Walt Disney Studios has issued a warning for theater owners to post that its newly released animated feature, "Incredibles 2," may trigger seizures in viewers with epilepsy or similar conditions. " 'Incredibles 2' contains a sequence of flashing lights which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities," the studio said, according to photos taken by vision-disability blogger Veronica Lewis at four different theaters and posted Saturday. "I would like to thank @DisneyPixar and @DisneyStudios for listening to people’s concerns and putting up warnings for the flashing lights in #Incredibles2," Lewis, who is based in Virginia outside Washington, D.C., tweeted Sunday. "It is an INCREDIBLE movie, and people can now make an informed decision either to watch the movie now or wait for the DVD." Similar warnings are not uncommon on visual media and live events such as concerts. Disney has received no reports of incidents at screenings of "Incredibles 2," which officially opened Friday and set a record for the biggest domestic box-office opening of any animated film, with $183.2 million in the United States and Canada. On her website, Veronica with Four Eyes, Lewis wrote on Thursday that at an early screening of the new sequel, which was paired with the 2004 original, "the villain’s weapon of choice can hurt not only characters on-screen, but can also hurt the people in the audience as well. The weapon? Continuous sequences of rapidly flashing/strobing lights." Counting "at least five scenes throughout the movie that use bright white flashing/strobe lights for more than 15 seconds," Lewis said this could cause issues for people with epilepsy, migraines and other conditions. Her related Twitter post Friday was retweeted nearly 10,600 times. In a later post on that thread, Lewis stressed she was never suggesting a boycott of the film, calling it "very well done" and noting that "the strobe lights are an important point in the plot." Sign up for Newsday's Entertainment newsletter Get the latest on celebs, TV and more. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Lewis added in a tweet Monday, "For everyone asking, no, I have not heard from Disney/Pixar about my viral Twitter thread. I know they have already listened by putting up the warnings like I suggested, and for that I cannot thank them enough." Hundreds of children in Japan reportedly suffered seizures caused by flashing lights during the Dec. 16, 1997, episode of the anime series 'Pokémon." However, a study published in the February 2001 issue of the Southern Medical Journal debunked this claim, saying that while "photosensitive epilepsy was diagnosed in a minuscule fraction of those affected," the rest likely suffered "epidemic hysteria" triggered by news reports of the "small number of genuine photosensitive-epilepsy seizures."<doc-sep>Ethan Hawke on 'Blaze' and the 'first time' he acted SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 27: Jane Fonda wears Chopard at the Sydney Opera House on August 27, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for Chopard) Actor Geoffrey Owens is responded to criticism over his job with Trader Joe's How Netflix is everything to everyone See Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers in new trailer Story highlights "Incredibles 2" warning signs are posted in theaters for fans with photosensitive epilepsy The animated movie contains scenes of flashing lights (CNN) — Moviegoers seeing Disney’s “Incredibles 2” might notice some health-related warning signs posted regarding the film, which had the biggest box office opening for an animated movie ever. The Pixar movie hit theaters in the United States on Friday. Over the weekend, several fans who saw the flick posted on Twitter that there were some scenes containing flashing lights that could be concerning for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities. CNN has reached out to Disney for comment. Just a day after those posts garnered attention, notices were displayed in theaters warning audiences about the movie’s visual effects. Kristin Supe A warning sign for "Incredibles 2" was spotted at AMC Dublin Village 18 near Columbus, Ohio. Kristin Supe, an associated faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the Ohio State University in Columbus, shared a photo of a warning sign on Twitter on Saturday. “They were posted on doors and ticket windows. I took the picture and tweeted about it because I like for students to see how class material applies to the real world and daily life,” said Supe, who sometimes lectures about the disorder. “In general, seizures are uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can have a wide variety of effects depending on the type, severity and focus,” she said. “Epilepsy is diagnosed when seizures occur repeatedly. Photosensitive epilepsy affects a very small percentage of those with epilepsy.” The warnings pertain to the 3% of people with epilepsy for whom visual stimulation at certain intensities – such as flashing lights or moving patterns – can trigger seizures. About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases, according to the World Health Organization. “Some individuals without photosensitive epilepsy can also have sensitivities to similar stimuli, and this could cause migraines or other conditions,” Supe said. Veronica Lewis, a student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, said that she suffered a migraine after seeing a screening of the “Incredibles 2” film on Wednesday night. She wrote a blog post about it and then, on Friday night, she wrote about it on Twitter. “I woke up to over a thousand retweets. I was very surprised,” said Lewis, who has photosensitive migraines as a result of a brain condition called Chiari malformation. Lewis said that she is grateful warning signs have been posted for the movie. She thought the movie was “incredible,” and said people can now make an informed decision to watch the movie in theaters or wait for the DVD to watch at home. “I’m extremely happy about this because I published that thread thinking if I could even help one person avoid a migraine or a seizure, I consider this a success,” she said. People with photosensitive epilepsy can reduce their risk by watching with the lights on or being further away from the screen, Dr. Shlomo Shinnar, president of the American Epilepsy Society and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Management Center at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, said in a written statement emailed to CNN on Monday. “People who think they may be at risk should consult their clinician,” he added. This isn’t the first time children’s media have contained some potentially seizure-triggering visual effects. In 1997, flashing lights in the popular television cartoon “Pokemon” were tied to more than 600 cases of convulsions, vomiting, irritated eyes and other symptoms among children in Japan. “Members of our community have expressed concerns about flashing lights in the new Disney Pixar movie ‘Incredibles 2,’ and, in certain instances, people having experienced a seizure during the movie,” said a statement posted online Saturday by the Epilepsy Foundation. “We stand with our epilepsy warriors and their families as they voice their concerns about the movie and appreciate the efforts some theaters have already made to post warning signs for people waiting to see the movie,” the statement said. Follow CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. In a separate statement emailed to CNN on Monday, the foundation’s spokeswoman Jacqueline Aker added that “While we appreciate the efforts already taken to warn moviegoers, we are requesting that Disney Pixar post a warning on all its digital properties, including relevant websites and social media channels, about what has been described as ‘flashing’ and ‘strobe’ lights in its ‘Incredibles 2’ movie.” Meanwhile, this week, Supe plans to take her 3-year-old son to see the film, which will be “his first movie in the theater” experience, she said. “We’re big fans of the first movie, and we’re looking forward to ‘Incredibles 2,’ ” she said.<doc-sep>
In an unprecedented move, Disney has issued a warning to viewers about its new "Incredibles" film. "Incredibles 2," the animated Disney blockbuster that picks up where the original movie left off 14 years ago, has a sequence with the villain Screenslaver that features bright flashing lights. After the film opened Friday, some theatergoers posted on social media that the superhero cartoon could trigger seizures in people with epilepsy, migraines or chronic illness. The Epilepsy Foundation even issued a statement about concerns that people with epilepsy could suffer a seizure during the movie. "(We) appreciate the efforts some theaters have already made to post warning signs for people waiting to see the movie," the statement said. On Friday, Walt Disney Pictures sent an advisory to theaters showing "Incredibles 2,"asking them flag customers to the scene. AMC supervisor Mauricio Mencia, who's worked at the Universal CityWalk location in Los Angeles for the past year, says, "I've never seen something like that happen." The memo, which has been shared on social media, says: " 'Incredibles 2' contains a sequence of flashing lights, which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities." Mencia's theater has informed the staff about the memo and posted the warning next to the guest greeter who rips tickets. More:Even Sophia Bush has a 'lady crush' on Voyd, her breakout 'Incredibles 2' hero Also:'Incredibles 2' soars with $180M: Biggest opening ever for an animated film Related:The definitive ranking of all 20 Pixar movies (including 'Incredibles 2') According to the Epilepsy Foundation, "for about 3 percent of people with epilepsy, exposure to flashing lights at certain intensities, or with certain visual patterns, can trigger seizures. This condition is known as photosensitive epilepsy and it’s more common in children and adolescents, especially those with generalized epilepsy and a type known as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy." Jackie Aker, director of media relations for the Epilepsy Foundation, says her organization had never before called for a movie to issue a photosensitivity warning, but earlier this year asked Apple to change a promotional spot for the new iPad that had flashing lights that would be unsafe for certain viewers. Apple worked with the foundation to change the video. In 1997, an episode of "Pokemon" that aired in Japan with flashing lights sent nearly 700 children to the hospital. More:Sorry, Mr. Incredible: In 'Incredibles 2,' it's mom Elastigirl who kicks butt 'Incredibles 2':Everything you need to know about Pixar's new sequel Review: Fun-loving 'Incredibles 2' is worth the wait, but falls short of the original