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Disney and LGBTQ representation in animation

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This article features the history of the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters in animated productions under The Walt Disney Company, including films from the studios Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, and programming from the Disney Branded Television channels as well as the streaming service Disney+. From 1983 onward, Disney struggled with LGBTQ representation in their animated series, and their content often included LGBTQ stereotypes[1][2] or the content was censored in series which aired on Toon Disney such as Blazing Dragons.[3] Some creators have also criticized Disney studio executives of cutting LGBTQ scenes from their shows in the past,[4][5] or criticized that their shows were not seen as part of the "Disney brand", like The Owl House.[6]

Representation

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Queer coding

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Gender has always been a component of animation, with scholars Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin writing that animation has always "hint[ed] at the performative nature of gender."[7] Some argued that the Walt Disney Company played with gender stereotypes in the past, featuring effeminate or sissy characters,[8] or those coded as gay,[9] which occurred while the characters were comedic and kept at arms length. Continuing from the late 1980s, villains in Disney films which were queer coded began to appear.[2]

Gaston and LeFou in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and Jafar from the 1992 film Aladdin were created by an openly gay animator named Andreas Deja,[1] and sang music by Howard Ashman, who was also openly gay. Deja supervised animation for those characters, with some noting the campy value of these characters.[10] The fact that Deja had also worked on Scar in The Lion King and the titular character in Hercules, for example, has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters.[11][12] In a June 1994 article in The Advocate, an executive producer of The Lion King, Thomas Schumacher, a gay man, argued that there were "a lot of gay people at every level" of Disney, and called it a "very supportive environment". He noted that he brought his partner, Matt White, to an annual company beach party and long company retreats and that while some executives were uncomfortable with Schumacher bringing his partner, higher executives didn't give him any trouble. Schumacher also said that while he regretted handing over reins of the film to Don Hahn, he was proud of songs by Tim Rice, a lyricist, and Elton John in the film. The Advocate noted that even if there aren't any openly gay or lesbian characters in the film, there is sensitivity to LGBTQ issues in the upper echelon of Disney.[13]

This queer coding had its disadvantages, with networks not wanting to show overt representation. Rebecca Sugar argued that it is really heavy for a kid to only exist as a villain or a joke in an animated series.[2] In 2011, Deja told news.com.au Disney would have a "family that has two dads or two mums" if they find the "right kind of story with that kind of concept."[14] However, other critics criticized such queer-coded villains as contributing to homophobic discourse and equating queerness with evil itself.[15][16]

Historian Peter C. Kunze argued that Ashman was recruited by Disney from Broadway, saying that while working with Alan Menken, he crafted songs in The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Kunze noted that Ashman and animators on The Little Mermaid were inspired by gay culture and gay icons. He also pointed out that Ashman was supported by Jeffrey Katzenberg after coming out as HIV-Positive, with the company even creating a production unit near his home so he could receive treatment in New York City rather than traveling to Burbank, California, with Beauty and the Beast dedicated to him. Kunze further noted that Albert Tavares, a gay man, oversaw casting on The Little Mermaid.[10]

In 2006, Brother Bear II, directed by Benjamin Gluck, who is openly gay, explores themes of diversity and personal transformation. The film portrays Nita’s transformation into a bear, which is met with unconditional support from her father, who affirms, “I will love you no matter what you choose,” highlighting the importance of acceptance and love across differences.[17] Melissa Etheridge, inspired by the film, wrote three original songs for the soundtrack.[18]

In May 2020, Amber Vucinich, a story revisionist for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure,[19] revealed that Cassandra "Cass" was gay coded, with "sapphic looks" toward the story's protagonist, Rapunzel.[20] She also said that there were many "queer women who boarded scenes [of] Cassandra," and that women-love-women vibes were ingrained in every drawing she did of the character.[21]

In March 2021, Kelly Marie Tran, the voice actress of Raya in the film Raya and the Last Dragon, argued that Raya is queer, stating that she believed there were "some romantic feelings" between Raya and Namaari in the story. She later made clear that this isn't the official Disney position and hoped for a Disney warrior that is "openly in the LGBTQ community" in the future, perhaps even a person who is disabled.[22]

In June 2021, Luca was released on Disney+. Some argued that the film felt "gay" even if not "explicitly queer," and more ambiguous, comparing it to the 2017 live-action film Call Me by Your Name and the 2020 animated film Wolfwalkers.[23][4] Others said that Luca and Alberto hiding their true sea monster identities was an allegory for people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, feeling as though they need to hide their true selves in order to be accepted.[24] The film's director, Enrico Casarosa, said this was unintentional and that his original vision for the film was to explore the time in a child's life before romance,[25] but he has since welcomed the interpretation after the film's release, also stating: "While I identify with pronouns he/him and I am a straight man, the themes of diversity, acceptance and inclusion in our movie are dear to my heart".[26]

Positive representation

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Alex Hirsch and Grunkle Stan puppet (character of Gravity Falls) at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con; Hirsch is the creator of Gravity Falls

In the 2010s, the series finale of Gravity Falls, aired on the Disney Channel, and featured Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland confirmed as a gay couple.[27][28][29] In 2016, Byron Howard, director of Zootopia and Encanto, mentioned in the Fusion documentary Imagining Zootopia that he is openly gay and has been married since 1988.[30] Also, Jared Bush, writer and co-director of the film Zootopia, stated that the film features a gay couple, Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson.[31]

In March 2017, Star vs. the Forces of Evil would make headlines with an episode entitled "Just Friends". The episode featured characters attending a concert and later concert-goers starting to kiss, including same-sex couples.[32]

On September 30, 2018, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors aired on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. The team included America Chavez, a Latina lesbian superhero.[33][34] GLAAD expressed hope that the film would allow Chavez to be represented accurately, and "serve as an introduction of America and further queer characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe."[35] The film was later described as "a superhero tale with diversity oozing out of every animated frame," with note of Chavez having two mothers.[36]

On May 22, 2020, an animated short film titled Out premiered on Disney+. This short Pixar film revolves around Greg attempting to hide a framed photo of him and his boyfriend, Manuel, from his parents, out of fear for their disapproval. The seventh short film in the SparkShorts series, it is both Disney's and Pixar's first short to feature a gay main character and storyline, including an on-screen same-sex kiss.[37]

In the 2020s, The Owl House featured a bisexual protagonist, Luz Noceda, and various other LGBTQ characters.[38][39] GLAAD praised it as a "noteworthy" series which "which introduced new queer women characters".[40] Previously, series creator Dana Terrace confirmed Luz Noceda as bisexual and Amity Blight as a lesbian in a Reddit AMA in September 2020.[41] Amity and Luz represent Disney's first animated LGBT+ female regular characters. The series also featured Raine Whispers, who goes by they/them pronouns and is voiced by transgender and non-binary actor Avi Roque,[42][43] and is Disney's first non-binary character.[44][45]

On September 29, 2020, Samantha "Sam" King, a writer for the Season 3 episode of DuckTales, "They Put a Moonlander On the Earth!", confirmed that Lieutenant Penumbra is a lesbian character.[46] However, King wished it had been more overt and said that people should continue to ask for better representation.[46]

In March 2022, leaked clips from a Walt Disney Company meeting showed the president of Disney General Entertainment, Karey Burke, explain to staff that she is a parent of "two queer children," and the production coordinator at Disney Television Animation, Allen Martsch, note that his team is trying to include "more trans and gender non-conforming characters" in Disney animations.[47] Also, in the meeting, Layota Raveneau, series director of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and Rise Up, Sing Out, said that she was adding queerness wherever she could in the projects she worked on for Disney.[48][49] Elsewhere, Burke promised that 50% of the characters in content created by the Disney General Entertainment would be "from minority groups."[47][48]

On May 21, 2022, Luz and Amity kissed each other on the lips in The Owl House episode "Clouds on the Horizon". It is the first same-sex kiss between the main characters in a Disney animated series.[50] Strange World, which was released on November 23, 2022, features Ethan Clade, who is the first gay lead character in a Disney animated film.[51] Ethan Clade is voiced by gay comedian Jaboukie Young-White.

Elemental which was released on June 16, 2023, features Lake Ripple who is the first non-binary character in a Pixar film, and their girlfriend Ghibli.[52][53] Lake uses they/them and she/her pronouns. Lake Ripple is voiced by non-binary actor Kai Ava Hauser.

Criticism

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Shang Li was not included in the 2020 live-action remake of Mulan. One of the film's producers said that Shang was dropped in response to the MeToo movement, arguing that "having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate".[54] This was met with social media backlash from fans of the original film and members of the LGBTQ community, with Reed initially surprised by criticism of Shang's removal, but acknowledged that the character had become an LGBTQ icon.[55][56][57] He added that Shang's role would be served by two new characters, Commander Tung and Chen Honghui.[55][57] Even so, some reviewers called the interactions between Honghui and Mulan to be more homoerotic than Li Shang's in the animated version and can be read as bisexual while others criticized the reasoning of Reed as incorrect.[58][59] Mulan was described, by one scholar as having a character, Mulan herself, who could successfully pass as the opposite sex and as subverting her traditionally assigned gender signifiers, while having an unusually masculine body. It was further stated that as a result, Mulan was the "perfect embodiment of a drag king" even though she maintains her heterosexuality as she is attracted to Li Sheng, comparing Mulan's interpretation of her sexuality to that of Bugs Bunny.[60] Furthermore, gay playwright Harvey Fierstein voiced a character in Mulan, and only accepted the part after confirming that the rest of the cast was Asian so he would not take work away from an Asian actor.[61]

A few homophobic conservative Christian commentators decried what they considered to be implicit homosexuality in the 2013 film Frozen, considering Elsa's being different from others, her ostracism from society, and her independence and rejection of male suitors, as metaphors for lesbianism. Elsa's song "Let it Go" has been compared to the phenomenon of coming out of the closet.[62][63][64]

 
Chris Nee, the creator of Doc McStuffins pictured accepting the Peabody for Doc McStuffins

In August 2017, Doc McStuffins featured a lesbian (and interracial) married couple, Thea and Edie, voiced by lesbian actresses Wanda Sykes and Portia de Rossi respectively.[65][66][67] These two characters would be the first same-sex couple featured in a Disney Junior pre-school series. Some argued that this episode would be a turning point for executives who fears boycotts from conservative groups like the Family Research Council and One Million Moms, calling the episode a "major win for both Disney and preschool series," showing that LGBTQ characters could appears in shows aimed at younger viewers without retaliation or crisis.[68]

Star Wars Resistance, which aired from October 2018 to January 2020 on the Disney Channel and Disney XD, featured LGBTQ characters. In this animation, Orka and Flix run the Office of Acquisitions on the Colossus, with Orka doing the negotiations.[69] Justin Ridge, an executive producer, said that it's safe to call them a couple, adding "they're absolutely a gay couple and we're proud of that" on the Coffee With Kenobi podcast.[70][71] Some said that they didn't see themselves in the show because they were only confirmed outside of the show's universe by the show's creators.[72] Flix is voiced by queer actor Jim Rash.

In early June 2021, in celebration of Pride Month, Disney unveiled new merchandise and tweeted an illustration. In response, Alex Hirsch, the creator of the Disney series Gravity Falls, criticized Disney studio executives for cutting LGBTQ scenes from their shows. In his tweet, which was retweeted thousands of times, he urged people to "mercilessly" spam the executives by saying there is "room for everyone under the rainbow" if the executives claim LGBTQ+ characters are not "Disney appropriate."[4][5]

The Owl House Latin American dub in September 2021 was met with criticism by both viewers and Roque for portraying Raine as a cisgender male instead of non-binary.[73] The character has also been portrayed as a cisgender male in other dubs.

In April 2022, Peter C. Kunze, a historian at Tulane University argued that there is a "long history of LGBTQ audiences and employees supporting, even saving, the company from veritable demise." He also said that Disney relied on LGBTQ people to "revamp its animated films", taking the example of Howard Ashman, an openly gay man who was the lyricist for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Kunze argued that Disney CEO Bob Chapek should remember the company's history and "understand the invaluable contributions LGBTQ communities have made to the company he leads."[10]

Censorship

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Disney executives did not always receive LGBTQ characters and relationships positively. They, for instance, axed a proposed lesbian relationship in Gravity Falls, at the same time that The Amazing World of Gumball, a series on Disney's competitor Cartoon Network, was censored for supposed "homosexual overtones" by various countries. The former National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality advised in 2012 the banning of SpongeBob SquarePants on the grounds that it promoted homosexuality.[74] In June 2021, David Levine, a former Disney executive who oversaw kids programming for 16 years, said that "a lot of conservative opinion" driving depictions of characters of the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, with no hope for LGBTQ representation, saying he still has similar conversations to this day.[68]

A show created by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott, Blazing Dragons, aired on Teletoon in Canada, Spacetoon in Arab countries, and Canal+ in France from 1996 to 1998. In the series, Sir Blaze is a member of the Square Table, and is flamboyant and effeminate. Throughout the series, he is implied to be gay. His implicit homosexuality was censored when the series aired on Toon Disney in the United States.[3]

The episode from the original Proud Family series "Who You Calling a Sissy" was pulled from the network after its initial airing on August 12, 2005, as a result of regarding Michael's sexual orientation while frequently being called a "sissy" at the time. The ban was lifted in 2020 as the episode is available to stream on Disney+. In February 2021, Ralph Farquhar revealed that in The Proud Family, which aired on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005, they had to use "code to talk about if Michael was gay, to talk about sexuality" and to be "sort of underhanded about it." He said this changed with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder with the biggest changes to the show were "gender identity, obviously racial identity and quote-unquote wokeness," and said that sexuality can be "sort of in your face with it a lot more," manifesting itself in the storytelling. Bruce W. Smith also said that the show has more than "just one gay person...representing the entire LGBTQ+ spectrum" and said that it is "not fair" to only have one LGBTQ character in the series.[75] Barry and Randell kiss in the episode "Father Figures". It is the first Disney series to feature a same-sex kiss between a married couple. Screen Rant argued that the revival broke down barriers through inclusion of multicultural families and characters belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.[76]

On March 10, 2022, Pixar employees argued that "nearly every moment" of openly gay affection was cut due to demands from Disney executives, even if creative teams and Pixar executives objected, arguing that these employees are being barred from creating queer content in animated films.[77][78][79] Some critics countered that Pixar also downplayed queer moments in films like Turning Red with the character Priya Mangal.[80]

 
ND Stevenson is the creator of the webcomic, Nimona

In March 2022, amid the controversy of Disney's involvement in Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act and lack of criticism from CEO Bob Chapek until after the bill had passed, three former Blue Sky staff members stated the Nimona film received pushback from Disney leadership, centered around the film's LGBT themes and a same-sex kiss.[81][82] While staffers said that the kiss scene was taken out of presentations to Disney executives, they said still held out hope that it would be included in the final film.[83][84] It was also reported in mid-March 2022 that a same-sex kiss in Lightyear, which was released on June 17, was reinstated, with the film featuring the studio's "first-ever on-screen kiss between two characters of the same gender" between Alisha Hawthorne and her wife Kiko.[85]

After Lightyear performed poorly at the box office, Pixar was alleged to have attributed the financial failure to the same-sex kiss. This resulted in modifications being enforced during production of Inside Out 2 to make the character of Riley seem "less gay", to the point of making modifications to lighting in scenes in which she is seen interacting with her friend Val, despite Riley having not been intended to be gay in the first place. An anonymous source stated to IGN that many Pixar staff members "accepted the fact that we may never see a major gay character in a Pixar movie".[86]

In November 2024, Polygon reported that the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur season 2 episode "The Gatekeeper", about Brooklyn facing discrimination for being a transgender girl, was shelved by Disney before it aired. Several crew members, like storyboarder Derrick Malick Johnson, asserted on social media that Disney decided not to air the episode because of "which party that won the recent election" which likely referred to the victory of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the 2024 United States presidential election.[87][88][89] Later reporting by Collider asserted the episode has been on hold for over a year, which had nothing to do with the election results, but that it was unclear if it "will ever be officially released." They also reported that the episode was leaked on YouTube and noted criticism of the decision to not release the episode by storyboarder Emma Cicirega, Amphibia creator Matt Braly, indie animation writer Dave Capdevielle, and The Owl House creator Dana Terrace.[90]

On December 17, 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported that Disney removed a storyline related to a transgender character in an episode within an upcoming Pixar television series Win or Lose, with the company's spokesperson saying that "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" while the character remains in the series, lines of dialogue that referenced gender identity were cut.[91] It was also reported that the decision to cut this storyline had happened "several months ago".[92] Chanel Stewart, the transgender actress who voices the character in question, criticized the decision, calling it "upsetting," disenheartening, and stated that "trans stories matter, and...deserve to be heard" and noted her character would be a "straight cis girl" instead.[93]

Cancellations

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In February 2021, Deadline reported that the film adaptation of Nimona was cancelled due to the shutdown of Blue Sky Studios.[94] Webcomics commenter Gary Tyrrell criticized the decision, saying, "[Disney] could have allowed a very different kind of young heroine... I mourn for those who would have found a vision of themselves in an animated version".[95] Sources told CBR that the film was "75% complete".[96] Anonymous staffers at Blue Sky interviewed by Business Insider bemoaned the cancellation of the film, calling it "heartbreaking," arguing that the film "didn't look like anything else in the animated world," and saying that they believe it will never "be completed and released."[97] A few staffers confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the film had an "I love you" scene between Blackheart and Goldenloin.[98] In June 2021, Mey Rude, a writer for Out, said she still held out "hope that this film...will find its way back to life somehow."[99] In July 2021, Meggie Gates in Bitch, said the film would have been Disney's first "legitimately queer film" and could have been a turning point "for how the corporation handles queerness" but that the Disney chose to "bury its gays" by cancelling the film, a blow to queer Disney fans.[100] Annapurna Pictures revived the film with the animation being finished by DNEG Animation, and released it on Netflix in 2023.[101]

On October 5, 2021, in an AMA on Reddit, Dana Terrace, the creator of The Owl House, explained the show was cancelled not because of ratings or the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather because business people at Disney believed it did not fit "into the Disney brand." She stated that this was the case due to the serialized nature of the show and an audience which "skews older," rather than due to its LGBTQ+ representation, saying she wouldn't "assume bad faith" against those she works within Los Angeles. She also noted that due to the pandemic, budgets were constrained, episodes were cut, and noted that she wasn't allowed to present a case for a fourth season, and said she believed there was a future for the show if Disney Television Studios had "different people in charge."[102]

Awards

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Some Disney animated series, with LGBTQ representation, have been nominated for awards. From 2018 to 2024, eight animated series were nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming: Doc McStuffins for the episode "The Emergency Plan" (2018),[103] The Owl House (2021, 2022, 2023),[104][105][106] Amphibia (2022, 2023),[105][106] The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2023, 2024),[106] Firebuds,[107] The Ghost and Molly McGee (2024),[107] and Hailey's On It! (2024),[107] and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2024).[107] In 2024, Hailey's On It! became the first Disney animated series to win the award.[108]

In 2022, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder was nominated for the Outstanding Animated Series category at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards, while the voice directors of Amphibia and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder were nominated for the Outstanding Voice Directing for an Animated Series category.[citation needed] The previous year The Owl House was listed among the "Children's & Youth honorees" of the Peabody Awards.[109]

In 2023, at the 2nd Children's and Family Emmy Awards, the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur series premiere won the award for Outstanding Animated Special, with the series also nominated for the "Outstanding Children's or Young Teen Animated Series" category along with Big City Greens. In addition, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur writers Lisa Muse Bryant, Jeffrey M. Howard, Kate Kondell, Liz Hara, Halima Lucas, Maggie Rose, and Taylor Vaughn Lasley were nominated for the "Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program" category.[citation needed] Sam Riegel was awarded the "Outstanding Voice Directing for an Animated Series" award for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, while Eden Riegel was only nominated for The Ghost and Molly McGee.[citation needed] Kaz Aiwaza was awarded for Individual Achievement in Animation in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur[110] and Tatiana Bull, Aaron Drown, and Jennifer Trujillo were awarded the Outstanding Casting for an Animated Program award for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, with Tatiana Bull and Aaron Drown of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder as a competitor, which was nominated.[citation needed] Sandra Powers, Ryan Burkhard, and Phil Lomboy were nominated for Outstanding Editing for an Animated Program for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.[citation needed]

Also, in 2023, Strange World and Lightyear were nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release.[111] Previously, in 2022, Tim Evatt was nominated for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Film for his art direction on the film Lightyear.[112]

See also

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References

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Further reading

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