'Peter Rabbit' Filmmakers Apologize Over Food Allergy Controversy

Peter Rabbit opened at theaters across the country this weekend and one scene in particular has some people upset.

In the scene, the rabbits construct a plan to sneak into Tom McGregor’s (Domhnall Gleeson) garden. Mr. McGregor is pelted with fruits and vegetables before one of the rabbits slingshots a blackberry into his mouth. It turns out, Mr. McGregor is allergic to blackberries and he has a major allergic reaction. The audience watches as Mr. McGregor has trouble injecting himself with a lifesaving medicine, EpiPen.

“Food allergies are a serious issue. Our film should not have made light of Peter Rabbit’s archnemesis, Mr. McGregor, being allergic to blackberries, even in a cartoonish, slapstick way,” the statement from Sony and the filmmakers read (via the New York Times). “We sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize.”