The beloved classic musical Mary Poppins was recently changed from a U (universal) to PG (parental guidance suggested) rating by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), causing backlash from movie lovers around the world.
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The movie, which was first released by Disney in 1964, allegedly contains “discriminatory language” that “exceeds [the board’s] guidelines” for U films, a spokesperson for BBFC said in a statement to Variety.
That “discriminatory language” was two uses of the word “Hottentots,”, a term used to describe the Khoekhoe people of South Africa.
“While ‘Mary Poppins’ has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U,” the spokesperson said. “We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language.”
The movie was up for review again in anticipation of a cinematic rerelease in the U.K. in honor of the movie’s 60th anniversary. It had previously been reviewed by the BBFC in 1964 and 2013, with no concerns expressed at either time.
Parental Guidance Needed?
The board indicated that it was especially concerned that children might be offended by the use of the term.
“We understand from our racism and discrimination research, and recent classification guidelines research, that a key concern for people, parents in particular, is the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behavior which they may find distressing or repeat without realizing the potential offense,” the spokesperson claimed.
PG is the second-least severe of the six-tier movie rating system used in Britain. While the U rating, according to the BBFC, is “suitable for all,” a PG rating means “some scenes may be suitable for young children,” especially those under 8 years old.
Social Media Backlash
Many on social media were quick to push back.
“People are dying in the streets, and some bright spark thinks we need protecting from #MaryPoppins? This world terrifies me,” one user on X said.
Some pointed out the hypocrisy of the Left, which often has no problem exposing children to explicit books or pushing them to sexually transition.
“Imagine being the person that thinks Mary Poppins needs parental guidance to be seen,” another user posted on X. “Getting ridiculous so many bigger issues in media that really are affecting child[ren].”
“Discriminatory language” is the new buzzword for the Left, including Disney, which has put warnings for “racist stereotypes” on classic children’s movies like Peter Pan and Dumbo.
Will Mary Poppins be next?