In the latest controversy before Disney’s official release of its latest animated series, Win or Lose, the movie is facing backlash for its controversial reason.
The show produced by Pixar follows a co ed middle school softball team the Pickles as they gear up for their championship game.
The eight episode series will give Disney+ subscribers a look at those each team members personal journeys, and it’s scheduled to premiere on February 19.
That storyline has, however, inspired significant online discussions on a major shift.
Other than that, a character with a gender identity storyline ends up in the show.
However, the source said what it sounds like was an attempt to address gender identity was lifted.
The new character was reportedly updated months ago despite the fact he’s already recorded lines of dialogue.
Disney responded to the increasing speculation over the removal of storyline.
“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,” Disney told CNN.
The move has sparked debates about media inclusivity and corporate responsibility once again.
But critics say that may be part of a bigger adjustment on Disney’s part with respect to its diversity initiatives.
Critics are even questioning if the latest political climate influenced the company’s decision.
The removal of the storyline comes at a time when former U.S. President Donald Trump is reelected.
Trump has made headlines in his opposition to policies such as DEI.
Many corporations reevaluated their DEI strategies following his return to political limelight.
Disney had no comment on a request to whether the decision was in some way meant to disassociate itself from progressive messaging, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Bob Iger, Disney CEO had earlier stressed on company’s top priority being entertainment.
In an earlier interview with CNBC, Iger stated, “The term ‘woke’ is thrown around rather liberally.
‘A lot of people didn’t even understand what it meant,’ I think.”
“We’re not up to a movement to put messaging at the center of everything we make, the bottom line is that,” he continued.
They need to be entertaining.”
Audiences and industry professionals have reacted paralleled to Disney’s decision.
The supporters of the move say that parents, not the media, should be given the main responsibility of explaining sensitive topics.
‘As parents, we are thankful Disney is allowing the parents to be in charge of the parenting,’ one social media user remarked.
But some others think the decision is a direct product of political pressure.
“Disney is caving to a loud minority and abandoning the very inclusivity it claims to champion,” one critic wrote.
But many believe that the decision sets the LGBTQ representation train in children’s media back years.
Another commenter stated that “this sends the message that trans stories aren’t worth telling, even in a nuanced way.”
But some wonder how this decision will emotionally affect the staff who once worked on the original storyline.
“Imagine the artists and writers who poured their hearts into that storyline only to see it erased,” a Pixar fan lamented.
Disney has created controversy before surrounding LGBTQ+ representation in its content.
In 2022, the prequel to the Toy Story franchise, Lightyear, has a same-s3x kiss.
The scene was shot, but was cut and later restored amid an internal backlash.
Conservative groups criticized the movie while it was ultimately banned in several countries.
And in its more mature content, Disney has also dealt with LGBTQ+ themes.
LGBTQ+ characters and storylines can be seen in the likes of Pose and Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
In 2022, however, Disney found itself in the middle of a political firestorm over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.
The company’s response to the legislation drew criticism from both progressives and conservatives.
Since then, Disney has tried to find a middle ground between allowing inclusivity, and its time honored emphasis on family entertainment.
While Disney has no doubt endeavoured to be inclusive in the past, there was one change in its new series that you can’t help but notice.
Before the show’s release, the company has removed a transgender storyline from Win or Lose.
The script has all references to gender identity taken out, but the character remains.
Amid changing corporate attitudes to social messaging, this change was made months ago.
Disney claims the decision was driven by parent’s concerns, but critics criticise it as a retreat from diversity.
But, many are wondering what this means for the future of representation in media, and for that debate the answer is that the conversation continues.
The controversy is far from over, as Disney remains quiet on whether political pressure had anything to do with it.
Feature Image Credit: (Disney)