Vietnam removes 'Abominable' from halls over scene with disputed map

The animation film "Abominable" has been removed from cinemas in Vietnam over a scene that shows a map depicting China's interpretation of political territory in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

A scene in the DreamWorks Animation project features a map that displays China's unilaterally imposed "nine-dash line", covering a vast U-shaped expanse of the South China Sea, reports hollywoodreporter.com. China has claimed the region as its own, while Southeast Asian nations in the area, some of which are much closer geographically, reject the claim, saying pieces of it are rightfully theirs.

Maritime tension between China and Vietnam have been high since July, when Beijing sent a ship to conduct an energy resources survey within waters controlled by Vietnam.

"Abominable" has been co-produced by DreamWorks Animation with Shanghai-based Pearl Studio, which is owned by China Media Capital, an entertainment conglomerate.

The animation work of Jill Culton's "Abominable" has been done in both Los Angeles and Shanghai. The film chronicles the adventures of a teenager (voice of Chloe Bennet) and her two friends (Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai) who embark on a 2,000-mile adventure across China to the majestic Himalayas in order to reunite a young Yeti named Everest with his family.

"Abominable" was released in Vietnamese cinemas on October 4.

"We will revoke (the film's release license)," Ta Quang Dong, Vietnam's deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, according to the Thanh Nien newspaper.

The voice cast of the film include names such as Eddie Izzard, Paulson, Tsai Chin and Michelle Wong.

( With inputs from IANS )