Movies are no longer restricted to an audience of a particular country. Modern cinema strives to make movies that are enjoyed and appreciated worldwide. Hence, it is tweaked at times keeping in mind the cultural nuances. We bring to you some of the top movies that were changed a bit to appeal globally
Lincoln, 2012
When Steven Spielberg’s movie was presented to the global audience, the team assumed that all would be aware of Abraham Lincoln as an American President. However, they didn’t appreciate that not many people will know about Lincoln’s contribution toEmancipation Proclamation and Civil War. Therefore, a preamble was created that explained to the foreign audience a bit about American history using cards and photos from 1865.
Toy Story 2, 1999
In one of the scenes, Buzz Lightyear gives an inspiring speech to Andy’s toys before they move across the town. During this, an American flag appears, and the song ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ plays. In the global release, the flag was replaced with a spinning globe and a new song, ‘One World Theme,’ plays in the backdrop.
Iron Man 3, 2013
Marvel Studio and Chinese DMG Entertainment co-produced Iron Man 3. In the Chinese version of the movie, an additional four minutes of footage was added. This included expanded scenes of DrWu and new scenes of actress Fan Bingbing, who is DrWu’s nurse. Even a popular Chinese milk brand, Gu Li Duo, was placed in this Chinese version!
Monsters University, 2013
In order to make inroads with the campus communities, Randall Boggs makes a batch of cupcakes reading ‘Be My Pal’ in the US version. For the international version, these cupcakes simply featured a smiley face. This was done to make the scene relevant for the non-English speaking audience too.
Demolition Man, 1993
In the post-war world depicted in the movies, Taco Bell is the only restaurant that survives. However, Taco Bell is not a worldwide fast-food chain. Therefore, Pizza Hut was introduced in the movie for international markets. The actors Sandra Bullock and Sylvester Stallone had to redo a few dialogues, and the Pizza Hut logo was added in several places!
Planes, 2013
Disney Toon’s Planes character Rochelle changed itscolour and name with 11 distinctive types of the racer depending on the country of release. She was called YúnYànFēi in China and had a white, yellow and red paint job, whereas in Germany, she is red, yellow, black and is known as Heidi.
So, next time you watch a movie, look for such nuances!
