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Localization of a is always a tricky thing that can generate a fair amount of controversy. Many have recently pointed out that John Boyega’s Finn was problematically removed from the : The Force Awakens poster in China, something that caused outrage in the Star Wars fanbase. However, some changes are less egregious.
Sometimes, movies can merely have their title altered in different countries or regions, and the reasons why range from bizarre to fascinating.
So, let’s see if your favorite has a completely different name outside of America.
smasher Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is Known as Salazar’s Revenge in several overseas countries
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales may well end up being the last in the franchise to star Johnny Depp. In the UK and a handful of other countries, this entry into the most famous series based on a ride is known as Salazar’s Revenge (something its director’s allegedly weren’t aware of).
There’s been no official word on why the change was made, but some theorise the original title was too close to home for Britain following recent terror attacks, so the of Captain Salazar took the limelight instead.
Moana is known as Vaiana in Europe
This Polynesian won the for best-animated and became an instant classic. However, the titular isn’t actually known as Moana in some European countries. The was released in France as Vaiana and Oceania in Italy. Allegedly there is a famous adult star known as Moana in Italy and ‘s Italian branch was afraid the would become synonymous with the adult material.
While has never confirmed this, Variety reported that Italian Head of Theatrical Marketing Davide Romani, acknowledged that they were ‘thinking about this issue.’ So this beloved is actually known as Vaiana or Oceania when she’s hanging with the and co in some versions of Ralph Breaks the Internet.
‘s big team-up, The Avengers, is known as ‘s Avengers Assemble in the UK
Now this one I can answer. The turning point in the has a much clunkier name in the UK, due to fears that Brits would confuse it with the cult TV show of the same name. Hence, this took the ‘assemble’ line long before Cap finally said it out loud in Endgame. Thankfully, from 3, to , and now the Falcon and the , we haven’t seen any alternate or titles since.
Related: Mythbusting Popular Disney Urban Legends– Which Are True?
Zootopia is known as Zootropolis in the UK
Every loves Zootopia, but if you’re a Brit like me, you likely said; ‘don’t you mean Zootropolis?’ when someone first brought it up. There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind the change and all we have is the following – pretty unhelpful – statement. A spokesman explained: ‘In the UK we decided to change the US title (Zootopia) to Zootropolis to merely allow the to have a unique title that works for UK audiences.’ Right…
The Mighty Ducks is known as Champions in Australia
If you’re looking for this classic live-action on an Australian account, you might get a little confused. For unknown reasons, the was released in Australia as Champions, while later home releases changed it to The Mighty Ducks are the Champions. Who knew!
BONUS: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is known as The Philosopher’s Stone outside of the US
This pretty well-known fact carries over from the books, after publishers allegedly thought that the word ‘philosopher’ was too academic for the US market. However, it wasn’t just the that had to be changed! if you watch this classic on an American account every mention of the philosopher’s stone is changed to the sorcerer’s. Check out this handy-dandy video that points all of them out!
Which alternate surprised you the most? Can you think of any more examples? Let us know