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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Despite being one of the most financially lucrative theatrical markets in all the world, having skyrocketed in prominence over the past decade, it still remains very difficult for a film made outside the nation of China to get a full release in its wide array of movie theaters. Not only does China only permit a certain amount of international cinema to be allowed within its borders for theatrical exhibition, but it also has very strict guidelines regarding the kind of content they’re willing to let Chinese filmgoers see on the big screen. Even the most minor of elements can sway Chinese censors into either denying a given film a release within the country or demanding severe edits to the finished product, many of which may be too extreme for the studio that produced the film to adhere to. This is why “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was the first production from Marvel Studios since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” to get a Chinese release, as none of the films made in between were able or willing to adhere to the nation’s censorship laws (and even then, it didn’t start screening until February 7th, nearly three months after its release elsewhere throughout the world). Granted, most of this applies mainly to mainland China, as regions like Hong Kong and Macau, those of which their status as being part of China or not has proven controversial, do have slightly different guidelines regarding the kinds of films they are willing to allow. Still, that doesn’t mean the main Chinese government won’t intervene if they feel it’s necessary, as possibly exemplified by the sudden cancellation of the release of one film in particular, perhaps one of the most unlikely to get wrapped up in this sort of situation.
The film in question is “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey”, a horror re-imagining of the beloved icon of children’s literature first conceived by A.A. Milne and given a significant boost in popularity after being adapted into animated form by Walt Disney Studios. Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to make the big-budget blockbusters that have recently tried to get some kind of theatrical release within China, this micro-budget slasher costed barely a fraction of what it usually takes to produce a typical major-studio release, which is why the film has so far been considered a rousing success after earning over $4 million in worldwide ticket sales (mostly from the United States, Mexico, and Russia among other nations). While exhibition throughout all of China might have been a lost cause due to the overwhelming presence of graphic violence throughout the feature, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” was initially able to secure some kind of release in the city of Hong Kong, and had originally been planned to be seen on as many as thirty theaters within the metropolitan area. That’s no longer the case though, as the film has now been removed from all of the schedules and websites of the Hong Kong theater chains that had previously expected to screen the film (as is the case for Macau, where the film had also been anticipated for theatrical release).
Why has such plans been cancelled all of a sudden? Is it due to there being far too much violence in the film? That doesn’t appear to be the case according to The Hollywood Reporter, which alleges that a censored version of the film, one that heavily tones down the amount of gore seen throughout, had been approved by local Hong Kong censors (with a secret screening even taking place at some point during the previous week). So what are the reasons then? Many are speculating that “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” might’ve been pulled for political purposes, specifically those of a most unusual (if not completely baffling) kind. The issue, some claim, is not the violence, but rather the titular character himself, one who has been frequently compared to a high-ranking Chinese government official and subsequently been subjected to various bans within the nation in order to suppress such comparisons.
Though the ban has yet to be publicly declared, the fictional character known as Winnie the Pooh has been forbidden by the Chinese government due to a supposed similarity in physical appearance to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. These initial comparisons turned the honey-loving bear into an unofficial symbol of resistance against the ruling Chinese Communist Party, as evidenced most notably through bloggers drawing comparisons between Winnie the Pooh’s round, cuddly appearance and that of Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader, however, did not find this to be much of a laughing manner though, soon taking drastic measures in order to ensure that no further ridicule would take place within the nation. The banning of Winnie the Pooh was so strictly enforced that even the 2018 film “Christopher Robin”, a live-action film from Walt Disney Studios featuring the fictional teddy bear (one far less grizzly than “Blood and Honey”), was denied a release by Chinese censors. No official reasoning had been given, but local sources allege it was due to this intense crackdown on Winnie the Pooh imagery. If something as innocent as a Disney film can be deemed as offensive to Chinese officials, it’s hardly surprising that a film with far more unflatteringly adult content faced a similar pushback.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time China has put pressure on the city of Hong Kong for reasons relating to free speech within the region. Since the passage of China’s National Security Law in 2020, any media that the mainland considers to be too offensive has faced great difficulty in being screened in Hong Kong. Perhaps the most notable example is the Academy Awards ceremony in 2021 (marking the first instance in fifty years that the show hadn’t been aired in Hong Kong) despite Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Chang’s “Better Days” being nominated for Best International Feature. Many have cited the similarities made between removing the Oscars from air to instructions given by Beijing media regulators that demand local press refrain from reporting on the ceremony. The reason most frequently cited: a previous ceremony featured the documentary short “Do Not Split”, which focused on the pro-democracy protests that took place in Hong Kong in 2019, being among the nominated films.
Compared to these more explicitly political controversies, the removal of “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” might appear to be comparatively absurd, but then again, one could argue that the Chinese government feeling threatened by Winnie the Pooh of all characters is equally nonsensical.
