BEIJING – Chinese censors have banned the release of Christopher Robin, a new film adaptation of AA Milne’s beloved story about Winnie the Pooh, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Winnie the Pooh character has become a lighthearted way for people across China to mock their president, Xi Jinping, but it seems the government doesn’t find the joke very funny.
China’s Twitter erases John Oliver after scathing Xi Jinping skit. It started when Xi visited the US in 2013, and an image of Xi and then President Barack Obama walking together spurred comparisons to Winnie – a portly Xi – walking with Tigger, a lanky Obama.
https://twitter.com/TiagoArnaiz/status/895864911770734597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E895864911770734597&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F08%2F07%2Fchina-reportedly-bans-disneys-winnie-the-pooh-film-after-xi-compariso.html
Images of Xi as Pooh started in 2013 as Chinese internet users shared the comical take on social media platforms such as Weibo. The most popular meme depicted Xi and former U.S. President Barack Obama as Pooh and his friend Tigger.
A photo of Xi standing up through the roof of a parade car, next to a picture of Winnie the Pooh in a toy car, was named the “most censored image of 2015” by political consultancy Global Risk Insights.
Another popular image which surfaced in 2014 depicted the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the character Eeyore.
https://twitter.com/dee_bosa/status/531820791633952768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E531820791633952768&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F08%2F07%2Fchina-reportedly-bans-disneys-winnie-the-pooh-film-after-xi-compariso.html
In 2017, Beijing started blocking pictures of Winnie the Pooh on social media and in June this year, Chinese authorities blocked HBO after “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver mocked Xi’s sensitivity over being compared to Winnie the Pooh.
Another reason for the film’s rejection by the authorities may be that China only allows 34 foreign films to be released in cinemas each year. That leaves Hollywood summer blockbusters, family films and contenders from across the world jockeying for a tiny number of spots.
The first collection of stories about Winnie the Pooh was released in 1926.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlj7SUy4CcQ
