The Little Shop of Horrors some distributors, including American International Pictures (AIP), felt that the film would be interpreted as anti-Semitic, citing the characters of Gravis Mushnick and Siddie Shiva. Welles, who is Jewish, stated that he gave his character a Turkish Jewish accent and mannerisms, and that he saw the humor of the film as playful, and felt there was no intent to defame any ethnic group. The film was finally released by its production company, The Filmgroup, nine months after it had been completed. "The Little Shop of Horrors" was screened out of competition at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. A year later,
The Little Shop of Horrors animated television series, "Little Shop", inspired by the musical film, premiered in 1991. It ran for one season on Fox Kids in 1991. Seymour and Audrey were depicted as 13-year-olds, and the plant, "Junior", was a rapping carnivorous prehistoric creature that sprouted from a fossilized seed. Each episode featured a few stylish music video sequences; Corman served as a creative consultant on the show. The film was colorized twice, the first time being in 1987. This version was poorly received. The film was colorized again by Legend Films, who released their colorized version as well as a restored black-and-white version