DreamWorks' Animated Movie 'Abominable' Will Not Be Shown In Malaysian Cinemas
Previously, Malaysia's Film Censorship Board only opted to cut out a controversial scene.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 18 Oct 2019, 07:43 PM
The distributor of DreamWorks' animated movie 'Abominable' has confirmed that the movie about a magical Yeti will not be shown in Malaysia
A spokesperson from the movie's distributor, United International Pictures Malaysia (UIP Malaysia), confirmed with SAYS that the movie has been cancelled nationwide.
This comes after several ASEAN nations voiced their disapproval over a Chinese map depicted in the movie
The water territorial dispute has been ongoing for many years in the region
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.
Vietnam banned the movie, while Malaysia initially opted to only cut the controversial scene out of the movie
"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.
Malaysia had been critical about the maritime dispute with China in the past, but has been less vocal recently - especially after China invested billions of dollars into the country's economy
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."
