LONDON (AP) - British film authorities have managed to find mild adult content in a film version of the famous Paddington Bear children's books - a development the bear's 88-year-old creator says leaves him "totally amazed."
The British Board of Film Classification gave "Paddington" a parental guidance rating, saying it contains "dangerous behavior, mild threat, mild sex references and mild bad language." The rating means a film is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children.
Michael Bond, the author who created the much-beloved character, said he had not yet seen the family film, which follows the adventures of the talking bear from Peru who travels to London looking for a new home. Still, Bond told the Daily Mail newspaper that he couldn't imagine what the sex references were.
The film authority on Tuesday changed "mild sex references" to "innuendo" after the movie's distributor objected. The description refers to a comic scene of flirtation involving a cross-dressing man. The board said the film's scenes of dangerous behavior include Paddington hiding inside a refrigerator.
Actor Hugh Bonneville, who voices a character dressed as a cleaning lady, said it was "slightly odd" for the scene to be described as containing sexual content.
It was "frightening maybe, but not entirely sexual," he told the BBC on Wednesday. "I challenge any viewer ... who has been offended by the film to get in touch."
The movie is being released Nov. 28 in Britain and early next year in the United States.