ASA ruling against movie studio

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have ruled that The c Ltd published an advertisement that was likely to frighten or cause distress to some children.

The advertisement was a digital video poster for a movie containing an alien that was holding a small, human figure that had been severed in two and whose bottom half was missing, exposing their severed spine. It then showed the alien character holding a showed beside red on-screen text stating ‘WELCOME’. Another scene showed a close-up of the alien’s face and further large red on-screen text stated, “OF HURT”. The creature’s face had a distorted bone structure without a nose, circular pale green eyes, sharp fangs in its mouth and brown reptilian-like skin. An end scene featured a cartoon-like image of a figure in armour, and a mask, with what appeared to be the torso of a woman, with wires protruding from her bottom half holding a large gun, attached to the back of the armoured figure.

The Walt Disney Company Ltd t/a Twentieth Century Studios stated that the figure severed in the first scene was not human but a robot and was visually different from a human. They also noted that it appeared for less than two seconds within the 10-second trailer. They added that the film was rated 12A and the advertisement had been made with that audience in mind, and that they did not believe the imagery was likely to cause harm or distress.

ASA upheld the complaint, stating that, as the poster was an outdoor poster, it would be seen by people of all ages. Further, I considered the alien scene to be menacing, to depict violence, and imply that the smaller figure had been dismembered. It also added that the depiction of the alien’s face would also have been likely to be disturbing and frightening to younger children.