DreamWorks' Animated Movie 'Abominable' Will Not Be Shown In Malaysian Cinemas

A spokesperson from the movie's distributor, United International Pictures Malaysia (UIP Malaysia), confirmed with SAYS that the movie has been cancelled nationwide.

A screenshot of the controversial scene found its way on Twitter, showing the 'nine-dash line' encompassing a large chunk of the South China Sea.

According to CNN, the U-shape line is used on Chinese maps to illustrate that the resource-rich water territory belongs to China.

Each country - from Japan to Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia - have drawn up their own water territories and they all overlap with each other, especially with China.

CNN reported that an international court had dismissed China's expansive territorial claim over the waters back in 2016.

"I think it is the right thing to remove the movie (as) it violated Vietnam's sovereignty," a Vietnamese moviegoer told South China Morning Post.

"If kids see this film, their minds will be filled with wrong information at a young age," he added.

Before UIP Malaysia cancelled the movie, Malaysia's Film Censorship Board only decided to cut the scene depicting the map out of the movie, reported Reuters.

"The animated film... has been given approval for screening in Malaysia under the condition that the controversial map is removed from the film," said the Board's chairman, Mohamad Zamberi Abdul Aziz.

The movie was previously slated to be released in Malaysia on 7 November.

As for the Philippines, the country's Foreign Affairs Secretary asked the nation to boycott the movie, even though part of the movie had been censored, reported Reuters.

Yesterday, 17 October, Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah raised the issue about the lack of control in the South China Sea during the Parliament discussion, reported theSundaily.

He said the tension of the waters dispute is rising, but Malaysia can only protest by issuing statements.

"I think improving and increasing the number of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) assets there is among the more important things to do, because we are talking about national security," Saifuddin said.

"This is especially pertinent in the context of us facing global superpowers including the likes of the United States and China."