China pulls plug on 'Wild Child,' a movie about troubled street kids

Chinese censors have pulled the plug on a movie about two homeless children who take care of each other. "Due to issues in post-production, we are withdrawing 'Wild Child' from release on July 10," the producers said in a public statement dated July 3, adding that full refunds will be issued. "We would like to convey our sincerest apologies to colleagues in movie theaters and all of our audience.”

"Keep growing up well!" the statement said. "We'll be back, pinky swear!"

The movie’s apparent axing comes as the ruling Chinese Communist Party calls on creative industries to produce more content lauding its achievements and offering up “positive energy” to audiences. The party’s censors operate behind the scenes, reviewing movies in production and sometimes making compulsory changes during the editing process. The complete withdrawal of a film is seldom explained publicly, while producers and directors are unlikely to be outspoken about the reasons because their livelihoods depend on government approval.

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