Nearly 60 years after “Mary Poppins Returns” premiered, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has upgraded its age rating to PG.
According to the Daily Mail, the film’s rating has been upgraded from a U (indicating no content that may offend or harm) to a recommendation for parental guidance due to the use of discriminatory language.
It was changed as a derogatory term for the Khoikhoi people, one of the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa.
The classifier draws on the terminology used by the character Admiral Boom – first to refer to people who are not on screen, and then to the child actors in the film whose faces are blackened by soot.
A BBFC spokesman told MailOnline: “We know from research on racism and discrimination… that one of the biggest concerns for parents is that their children may be exposed to discriminatory language or behavior and they may find it distressing or repeat it words or actions without awareness of the underlying criminal conduct.”
“Content with immediate and clear condemnation is more likely to receive a lower rating.”
According to the BBFC, the re-rating only affects the film version, with the home entertainment version remaining U-rated. The word is “Hottentot,” a nickname given to the Khoikhoi by Dutch settlers and thought to be a parody of their language, which was considered offensive. Later it was used to refer to all black people.
This isn’t the first classic film to see improved reviews in recent years. According to the BBFC’s 2022 annual report, 1978 animated film Watership Down received a PG rating as the classifier sought to “align with society’s standards”.
They said: “During their exile, the rabbits encountered a variety of challenges, some of which resulted in animal fights resulting in bites and claw wounds. In one scene, a bird tells one of the rabbits “[pee] leave’. “
They added: “When we viewed the film under current guidelines, we reclassified it as PG based on our current policies on violence, threats, detail of harm, and language.”
The BBFC said the 1979 film Star Wars: The Movie had also been upgraded from U to PG due to “very mild language, mild violence and threats”.
When deciding how to classify a film, the BBFC considers scenes that may show dangerous behaviour, discrimination and involving drugs and sex. It also takes into account the language used in the film, nudity and scenes of threat, horror and violence.
The classifier focuses specifically on discriminatory language or behavior that is “unlikely to be accepted unless explicitly opposed, or in an educational or historical context, or in particularly outdated works that do not appeal to children.”
