Pixar has reinstated a previously deleted scene from their new hit, Lightyear, that features a romantic moment between two LGBTQ+ characters. Disney has been striving to be more inclusive to their audiences. They are featuring more nationalities, more culture, and they are even trying to be inclusive towards the LGBTQ+ community. However, this has not come without backlash from some parents. In the spirit of being informed, Pixar has announced that they have made changes to their new Lightyear film that is coming soon.
According to Variety and Complex, this clip was previously cut from the film, and a letter was sent out stating that this was deliberately censoring the content in the film that was made. Lightyear, which is going to tell the tale of Buzz Lightyear, from Toy Story, features a female lead who is in a relationship with a woman.
The relationship never seemed to cause concern for anyone in the development, the scene where the two share a kiss was deleted from the movie. However, the scene has now been put back in the movie. This scene is no different from other Disney characters who have shared a romantic moment in previous movies.
This also comes on the heels of the current political climate in Florida over the “Don’t say gay” bill that was recently passed into law. There have been previous representations of same-sex relationships in other cartoons, but it looks like Disney is joining the group.
These small moments can go a long way to normalizing all types of love and relationships in the world, and they can help youth who may be struggling with themselves, or who have same-sex parents. They may be able to see their families and themselves reflected back to them on the big screen.
Disney has had previous moments of LGBTQ+ characters in the movie, but mostly in the background.
- In Onward, one of the female police officers in the film mentions that she has a girlfriend.
- In Toy Story 4, you can see two moms dropping off their child at school in the morning.
- There is even a couple depicted in Finding Dory.
Inclusion with Disney is nothing new, but it looks like they are about to make it more meaningful for families everywhere. Lightyear is going to be the first Pixar movie in a while that is going to be opening first in theaters before being put on the streaming service.