Sony Pictures Issues Apology Over Allergy Scene in Peter Rabbit

The new Peter Rabbit movie is under fire after many found problems with a scene where Peter Rabbit and his friends shoot blueberries at the movie’s antagonist who is seriously allergic to blueberries. The scene in the movie gets to a point where they shoot a blueberry into his mouth and he has to inject himself with an epi pen before suffering anaphylaxis. The movie is loosely based off of the classic books by Beatrix Potter and features a lot of slapstick humor.

Sony Pictures released an apology regarding the scene after a petition was started to have them issue one. In their joint apology with the filmmakers, Sony addressed that food allergies are serious and that they should not be made fun of in any way. They then went on to say that they “sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize.”

Experts say that about 5.9 million children under the age of 18 have food allergies and that 40 percent of children with food allergies have experienced a severe reaction at one point in their lives. Also, about one-third of children with food allergies have said that they have been bullied at school, which shows just how serious the situation can be.

Author:
Caitlin Wills is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in journalism and a minor in creative writing. She has written for various websites including The Odyssey Online and The Tempest, and currently writes album reviews for MXDWN. She is also an avid fiction writer and is working on writing a novel. Follow her on Twitter @caitlinjherrera.