Disney’s Winnie the Pooh film not welcome in China

BEIJING: China has denied Walt Disney Co’s request to screen Christopher Robin in the country, a movie that features the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh (pic), a source familiar with the matter said.

It is unclear why China denied the film and Chinese authorities do not provide reasons to Hollywood studios when they reject their movies, the source said on Tuesday.

But the decision has revived online discussion as censors have in the past targeted the film’s main character, created by English author A.A. Milne, due to memes comparing the bumbling bear to President Xi Jinping.

China’s Culture Ministry declined to comment and referred questions to the State Administration of Radio and Television.

China, the world’s second largest film market, limits the number of foreign-made films allowed into the country to 34 a year.

It typically favours action-heavy blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, two of four Disney films that have played in China so far this year.

Netizens have in the past likened Pooh’s appearance – namely his portly stature – to President Xi. A small number of people have even used Pooh as a symbol of resistance.

Popular memes compare images of Xi and former US president Barack Obama walking side by side to similar cartoon scenes such as Pooh and his taller, leaner friend Tigger, a hyperactive tiger.

Other allusions include a popular comparison between a Pooh car toy image and Xi presiding over a military parade from the back of a moving vehicle.