Disney has scuttled a transgender storyline from an upcoming animated series, citing concerns about usurping parental authority after years of pushing LGBTQ themes and characters in its children’s programming.
The entertainment giant said it has scotched the transgender identity of a character in “Win or Lose,” a Pixar Animation Studios series about a middle-school coed softball team set for release in Feb. 9 on the Disney+ streaming service.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their terms and timeline,” said Disney in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story.
The decision represented a 180-degree pivot for Disney, which helped lead the unsuccessful fight against a 2022 Florida ban on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3, and whose creators have bragged about pushing LGBTQ themes in children’s content.
Transgender advocates bemoaned the decision to change the character to a girl, as opposed to a boy who identifies as a girl, while conservatives cheered the about-face as a win in their battle against wokeness at Disney.
OutKick founder Clay Travis hailed the move as a “total & complete victory” for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who went toe-to-toe with Disney over the 2022 measure decried by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“Woke Disney bends the knee, removes trans character from animated series, says they recognize parents would ‘prefer to discuss certain subjects on their own terms and timeline,’” said Mr. Travis on X. “This is what the Florida law said! Huge win.”
Conservative movie critic Christian Toto said Wednesday on his “Hollywood in Toto” podcast that “it looks like Disney finally got the message about going woke and the consequences.”
He noted that Disney CEO Bob Iger said last year he wanted to “quiet the noise” on the culture war after the company was blasted for movies such as the 2022 Pixar film “Lightyear,” which featured a lesbian character who kisses her partner.
After a disappointing 2023 that saw its major releases underperform, Disney bounced back this year with blockbusters like “Inside Out 2” that were notable for their lack of left-wing political messaging.
Mr. Toto said that “Inside Out 2,” according to a leak, “was supposed to be more progressive. There was more ideology built into that story.”
“Well, it turns out they scotched those plans. They didn’t make the final cut. And of course, the movie went on to be a mega-success,” he said. “Cause and effect? You make the call.”
My question is who thought it was appropriate to make trans storyline for children in the first place?
— Clare Anne Ath (@clareanneath) December 17, 2024
And are they still employed by Disney? https://t.co/okOHks2ZfF
Chanel Stewart, who voices the “Win or Lose” character, was “very disheartened” after learning Monday of Disney’s decision.
“From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth,” the teenage voice actor, a male who identifies as female, told Deadline. “I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
Chanel’s mother Keisha Stewart said that “it was upsetting because my daughter is transgender and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact.”
Chanel Stewart added that the character is still in the series, but “it’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl.”
The Advocate, an LGBTQ publication, said that the “queer community has long loved Disney, but there’s growing concern about the erasure of LGBTQ+ storylines when so many anti-LGBTQ+ bills—many of which are aimed at trans youth, as reported by The Advocate—are proliferating across the country.”
The eight-episode animated series about the team in the week leading up to the championship game stars Will Forte as the voice of Coach Dan.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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