Disney came under fire for cutting a trans storyline and adding an openly Christian character in the new animated Pixar series Win or Lose on Disney+.
The contradictory pivot comes as part of the company's new commitment to significantly alter its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in response to a cultural shift towards conservatism pushed by Republican President Donald Trump's second White House term.
Pixar's first original long-form animated series follows a co-ed middle school softball team called the Pickles on their leadup to their big championship game. Each episode features a different character showing their perspective of the same events depicted in their respective visual styles.
Despite purporting to have inclusivity as a core value of the company, Disney joined several major companies to scale back on previously instituted DEI policies to comply with Trump's executive order to dispense with "woke" anti-discriminatory programs.
Trans actor Chanel Stewart said she was "very disheartened" to learn that Disney has decided to make her trans teen character in Win or Lose cisgender, essentially cutting the trans identity storyline altogether.
A Disney spokesperson issued a statement to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter explaining:
“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 own terms and timeline."
Apparently, religion was the exception to the "certain subjects" justification.
According to LGBTQ Nation, the new series' first episode introduces a Christian character named Laurie, who's struggling with self-confidence and prays to the “heavenly father.”
The character adds:
“I have faith, but sometimes the doubt creeps in. … I just want to catch a ball or get a hit — for my team, of course.”
There was much opposition online.
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Sarcasm followed.
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Users on the popculturechat subReddit expressed disappointment.
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The last time a Christian reference was made in a Disney film was nearly 20 years ago in the live-action film Bridge to Terabithia in 2007. Scenes from the movie featured children going to Sunday service and engaging in discussions about Jesus and the Bible.
Win or Lose isn't the first Disney series to axe a trans storyline.
In November, Disney allegedly scrubbed a trans plot from an episode of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur in which a coach bans a trans athlete from a girls' volleyball team.
An unofficial YouTube post of the episode shows her teammates rallying around to support the trans character, a refreshingly heartwarming moment that came at a time when transgender youth are under attack by conservatives across the country.
Christian conservatives have long targeted Disney for its inclusionary efforts in representing LGBTQ+ characters in animated film.
In 2022, Disney's 61st animated film Strange World was banned by right-wingers for normalizing gay flirtation with a main teenage character.
That same year, Pixar's Toy Story spinoff Lightyear faced protests for having a blink-and-you'll-miss-it same-sex kiss. It resulted in conservative backlash, with parents accusing Disney of trying to indoctrinate their children with a so-called "gay agenda."
Win or Lose was created, written, and directed by Pixar veterans Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who also served as executive producers with David Lally, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lindsey Collins.
The series premiered on Disney+ on February 19.
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