The movie made about the story of the beloved character Paddington Bear has been given a parental guidance rating after the British Board of Film Classification reportedly said it contains “dangerous behavior, mild threat, mild sex references and mild bad language,” according to the media outlet the SF Chronicle.
The rating may come as a shock to those who have seen the trailer for the Paddington Bear movie, as these reported claims are not as evident in the clip.
A “homoerotic comic sequence” in which “a man disguised as a women is flirted with by another man” was reportedly flagged up by the censors for containing “mild sex references,” according to the U.K’s The Independent.
The board further explained the rating for the Paddington movie, reportedly warning that “there are occasional sequences of mild threat when Paddington is chased by the villain who threatens to kill and stuff him, as well as brief sequences in which Paddington lies unconscious on a table while a taxidermist prepares their tools nearby.”
In the movie, Paddington Bear is also reportedly seen “hiding from a villain inside a refrigerator and riding on a skateboard while holding on to a bus, as well as a brief scene of a boy strapping fireworks to his shoes,” which has reportedly caused concern that children may imitate these behaviors.
Michael Bond, the author who created the character, reportedly stated that he has not yet seen the family film and had not been consulted over the big screen adaptation of the children’s book.
“I’m totally amazed. I’d be very upset. I might not sleep well tonight,” the 88-year-old writer told The Daily Mail.
He continued, “I can’t imagine what the sex references are. It doesn’t enter into it with the book, certainly.”
The film reportedly stars Hugh Bonneville, Peter Capaldi and Nicole Kidman. Paddington Bear is reportedly voiced by Ben Wishaw, who replaced Colin Firth.
The Paddington Bear movie is set to hit theaters next week.
Watch the trailer below.