The return of Mr. Magoo is not being welcomed by the nation's largest group for the blind.
The National Federation of the Blind asked Disney on Wednesday to stop making a new Mr. Magoo movie. The group said the hapless, nearsighted cartoon character is an insult to the blind. But Disney defended the character.The resolution, which was passed unanimously by 3,000 delegates to the group's convention, urged Disney to abandon production of the live-action comedy, set for Christmas release with Leslie Nielsen in the title role.
It says the stereotype of Mr. Magoo is as offensive to the blind as Little Black Sambo and Amos 'n' Andy are to blacks.
"The Disney people have dragged Mr. Magoo back from richly deserved obscurity in the hope that Americans will think it's funny to watch an ill-tempered and incompetent blind man stumble into things and misunderstand his surroundings," said Marc Maurer, president of the organization.
While the measure stops short of boycotting Disney products, it called on the 50,000 members to take "whatever action appropriate" to protest the return of Mr. Magoo.
In a statement, Disney said the movie portrays Mr. Magoo as "a kindly gentleman who is nearsighted, not blind" and "does not in any way make fun of or demean blind people."
"While his eyesight contributes to some humorous confusion, it does not stop him from solving a crime and becoming the hero of the movie," Disney said.
The federation is the second national organization to target Disney this year. The Southern Bap-tists last month urged their 15 million members to boycott Disney, calling the company's policies immoral and gay-friendly.
Mr. Magoo, whose nearsighted wanderings took him to the threshold of tragedy but never quite over it, first appeared in the 1949 cartoon "Ragtime Bear."
With the cheerfully chuckling voice of Jim Backus, Magoo went on to appear in 39 theatrical shorts, 130 half-hour cartoons shows on NBC and CBS and two hourlong shows: "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" and "Uncle Sam Magoo."
The character was retired 32 years ago, but Disney bought the rights in 1995.
For many of the blind delegates, word of his return brought back painful childhood memories of classmates calling them Magoo when they stumbled or dropped something.
"Mr. Magoo did a great deal of damage to my image of myself as a human being," said Marie Cobb of Baltimore.