New Winnie the Pooh movie denied release in China

Some think it's because of issues with the famous bear in the country, but the release of foreign films in China is limited: A Wrinkle in Time was also denied a release earlier this year

Pooh became a very unlikely viral phenomenon in China because of social media memes that juxtapose the character next to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. AP

The new Winnie the Pooh movie, Christopher Robin, will not be released in China. No official reason for why the film was denied release has been given by the Chinese Film Board, but it could be because the famous creation of AA Milne, Pooh, has been juxtaposed next to Chinese leader Xi Jinping in viral memes shared across social media.

One image shows Xi Jinping standing next to Barack Obama, with a drawing of Pooh next to Tigger next to it (comparing Jinping to the bear and Obama to the tall, slender tiger).

Since late last year, censors have reportedly erased images of the portly bear from some of the country's social media platforms. References to Last Week Tonight host John Oliver were at least temporarily banned from China's Twitter-like Weibo after the English comedian joked about the likeness on his show according to Deadline.

China does limit the number of foreign films released there, however. The annual foreign film quota is set at 34. Films Mission Impossible: Fallout and Ant-Man and The Wasp made the cut, while The Hollywood Reporter highlights that Disney's A Wrinkle in Time was also denied a release in China earlier this year.

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