Pirates: The Band of Misfits trailerAardman Animations, the outfit behind many recent stop-motion "clay-mation" films such as Chicken Run, the Wallace & Gromit series, Flushed Away, and most recently, Arthur Christmas, is coming under fire for a scene from its upcoming animated 3D film The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Seems the scene in question has caused an uproar in the leprosy community by what several awareness groups say could increase the negative stigma and discrimination felt by people suffering from the disfiguring disease. Lepra Health In Action and the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) have expressed objections with one of the film's scenes which Aardman has since said will be removed from the film before if begins its theatrical run.

Watch the trailer below to see the scene in question in which a Hugh Grant-voiced pirate, who lands on a ship demanding gold, is told "Afraid we don't have any gold old man, this is a leper boat. See." After issuing the explanation, the sailor's arm drops off.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits stars the voices of Hugh Grant, Salma Kayek, Jeremy Piven, and David Tennant and is directed by Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt from a screenplay by Gideom Defoe who also wrote the series of books from which the film is based. The Pirates: Band of Misfits is slated for a March 2012 release... without the scene in question.