USA TODAY, New York Tim review 'Strange World,' gay Disney character

Contents:

• HERE'S HOW 'STRANGE WORLD' TRODUC THE FIRST OUT GAY TEENAGER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM: 'IT WAS A BETIFUL THG TO BE A PART OF'
• LIST: 'STRANGE WORLD' REVIEWS ABOUT DISNEY'S FIRST OUT GAY, CHARACTER, BIRACIAL QUEER TEEN
• DISNEY'S 'STRANGE WORLD' FEATUR THEIR FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER — WHO IS BEHD THE VOICE?
• DISNEY’S “STRANGE WORLD” FEATUR GAY TEEN ROMANCE

HERE'S HOW 'STRANGE WORLD' TRODUC THE FIRST OUT GAY TEENAGER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM: 'IT WAS A BETIFUL THG TO BE A PART OF'

But the scene sparked bate due to two issu: Florida’s ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibs any class discsn about sexual orientatn and genr inty to stunts younger than ne years old, and Disney’s efforts as a pany to have repealed.

His father supports him and giv him advice, not focg on whether his son is gay or not, but simply as a father who is by his son’s si matters of love. 23, the movie also monstrat the Moe Hoe's renewed mment to LGBTQ reprentatn by showsg the first out gay teenager a Disney rtoon feature. That character is Ethan Cla, and he's voiced by out gay edian and actor Jaboie Young-Whe.

"For her part, Unn not that her recent remake of Cheaper by the Dozen — which premiered on Disney+ March — featured one of Disney's first live actn gay teens (played by Caylee Blosensk), but says much of that storyle was downplayed the fished film. Both the 2020 animated feature, Onward, which featured Disney's first self-intified lbian character, and 2022's Lightyear, which featured the stud's first same-sex kiss, were banned Sdi Arabia and other Gulf natns where homosexual nduct is still illegal. Incredibly, the same year jt-posed Disney CEO Bob Chapek earned backlash for the pany's rponse to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, the stud also released Strange World, which featur a ma character who is unniably gay.

LIST: 'STRANGE WORLD' REVIEWS ABOUT DISNEY'S FIRST OUT GAY, CHARACTER, BIRACIAL QUEER TEEN

Strange World's Ethan Cla is Disney's first out gay teen hero.

So, when 's revealed that Ethan is gay, I braced for the evable generatn clash over queerns. Sure, Searcher has no issu wh his son beg gay, and he even shows an earnt enthiasm when Ethan's csh Diazo by the farm.

DISNEY'S 'STRANGE WORLD' FEATUR THEIR FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER — WHO IS BEHD THE VOICE?

" But stead, Nguyen's screenplay dodg this trope and, wh , homophobia altogether. When Ethan answers, his grandfather, whom he's never met before, isn't shocked to disver the boy is gay. Instead, Strange World acknowledg that gay kids n jt exist media and not have their inty treated like grounds for a teachable moment.

DISNEY’S “STRANGE WORLD” FEATUR GAY TEEN ROMANCE

Alternately, there was the embarrassment that was Josh Gad as the live-actn ​​LeFou 2017's Bety and the Beast, which director Bill Condon proclaimed would have a "nice, exclively gay moment.

This "exclively gay moment" earned eye rolls om the LGBTQ muny, as did the proclamatn that the Rso Bros. Would be troducg the MCU's first openly gay character Avengers: End Game. It wasn't until 2021's Eternals that the MCU offered a nonilly queer superhero wh Phastos, played by Brian Tyree even as Disney ma stris, the stud drew ire for their ial lack of actn agast the "Don't Say Gay" bill and for cuttg queer ntent om their projects.

Outsi of the Disney landspe, stori of queer youth the media often center on moments of trma, be that the strs of g out, beg tranged om their fai, livg wh the creased risk of hate crim or partner vlence, or otherwise nontg homophobia.

Even movi about gay romance, the threat of homophobia is often lurkg nearby, ready to squelch any ht of reee queer joy. Ethan is biracial and gay, but the drama of his journey is not tied to the intifiers.