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Angry parents have demanded that a cinema advertisement
about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann should no
longer be screened before the children’s movie Shrek the
Third.
The advert zooms in on a single, still picture of the
missing 4-year-old, and describes how she was “snatched”
from her room in Portugal.
It goes on to say that “Madeleine’s parents are
devastated but they haven’t given up hope”, and asks for
help to reunite the girl with her family.
Cinemas across Britain were sold out over the weekend as
parents and children flocked to see Shrek the Third. The
film carries a U classification, which means it is
suitable for children aged 4 and over.
But yesterday mothers spoke of their fury at suddenly
being confronted with images of the girl. Many had tried
to shield young children from news coverage of the case
altogether. Others felt that their power to decide how
much to tell their children had been taken away from
them.
The Advertising Standards Authority has received several
complaints about the decision of cinemas to screen it
before children’s films. Parents vented their anger on
the Mumsnet website, which
received more than 400 postings on the subject. Members
of the internet chat-room confirmed that they had
complained to the ASA, Odeon and other cinema groups.
One posting read: “I am not heartless, insensitive or
unfeeling and I feel horror at the whole thing. I’m sure
most parents feel similarly horrified. But I still think
it’s unfair to scare lots of small children and make
them fear that they too could be abducted when all
they’ve done is go to see a
Urated film. I think it’s
fair to think that any adverts shown won’t be terrifying
to small children.”
Another said: “My [son] isn’t particularly [sensitive]
so when he saw a poster and heard about Madeleine on the
radio he asked me about it and I took the decision to
give him some carefully worded information about the
story.
“Many others, quite understandably, choose not to tell
their children. It should remain their decision. The
story should not be forced in front of them in a
darkened cinema on a screen that can’t be turned off.”
Last night the Odeon group of cinemas said that it would
no longer show the advertisement before Shrek, although
it would continue to screen it at other times.
Carlton Screen Advertising put together the advertising
reel in question on behalf of Odeon. However, the
British Board of Film Classification told
The Times last night that
Carlton was not to blame. The board had given the
Madeleine advertising campaign a U rating, the same as
the Shrek film. “There was nothing in the visual content
or language that suggested a higher rating,” a
spokeswoman said.
A spokeswoman for the McCann’s campaign said that she
was sorry for any offence caused, but they were
determined to leave “no stone unturned” in the attempt
to find Madeleine. “This is very uncomfortable for
everyone. The ad is a very simple one.
Madeleine was snatched, so that is why we used the word.
And I think any mum in the McCanns’ shoes would be doing
the same, tearing their hair out and doing everything
they could to try to find their daughter,” she said.
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