The studio behind new family comedy Show Dogs has agreed to a last-minute edit in response to lobbying groups and bloggers concerned that the film might suggest to children that sexual molestation is something that should be silently endured.
On Thursday, Global Road Entertainment confirmed they would be cutting two scenes “that some have deemed not appropriate for children”. The scenes in question are thought to involve Max, a police rottweiler voiced by Ludacris, who has his genitals groped by cop Will Arnett as part of his training to go undercover at dog shows. Initially, Max is upset by the intrusion, but is instructed to “go to a zen place” – which involves dancing happily among stars with Arnett – in order to try to ignore what is happening.
Said Global: “The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating. We apologise to anybody who feels the original version of Show Dogs sent an inappropriate message. The revised version of the film will be available for viewing nationwide starting this weekend.”
The controversy erupted at the start of the week, when the scenes in question came to the attention of the US’s National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Their chief executive flagged the similarity of tactics used with Max and abusers grooming children, “telling them to pretend they are somewhere else and that they will get a reward for withstanding the discomfort”.
On Tuesday, Global Road defended their film on the basis that such practices were standard at dog shows and accurately depicted within the film. They stressed their sense that the scenes had been misread, describing it as simply “a comedic moment in the film, with no hidden or ulterior meaning”.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) appeared to concur, saying “the scenes in question are entirely innocent and non-sexual and occur within the clear context of preparation for and judging in a dog show. We regard the comments made about the film as suggesting ‘grooming’ as a misinterpretation of the scenes in question.” The film’s UK distributors Entertainment One have said they are sticking to the version already cleared by the BBFC, which passed it uncut, giving it a PG certificate. A spokesperson said: “We are taking the BBFC/IFCO guidance on this matter in the UK and Ireland and will be releasing the original version that has been censored and reviewed.”
Yet the film’s chief credited writer came to the support of those who felt it could be interpreted more dangerously, claiming the scenes were the product of extensive rewrites in which he had no involvement.
