Anne Hathaway’s ‘The Witches’ sparks criticism for villainizing physical difference

In the latest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Anne Hathaway plays the lead character, the Grand Witch. After revealing herself to be a witch, she appears on screen with razor sharp teeth reminiscent of Stephen King’s It, a hairless and pockmarked scalp, and three fingers on each hand, meant, says the team responsible for the film, to evoke feline claws.Disability advocates have pushed back against the depiction, pointing out that Hathaway’s appearance villainizes physical differences, spotlighting her hands specifically as something to be feared. The visual adds to a tradition, most often used in the horror genre, of using physical difference, disability and mental illness as shorthand for evil.Advocates made their feelings known on social media, tweeting at Warner Bros., the studio behind the movie, to explain the decision for Hathaway’s hands. World Champion British Paralympic swimmer Amy Marren weighed in to say this:

@WarnerBrosUK was there much thought given as to how this representation of limb differences would effect the limb difference community?! @ReachCharity @RoaldFull pic.twitter.com/kiTEAuYt7i

— Amy Marren (@amy_marren) November 2, 2020

“Please educate yourself on #LimbDifferences and the support the idea that you are #NotAWitch because you look different!” she wrote in a follow-up post after being backed up by the Paralympic Games account and The Lucky Fin Project (a non-profit dedicated to supporting and celebrating those born with limb difference).

Please educate yourself on #LimbDifferences and the support the idea that you are #NotAWitch because you look different!

You can also actively support the limb difference community by using words that describe us as PEOPLE, as it’s not the difference that defines us. pic.twitter.com/JHz3uSPWWa— Amy Marren (@amy_marren) November 3, 2020

“Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalised,” tweeted the Paralympic account.The backlash stems from the idea that Hathaway’s hands look very similar to the hands of people who have Ectrodactyly or “split hand” an inherited genetic condition. Warner Bros. responded with an apology, recognizing that their “depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities.'”[video_embed id='2069200']MORE MOVIE NEWS: Sandra Oh says 'Over The Moon' is perfect to watch at this stage of the pandemic [/video_embed]“In adapting the original story,” reads a statement that comes via Variety, “we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them. This film is about the power of kindness and friendship. It is our hope that families and children can enjoy the film and embrace this empowering, love-filled theme.”While Marren says she realizes that The Witches is a work of fantastical fiction, she explains that her “fear is that children will watch this film, unaware that it massively exaggerates the Roald Dahl original and that limbs differences begin to be feared.”An increase in awareness, empathy, and sensitivity is never a bad thing and Marren offers words of advice that should be taken to heart by all: “You can also actively support the limb difference community by using words that describe us as PEOPLE, as it’s not the difference that defines us.”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Sweet baby can't stop giggling when dad reads stories [/video_embed]