Domhnall Gleeson plays Tom McGregor, the owner of the garden. In the film, McGregor is allergic to blackberries. The animals rig a slingshot to get him to eat some of the fruit. The actor is seen choking, and he collapses as he struggles to get an EpiPen. The rabbits cheer as he lays on the ground.
"I'm pretty sure Beatrix Potter will be turning in her grave about now," Sam Rose, of Surrey, England, told The New York Times. "Allergies are often not taken seriously enough anyway. To have them trivialized on the big screen by such a popular character is immensely disappointing."
Rose says her son, who has food allergies, loves Peter Rabbit, but she won’t be taking him to see the film.
People reported that some responded on Twitter with #BoycottPeterRabbit.
@CommonSense please update your Peter Rabbit listing to warn parents of kids with food allergies about the violent food allergy bullying scene. Pure and unnecessary violence. #BoycottPeterRabbit
— Karen Costa (@karenraycosta) February 10, 2018
As a father of a son who has allergies to peanuts, milk, egg I refuse to watch #PeterRabbit because @SonyPictures is sending a message it’s ok to bully kids with allergies and making it a joke to get a few laughs! What a disgusting thing to do! #boycottpeterrabbit
— L.M. Thomas (@adaddyforlife) February 11, 2018