx
Caz, this is a very thorny issue. I have noticed that “good” characters tend to be portrayed as beautiful or handsome, and “evil” characters tend to be portrayed as ugly. Warts and hunched backs may not be attractive, but they are not evil.
Dissability does not make someone good…or bad. Disabled people are just people, some good, some not so good.
I am not a big fan of the fantasy genre. I think fantasy should not be exempt from criticism for equating evil with ugly or virtue with beauty. Disability also should not be equated with good or evil. Hathaway is a fine actress, and I am sure no harm was intended. Since she has apologized, I think we should give her a break.
Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention. Have a great week! <3
It’s definitely a thorny issue, and it throws up problems for the future of entertainment when such issues cause so much backlash. You’re right, a lot of characters, human and non-human, get portrayed in certain ways in terms of appearance, though disability or deformity doesn’t make a character good/bad in itself. I think many would agree with you that fiction is separate to real world issues and should be exempt from needing to raise awareness or remedy moral issues like those around disability. As you say, no harm was intended and it would be very different if the actress and the creators belittled the backlash and upset. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Cheryl! xx
I personally separate films from reality because that’s not the point, and I even enjoy some (not all) of these films, as a chronically ill person myself.
I’ve also been reading this book on cultural differences and in the way we think, which reminds me of this. I think Asians in general have a little less issue in that sense because they’re less of black and white thinkers, and more relative. I think awareness can still be raised and stigmas broken as an ongoing effort 🙂
Btw I grew up on this film… they used to screen it via projecter after recess in school and we kids all loved it so much! 🙂
I haven’t watch the new movie yet but The Witches was my favourite book as a kid, legit read it 4 times when I was seven and I’m literally the least judgmental person ever, for disability or none, if you are a nice person, I don’t care what you look like.
This of course can be a tricky subject to talk about but I think people think and let movies influence us too much. I won’t do something or think something of you because a movie tells me so. I understand why people can be annoyed by that but I’m italian. That means, I’m loud, lazy, with a hourglass shaped body and dark colours and still lives in the 50s because that’s how italians are portrait everywhere. Always. I’ve never seen an italian character in an american book or film that has light eyes and mine are green. Should I take it personally and start a battle because of that?
Let’s leave the fantasy to be what it is and have a bit of brain to use our morality code instead of a movie to judge things.
I feel like I’m missing out then because I’ve not read it once & I don’t recall having seen the film either! It’s interesting to get your views on it, especially as you know the novel. So fiction is one thing, reality another – it makes me think of the video game argument, that violent games should be banned because kids emulate what they’ve seen, or the push for banning violent films because someone will copy what one of the characters have done. A very good point with your comparison to Italian portrayal too, that’s a really good way to look at it. I think that venturing into critiquing fiction for its morals and the way it affects real life people is a dangerous road because it’s potentially endless. Nobody will want to make a film for fear of the reprisal and backlash. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts, Mimi! xx
Great post, Caz. You’ve raised some provocative questions. Where do we draw the line between “overly PC” and “rightfully calling out things that are problematic”?? I think we should be less skeptical of fantasy vs. real life, yet I appreciated other comments here that point out how villains are generally “othered” in some way, and the protagonist is often conventionally attractive. My opinion: though outright censorship goes too far, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be aware of how art affects society. Ingesting media that “others” villains our entire lives is probably an underlying cause of disability stigma. Also, even if the art is fantasy, the creators of all art are humans. Thus, we should realize how societal norms and taboos influence the art we make.
Absolutely, it’s hard to see where to draw that line and I think it runs the risk of critique over endless issues if we apply the same moral rules and principles to fiction. That said, there’s still this issue with stereotyped portrayals of good vs evil in terms of appearance, which begs the question of how else to differentiate such characters and make the evil ones scary without relying on changing their appearance.
I like your stance. Maybe it’s PC and censorship gone too far, but it’s good to be aware and open to the social issues and the feedback or backlash. It might also be a sign that there needs to be more appreciation for reality vs fantasy, which encompasses TV, films, books and video games, all of which can come under fire when someone behaves inappropriately or does something illegal while ‘blaming’ the influence of such entertainment. Thank you for sharing your opinions on this, Lily! xx
Hi Caz <3 As a published author of two fictional books and most of my blogs are fictional; We have to just stop being so correct all the time. Movies are made for us to relax and enjoy them and have fun at the same time. No one has the right to demand an apology because of the characters in this Witches movie or any other movie. Lets face it we all have watched movies with people of disabilities in them and never thought anything bad towards them, Just like in this movie I do not think it is directed against or towards anyone. I love movies and have almost 500 in my collection. Good, bad or indifference movies are are for fun and enjoyment, romance or no romance etc. This is just my opinion today. Thanks Caz All my love to you my dear friend !!
A well argued opinion, and it’s great to get a perspective from an author of fiction. I do worry that the enjoyment factor and fantasy element of films (or books, games etc) will get sucked away if there’s too much focus on morals and how the storyline or characters represent real life. But that’s only part of the issue, because of course upsetting people without consideration for the deeper issues is not the way forward either, and it’s hugely important to raise awareness and beat down stigma. So your opinion is very much one that acknowledges that fiction and reality are separate entities and should be viewed as such in a case like this. You certainly won’t be the only one feeling that way. I think there’s absolutely a case for increasing awareness and reducing stereotypes, and of course no offence should ever be made intentionally, I’m just not sure we can critique works of fiction in the same way. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, James! Take good care of yourself ????
love this so much I shared it to all your share buttons 🙂
I’m really glad you liked the post, da-AL! It’s been an interesting topic to ponder, and it’s good to get a lot of different viewpoints on the argument. Thank you for sharing!! xx
Just way too sensitive. Should I be offended that all the bad guys in Wolf of Wall Street are white? Or because there are NO black actors in the billing? Or because white guys were portrayed by black people in Hamilton? Or that white actors voicing black CARTOON characters had to quit because they were not black enough? Jerry Seinfeld said he won’t work university campuses anymore because every joke seems to ‘offend’ someone. So sad!!
You’re right, there are so many potential issues in just about every piece of media and entertainment. I think some people are becoming increasingly aware of issues (which is a good thing) but then they’re seeking them out in works of fiction. You’ll never have something, whether it’s a character portrayal or a storyline, that suits everyone, caters to every preference, answers all moral dilemmas, raises positive awareness and so on. It’s just not possible. There are perhaps more overt instances of racism, ‘ableism’ and such in other pieces, things that were done with intention, that should face criticism rather than something done without meaning to cause offence. A really interesting comment – thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Excellent article comparing the conceptual themes involved in such a movie. They gave her that look for a reason. If she is non-human, she easily could’ve had different hands or claws without the appearance of missing fingers on a human hand. But, I haven’t seen the movie and I don’t plan on seeing it.
That’s a really good point to make, Tim. If she were non-human, they could have done something far different. Perhaps they didn’t want to make it too overt in terms of adding something ‘extra’, and instead decided to subtract, keeping the witch a little more human and relatable. Unfortunately that’s gone pretty pear-shaped and it doesn’t sound like they were aware of the potential issues with this at all. I just wonder whether, if she’d had claws or maybe big boils on her hands or even her fingers bent upside down, whether there would still be some criticism and upset caused. It’s a tricky one, but it’s certainly making the industry wake up to issues of disability and ‘deformity’. Thank you for sharing your view on this, Tim! Take good care of yourself & have a great weekend ahead ????
Wow. This is really interesting. I live under a rock and hadn’t heard any of it. For whatever it’s worth, I walk away from reading this shaking my head because Roald Dahl and all his works are BRILLIANT….if he gave his head witch cat claws….STICK WITH IT! Make them UBER cool!!! Hollywood SO OFTEN takes wonderful stories/myths/book and just can’t seem to help thinking they can “improve” on them….which seriously pretty much almost never happens. How wonderful to have her claws appear when she can’t contain her anger?!! Sometimes I feel the PC ship has gotten a bit crazy these days…but I kindof understand this one. I dunno. Sigh. Well, You woke my mind up and got it ticking, beautiful Caz! I hope You are well and that You have a most wonderful week!!! Cheers and hugs! ????❤️????
I’d only come across it recently too, and that’s only because of the backlash it’s had otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue! You’re right, it’s a bit of a strange deviation from the original, isn’t it? Warner Bros wanted to give it a fresh twist, which is understandable in a way because it’s not the first adaptation of The Witches. But as you say, ‘improvements’ often don’t end up improving anything! S there is some degree of uber PC-ness, but perhaps in this instance there’s a bit more too it than that, that the designers and producers should have stuck to the original and paid a little thought to what repercussions their ‘improvements’ could have. That’s really interesting, Katy. I think a lot of people would agree when taking a much-loved piece of work like Dahl’s and shaking it up for a modern audience, because people prefer the classic original. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Hugs right back t’cha ♥ xx
I don’t believe any harm was intended, but sometimes that can be the more insidious form of discrimination.
I think it’s important to listen when a group of people tell us that something is hurtful. I think that just about the only thing that matters in this world is how we treat other people, and if someone tells me that their feelings are hurt, that they feel degraded by a portrayal, that they feel mocked, then we need to do better. And the only people who are really qualified to say whether this portrayal was actually hurtful are the people directly affected by it, ie, the people who actually have this “limb abnormality”. The rest of us are only qualified to listen, to apologize, and to change.
We have a long way to go in our society to stop attributing qualities, good and bad, to people based solely on looks. It is destructive and unhealthy and hateful in many ways.
I don’t think the film makers need to be condemned, I don’t even think they need to apologize, I think we need to be able to hear these types of things and say: thanks for educating me, I understand now it was wrong, and I will do better in the future.
Do you feel the claim that no harm was intended makes a difference? While it can show ignorance, it’s rather different to having characters changed in order to create debate and with the knowledge that offence may be caused. At the same time, it can relate to this insidious, more ingrained and less overt issue of discrimination. And you’re right, if someone says they’re offended or hurt, that matters and those feelings and opinions should be heard and taken on board. Those of us without those issues, like ‘limb abnormalities’ here, can have an opinion, but it’s not us who are directly affected. I do think there’s a heck of a lot of impetus put on aesthetics and in films it makes sense for that focus, but it also shows us that more emphasis needs to go onto the actions and script to create these characters rather than relying so heavily on what they look like. This is definitely a learning curve for the designers and directors and actors involved here, and an interesting point for us all to consider. Some fantastic insights, Jay, thank you for sharing your thoughts! xx
I feel we should always look at the true intention of director/ story writer whether the villainous act or deformity is portrayed badly. As long as it is not meant to portray all the people with deformities as monstrous villains we should not bother about it.
We all aware of the fact that all good-looking people are not heroes, and vice versa. So we can appreciate this as an art and acknowledge the creativity of the director, make-up artists, actors (the picture shown here shows the sacrifices Anna Hathaway made for this character), etc.
You make a good distinction and it’s something I’ve wondered about myself – the intention was not to hurt or cause offence or start a debate, but it would of course be very different if they had any idea of what could happen with their character choices. It might show ignorance, but it’s a learning curve and it raises some interesting issues, like whether fiction should be critiqued like this or whether fiction is just that, make-believe and not representative of real life people, especially in the case of a non-human character. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Megala! ???? xx
I can see both sides. But that’s easy for me to say my illness is also invisible. However there is way too much censorship at the moment. I agree that awareness is 100% necessary and the advocating for disabilities should go on. But if we take it too far there won’t be fiction anymore. I think its been blown out if proportion because its Warner brothers and they are big name. Someone somewhere will always be offended no matter what. It is fiction and the film makers shouldn’t have to apologise that’s down to parent education on teaching children better judgement. That is my 2pence worth anyway
Like you, I can see it both ways as well but I’m not personally and directly affected by ‘limb abnormality’ either. That’s what worries me with the censorship and critique crossing into the line of fantasy and fiction because it’ll never end. Directors will be fearful of making movies and the joy will be sucked out. But at the same time, inclusivity, challenging stereotypes and squashing stigma are also important. For the most part, I tend to agree that there’s too much political correctness in many ways. A very tricky one! Thank you for sharing your opinions on it, it’s fascinating to see different insights on what it obviously a rather divisive issue. xx
That is an excellent post and I can actually relate to why it is offensive to many people with disabilities. Since I am very sensitive with diabetes I sometimes notice certain things in films that I find offensive and ignorant, but again it is a sensitive subject for me and other people find it different. Anyways, I hope you are having a good weekend.
I’ve heard about this controversy and don’t really have an opinion on it. I haven’t seen the film and probably won’t, but that’s mainly because of my own personal backlash against it, i.e., the fact that it was already done before and that the new version is missing Anjelica Houston …
And for me, that’s exactly why I would watch the film. I don’t find it repulsive!
Kind regards, Joe
Wow, I had no idea about the response to this show. I had seen a pic of it and thought it didn’t look like my type of thing to watch but never looked into it further. I can totally see why people were offended by it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I have to agree that it’s offensive and potentially harmful to our community and I’m glad to see some clapback. I’ve become increasingly aware of the way people with disabilities and chronic/mental illness are portrayed in fiction, from demonization like this to always equating people with chronic illness complaints as mentally ill or someone that’s impossible to take seriously. I’m tired of these stereotypes, which surely impact how people who are undiagnosed or have rare invisible diseases are viewed and treated at large and in the field of medicine. It’s high time they consider their actions towards our community much the way they have with stereotypes of gender, race and sex. Oh, and for the love of all that’s good, I wish they would please, please stop portraying people with schizophrenia, DID and other neurological/mental health conditions as violent.
Great post! Xx
I think we can and should do better than this in the 21st century. I agree with the comment further up that people should be judged by their actions, not by their looks, and I think film producers need to stop reinforcing the idea that people who appear to be different in some way must be the bad guys.