The Emoji Movie tried to emoji-fy The Handmaid's Tale and obviously it backfired horribly
The Emoji Move is a burden we must all learn to bear.
A phenomenon we must let pass by quietly into the night: all its marketing tie-ins, or its casting of esteemed thespian Patrick Stewart as a talking poop.
That's hard, though, when it's a film which has actively gone out of its way to create its own nightmare. The Emoji Movie's marketing team recently dumping itself into hot water after tweeting out an emoji-fied take on The Handmaid's Tale, for example.
Yes, that is the Hulu series adaptation of Margaret Atwood's harrowing classic novel about a near-future dystopia that strips women of their rights and turns them into reproductive machines through ritualistic rape.
The fun and breezy story that's accumulated large amounts of press recently because of its frightening parallels to increasing restrictions on women's reproductive rights in the US, with protesters even dressing as the titular handmaidens when attending demonstrations.
You know, the perfect base material for a tweet of a smiling emoji advertising a kid's film about things that live inside of your phone.
Unsurprisingly, the internet reacted pretty swiftly to the tone-deaf post, which was later removed.
WHAT A KNEE SLAPPER that an emoji's dressed like a character stripped of their rights & repeatedly raped & forced to have babies! ROTFL https://t.co/WogJy8zlFD
— Cher (@thecherness) July 24, 2017
AD EXECS (all men): People love that handjob show on Hulu, right?
NORMAL HUMAN: Um, Handmaid's Tale?
EXECS: Whatever. USE THAT! https://t.co/bRit0ccubi— Andrew Husband (@AndrewHusband) July 24, 2017
Hey... you know what could have helped avoid tone-deaf shit like this? (Hiring more women) https://t.co/WUAbIIaLXa
— Alyssa Fikse (@lyssiefikse) July 24, 2017
i'm screaming look how happy this emoji is pic.twitter.com/BT4ne1898Z
— A.B. (@AlannaBennett) July 24, 2017
What's next? Schindler's Emoji? 12 Years an Emoji? Emojis Don't Cry? Emoji: Made in America?
— Chloe the Cat (@ThatChloeCat) July 24, 2017
wait do emojis do that gross rape ritual or did the marketing team not think this through
— Chonathan (@jonnyricers) July 24, 2017
— Omri (@Omri_Rawrlan) July 24, 2017
Bright side: This movie company will be writing a nice check to @PPact soon.
— Dennis Perkins (@DennisPerkins5) July 24, 2017
The Emoji Movie hits UK cinemas 4 August.