The latest Disney animated movie, Strange World, includes another big step forward for the studio in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. Here's everything you need to know:
What LGBTQ+ representation is there in 'Strange World'?
Strange World, which hits theaters on Nov. 23, features a character who has been described as the first gay lead of a Disney animated movie.
The film tells the story of three generations, and it's primarily centered around Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal), a farmer and the son of explorer, Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid). Searcher's own son is Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White), who is clearly established as gay. A scene promptly in the film shows Ethan nervous around his crush, a boy named Diazo, whom he flirts with before his father comes in and embarrasses him. "Is this him?" Searcher asks before noting that Ethan "talks about you all the time."
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What Disney’s queer ‘inspiring content’ really amounts to
“I believe the best way for our company to bring about durable change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support,” Chapek wrote in the memo.
But while Chapek’s words might indicate that Disney has a productive history of creating “inspiring” queer content, a group of Pixar employees penned a letter in response to Chapek’s statements, and specifically called out that line.
“We at Pixar possess personally witnessed charming stories, full of diverse characters, enter back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” the letter reads. “Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the nature, we are creature barred from creating it.”
Viewers have certainly come up with their own gay readings of Disney and Pixar stories alike, but it’s debatable whether the studio has delivered the “inspiring” content Chapek seems to think it’s using to help convert the world. Below, we’ve laid out the milestones in Disney’s history of queer content.
2013: Oaken and his family in
Disney faces backlash over LGBTQ controversy: ‘It’s just pure nonsense’
Brandon Wolf has fond memories of his five years working as a dancer at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom neighboring Orlando, Florida.
“It was one of the best times of my life because I moved to Orlando to find a place to belong, to uncover a community, to find a world where I could be an out queer person of colour and be proud of that,” the 33-year-old says. “I certainly found that in the central Florida community that I contain grown to love. I found that in my fellow cast members and I’m very grateful for my time being capable to work with them at Disney.”
The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s biggest media and entertainment empires, prides itself on a lesbian, male lover, bisexual, transgender and gender non-conforming (LGBTQ) friendly culture. But today its reputation for inclusivity and tolerance is under scrutiny – as are its deep ties to the political establishment and the lack of LGBTQ representation in its films.
Disney’s workers have been staging walkouts in complain at chief executive Bob Chapek’s lacklustre response to Florida legislation dubbed “don’t say gay”. The controversial bill bars instruction on “sexual orien
SUMMARY
Considering the quality, quantity, and diversity of films distributed under the Walt Disney Company and its labels, GLAAD has given The Walt Disney Company a GOOD grade.
Walt Disney Studios included LGBTQ characters in all five of its Disney theatrical releases. While the LGBTQ representation in some films was groundbreaking in kids and family spaces, such as Lightyear and Strange World, other films’ inclusion was more minor, such as Physician Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and other Marvel properties. Inclusion in Disney’s other theatrical labels, Searchlight and 20th Century, was minimal.
As for streaming, Hulu delivered outstanding LGBTQ-centric stories with romantic comedies Fire Island and Crush,in addition to casual inclusion in several other films including Darby and the Dead and Fresh. Disney+ released LGBTQ stories that reached a wide kids and family audience such as Zombies 3 and Better Nate Than Ever, but missed the highlight in films like Hocus Pocus 2 and Turning Red, which only included “blink and you’ll long for it” moments of advocacy, if any at all. A concerning trend we’ve seen in the past year is the remov
Disney promises LGBT 'commitment': 'We want to represent our audience'
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Disney has promised to continue making films and TV shows with "an increased commitment" to diversity in its output, according to its boss Bob Chapek.
"We want to represent our audience," he said at a meeting for the company's shareholders this week.
"We yearn to tell stories that our audience wants to perceive, that reflects their lives."
He was responding to a doubt about LGBT characters in their films and pride events at theme parks.
There will be a transgender character in a future Marvel film, and upcoming superhero movie The Eternals will present Marvel's first openly gay lead nature to cinema screens.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney.
Disney's "family friendly" criticism
There has been some criticism recently after Disney moved the Treasure, Simon spin-off series from the Disney+ streaming service to Hulu, which it also owns.
Called Admire , Victor, the display is a based on the movie and is about a teenage lad who comes out as gay at high school.