Aardman film criticised for mocking leprosy
Aardman film criticised for mocking leprosy
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Tuesday, 17, Jan 2012 10:12
By Neal Wallace
Wallace and Gromit makers Aardman has been criticised for "poking fun" at people with leprosy in their latest film trailer.
Essex-based charity Lepra Health has expressed its "disbelief" at the scene in the animation studio's The Pirates! Adventures with Scientists, which sees an arm fall off a crew member on a "leper-boat".
Sir Christian Bonington, president of Lerpa, said: "It might make you laugh but leprosy stigma not only hurts, it is still forcing people to live a life on the fringes of society."
Actor and comedian Stephen Fry tweeted his support for the charity, calling the gag a "cheap joke".
A spokesman for Aadrman, which is based in Bristol, said that it took criticism like this seriously and was currently reviewing the matter.
The company recently threatened to half UK production of its famous stop-frame animation because it has become too expensive, claiming that homegrown shows were being lost to cheaper foreign competitors.