Do Disney’s 'Lu' Have a Gay Character?

Contents:

• ‘LU,’ CHILDHOOD IENDSHIP AND THE DISURSE AROUND GAY FISH
• IT'S NOT JT FROZEN: MOST DISNEY MOVI ARE PRO-GAY
• ‘STRANGE WORLD’ IS DISNEY’S FIRST ANIMATED MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD. WHY IS IT BEG BURIED?
• DISNEY FILM FEATURG GAY MA CHARACTER BOMBS AT BOX OFFICE
• DO DISNEY’S ‘LU’ HAVE A GAY CHARACTER?
• DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)
• DISNEY ACCED OF REMOVG GAY NTENT OM PIXAR FILMS
• ‘STRANGE WORLD’ IS DISNEY’S FIRST ANIMATED MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD. WHY IS IT BEG BURIED?INVISIBLEJABOIE YOUNG-WHE VOIC THE FIRST OUT, QUEER LEAD CHARACTER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM. THE PROBLEM: YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THE MOVIE, “STRANGE WORLD,” EXISTS.ALLEGRA FRANKDEPUTY ENTERTAMENT EDORUPDATED NOV. 26, 2022 5:02AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 23, 2022 7:00PM EST DISNEYDISNEY HAS TWO MOVI THEATERS RIGHT NOW STARRG QUEER CHARACTERS—BUT YOU’D BE HARD-PRSED TO NAME BOTH OF THEM. IN BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, MICHAELA COEL PLAYS A WARRR WH A FEMALE PARTNER, A RELATNSHIP GIVEN THE MOST CURSORY OF NODS TOWARD THE END OF THE MOVIE WHEN THE PAIR LLS EACH OTHER “LOVE.” THAT FET TOWARD SEXUAL DIVERSY IS PAR FOR THE URSE WH DISNEY MOVI THE DAYS: SPRKLE A LTLE QUEERNS THERE FOR THE FOLKS AT HOME, BUT NOT TOO MUCH, SO THAT N BE EASILY EXCISED FOR THE OVERSEAS RELEASE. (EHER WAY, BIGOTS ARE UNHAPPY.)VERY MUCH NOT PAR FOR THE URSE, THOUGH, IS THE OTHER DISNEY MOVIE WH A QUEER HERO PLAYG THIS WEEKEND. STRANGE WORLD BOASTS NOT ONLY A QUEER TEEN LEAD, VOICED BY IRL QUEER EDY IN JABOIE YOUNG-WHE, BUT THAT QUEER TEEN IS ALSO BIRACIAL. BETWEEN THE EXPLIC QUEERNS AND THE TERRACIAL FAY AT S CENTER, STRANGE WORLD IS SHOCKGLY PROGRSIVE—WELL, AS FAR AS HOLLYWOOD FAY FILMS GO. ESPECIALLY ON OM DISNEY.YET STRANGE WORLD HAS LAND NEHER WH A BANG NOR A WHIMPER. INSTEAD, THE BIGGT STUD THE WORLD HAS RELEASED A NEW FEATURE FILM WH PRACTILLY ZERO FANFARE. THERE ARE NO STRANGE WORLD TOYS AT MCDONALD’S RIGHT NOW. YOUTUBE ISN’T BOMBARDG WH TRAILERS. REVIEWS DROPPED TWO DAYS BEFORE THE FILM’S RELEASE, GENERATG NO NVERSATN. AND EVEN FOX NEWS HAS MA NARY A PEEP ABOUT STRANGE WORLD’S DISURSE-READY STG.IT’S EASY TO SPECULATE AS TO WHY STRANGE WORLD HAS BASILLY BEEN DUMPED TO THEATERS. THE DISPIRG EXPLANATN ULD BE THAT DISNEY, FEARG UPROAR OM ALL MATTERS OF THE RIGHT, HAS CHEWED ANY BIG PROMO S MORE HOMOGENO FILMS RECEIVE. ALL PRS IS GOOD PRS, UNLS ’S ABOUT A RTOON WHERE TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME GENR HOLD HANDS. THAT’S WHEN THE BAD CHATTER N GET BOTH TOXIC FOR SOCIETY AND POISONO TO THE BOX OFFICE. (LIGHTYEAR, I’M LOOKG AT YOU.) DISNEY THAT THE FILM CENTERS AN TERRACIAL UPLE (DAD SEARCHER, VOICED BY JAKE GYLLENHAAL, AND MOM MERIDIAN, VOICED BY GABRIELLE UNN) AND THEIR QUEER SON, ETHAN (YOUNG-WHE), SHOULD FEEL LS EXCG THAN IS; BY REAL-WORLD STANDARDS, THIS ULD BE A REGULAR-GULAR AMERIN FAY. BUT PALISM IS NOT THE REAL WORLD, JT A LN UPON SOCIETY’S BRA, AND ONE FLUENCED BY THE MYOPIC END OF THE SOCPOLIL SPECTM. WHICH IS WHY UNR THE HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM, STRANGE WORLD UNTS AS SPECTACULARLY DIVERSE. CRICS SEEKG TO UPHOLD THE OUTDATED STAT QUO OF WHE, CISGENR HETERONORMATIVY N’T HELP BUT REMARK UPON ANY SEMBLANCE OF DIVERSY. TH, ’S EASIER FOR DISNEY TO SHY AWAY OM STRANGE WORLD’S MAKP THAN POT AT . GOTTA LOVE THE FLUENCE OF VTORS ON THE CREATIVE PROCS!BUT AFTER WATCHG THE MOVIE, THERE SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLER EXPLANATN FOR DISNEY’S SHYNS AROUND STRANGE WORLD. SIMPLY PUT, STRANGE WORLD IS THE MOST BORG MOVIE DISNEY HAS RELEASED YEARS.FOR ALL THAT TALK ABOUT WHAT MAK EXCG, THE MOVIE SELF IS CREDIBLY FORMULAIC. STRANGE WORLD IS SET 25 YEARS AFTER SEARCHER’S REVOLUTNARY DISVERY OF A NEW ROURCE, PANDO, UPON WHICH THE FICTNAL WORLD OF AVALONIA N RELY. HE ONLY MAK THIS DISVERY, HOWEVER, AFTER GOG AGAST THE WISH OF HIS EXPLORER FATHER, JAEGER (DENNIS QUAID). SEARCHER AND JAEGER HAVE BEEN TRANGED EVER SCE. THIS DAMAGED FATHER-SON RELATNSHIP TO THE FORE WHEN SEARCHER MT JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE PLA TO HELP ERADITE WHATEVER HAS BEEN DRAG THE PANDO THEY NEED. WHEN SEARCHER ENUNTERS JAEGER ON THAT MISSN, THEY RNE AND HAVE TO LEARN TO ACCEPT EACH OTHER FOR WHO THEY ARE. DISNEY SEARCHER HAS A PARALLEL STGGLE GOG ON WH HIS OWN SON, ETHAN, WHO DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE HIS GRANDPA OR HIS DAD. ETHAN WANTS TO CHART HIS OWN PATH, STUDYG THE WORLD’S ABUNDANT CREATUR AND FLORA. BUT THAT PLOT IS DOWNPLAYED FAVOR OF ETHAN’S EFFORTS TO REPAIR SEARCHER’S RELATNSHIP WH HIS FATHER—AND SAVE THE WORLD AT THE SAME TIME.IN THE FILM, ETHAN IS ALREADY ACCEPTED AND LOVED FOR WHO HE IS WAYS THAT WE ARE FORCED TO NSIR REMARKABLE: ETHAN LIK ONE OF HIS (MALE) IENDS, AND HIS IEND LIK HIM BACK. AN EARLY SCENE SHOWS ETHAN FLTERED AS HIS CSH FLIRTS WH HIM; SEARCHER SHOWS UP AND TRI TO WGMAN FOR HIS SON. EVERYONE IS ROOTG FOR ETHAN AND THIS NICE YOUNG FELLA TO GET TOGETHER, CLUDG HIS OTHERWISE STUBBORN GRANDPA. STRANGE WORLD’S GOT MORE LEGIMATE PROBLEMS TO AL WH THAN ETHAN’S SEXUALY. WHICH IS WONRFUL, EVEN IF SHOULD WARRANT A BIG “WELL, DUH.”BUT THE VERY MONPLACE PROBLEMS OF DADS AND SONS NOT VIBG SEIZE THE FILM’S SPOTLIGHT, TO S TRIMENT. THIS IS A MOVIE WH A LEGIMATELY EPIC SPE TO PLAY WH. WHILE ETHAN IS TELLG HIS DAD THAT HE DON’T WANT TO HARVT PANDO WHEN HE GROWS UP, HE DON’T JT WALK AWAY AND SLAM THE DOOR TO HIS ROOM. HE JUMPS OFF THEIR SPACHIP AND SAILS TO THE UNKNOWN UPON THE BACKS OF A SCHOOL OF EXTRATERRTRIAL FISH CREATUR. HE BEIENDS A LIFE SIZE BACTERIUM, WHO SAV ETHAN OM BEG NSUMED BY SENTIENT TENTACL. ETHAN AND HIS DAD RENCILE THEIR DIFFERENC WHILE STARG TO A GIGANTIC EYEBALL. YET ’S NOT THE EYEBALL OR THE TENTACL OR THE FISH THAT THE FILM PRRIZ, BUT THE STAID “YOU DON’T GET ME, DAD!” DRAMA. THIS IS A FILM THAT WANTS TO BE MORE VTED SEARCHER AND JAEGER’S RELATNSHIP THAN A LIGHTFULLY SIGNED “WALKG LANDMASS” CREATURE. PERHAPS THAT’S ANOTHER TENTNAL CHOICE, MEANT TO SHIELD THE FILM OM NSERVATIVE CRIQUE. IT TOYS WH A STRONG ENVIRONMENTALIST MSAGE TOWARD THE END, WH A LATE-STATE REVEAL RAISG QUTNS ABOUT ETHIL NSUMPTN OF NATURAL ROURC. THE WORLD OF STRANGE WORLD IS ALIVE, VIBRANT, LH, AND VAST, BUT THE MOVIE’S SEEMGLY WELL-TENTNED HUMANS HARDLY NOTICE. IT’S IRONIC THAT THE FILM IS SIARLY IGNORANT OF S GEOLY ANIMATED ENVIRONMENTS; CLIMATE CHANGE NIERS WILL CERTALY APPRECIATE HOW UNTERTED THE SCRIPT IS ENGAGG WH THE FILM’S LANDSP, OPTG FOR NSTANT QUIPS AND EXPLANATORY DIALOGUE STEAD. LS TALK ABOUT SAVG THE PLA, MORE TALK ABOUT HOW AWOME DADS ARE!BUT THIS IS GIVG DISNEY TOO MUCH CRED HERE. STRANGE WORLD WAS NEVER STED TO BE A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE WH ANTI-GAY, RACIST, FOSSIL FUEL-LOVG PUNDS. THAT WOULD REQUIRE ANYONE WATCHG THE FILM FEELG ANYTHG AT ALL—SOMETHG STRANGE WORLD ISN’T PABLE OF DOG. ALLEGRA FRANK
• DISNEY ANNOUNC 'PRC,' FIRST FILM WH OPENLY GAY CHARACTERS.
• STREAM IT OR SKIP IT: ‘LU’ ON DISNEY+, A PIXAR OUTG WHICH (POSSIBLY GAY?) FISH-BOYS ENJOY AN ADVENTURE ON LAND
• GAY FISH
• STREAM IT OR SKIP IT: ‘LU’ ON DISNEY+, A PIXAR OUTG WHICH (POSSIBLY GAY?) FISH-BOYS ENJOY AN ADVENTURE ON LAND

‘LU,’ CHILDHOOD IENDSHIP AND THE DISURSE AROUND GAY FISH

Young iendship wh d gay unrton? But is worth thkg about the implitns of this film and s potential as a gay narrative.

Relatnships between people sometim change as children grow to themselv; the love between Lu and Alberto is a strong platonic love, but even if they are not explicly gay, that do not mean they are straight. It's Not Jt Frozen: Most Disney Movi Are Pro-GayBy preachg acceptance and qutng genr, the pany's kids films offer a queer-studi crash urse. Elsa hidg her ice-powers uld be read as a metaphor for the closet, the Osr-wng “Let Go” plays like a g-out anthem, and a character the film evok the qutn of whether homosexualy is a choice by quirg of Elsa’s powers, “born wh or cursed?

IT'S NOT JT FROZEN: MOST DISNEY MOVI ARE PRO-GAY

Through both s rporate practic and the ntent of s films, Disney for s has implemented the so-lled "gay agenda"—which is to say, helpg make the world a more acceptg start the most obv place: As a bs, Disney has long held a progrsive attu toward LGBT people. Gay pri events have been hosted at Disney World sce 1991, and the pany started offered s gay employe health surance benefs for their partners sce 1995, a cisn that wasn’t entirely popular back of the most poignant exampl of the pany’s tolerant atmosphere is the se of lyricist Howard Ashman, who was openly gay and died of AIDS 1991. In this way, even though Disney films ually offer a tradnal happy endg wh a heterosexual marriage, the journey always volv rejectg parental and societal expectatns, and exercisg a “eedom to marry whomever you love” spir that is enmic to gay, many Disney romanc are exampl of “impossible sire, ” a trope that is ccial to the queer experience, as genr-studi theorist Heather Love argued Feelg Backward.

In The Queer Child Kathryn Bond Stockton argu that queerns is not jt about homosexualy, but also about growg abnormal ways that mak the child an outst. Updated on June 7th, 2022 by Danielle Bnti: In the wake of Florida's extremely ntroversial "Don't Say Gay" bill and the strong cricism that me om wh The Walt Disney Company for not speakg up, seems like Disney is fally unrstandg out important LGBTQ+ reprentatn is for s fans and s st members. While the word "gay" never is spoken  Better Nate Than Ever, the notn that Nate is gay is hted at relentlsly.

Phastos is a geni and ventor turned superhero who also happens to be openly gay. Artie Cella is an openly gay character who teracts wh the ma character throughout the new movie that foc on Cella Vil om 101 Dalmatians. Artie is able to be his thentic self and actor John McCrea is happy wh his portrayal of Artie and believ him to be a gay character, but Disney yet aga ma the mistake of not fully lvg to Artie beg an openly gay character.

‘STRANGE WORLD’ IS DISNEY’S FIRST ANIMATED MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD. WHY IS IT BEG BURIED?

Orka and Flix Star Wars Ristance are two openly gay characters who aren't human and are actually two different speci but are openly a relatnship the seri. Jungle Cise hasn't technilly been released yet, but Disney has been clear that one of the major characters the movie, McGregor Houghton, will be gay.

DISNEY FILM FEATURG GAY MA CHARACTER BOMBS AT BOX OFFICE

There's been a lot of ntroversy surroundg the announcement of Houghton beg a gay character. Certa groups are upset at the ia of a children's movie reprentg the LGBTQ+ muny while progrsiv are upset at Jack Whehall's stg, believg a gay actor should be st, and the ia that might be a stereotypil, harmful reprentatn.

Viewers may not remember the gay prce om The Prcs Diari 2, and maybe that's bee the movie don't actually show him person.

DO DISNEY’S ‘LU’ HAVE A GAY CHARACTER?

In early 2017, Disney XD progrsed even more wh portrayals of gay love wh the rtoon Star Vs. Before the live-actn versn of Bety and the Beast me out 2017, director Bill Condon announced an terview that one character would have a gay sp.

LeFou, Gaston's right-hand man, would be gay, the director said, g excement and anticipatn om the LGBTQ+ muny.

Cys Goodman om Andi Mack was Disney's first character to ever utter the words, "I'm gay, " 2019.

DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)

The show's creator and executive producer Terri Msky said that Cys and his story were largely spired by Terri's dghter's iends, who knew that they were gay middle school. Pixar jt released a new short, aptly tled Out, that foc on a young man named Greg who has a secret: he's gay, and he has a boyiend named Manuel.

DISNEY ACCED OF REMOVG GAY NTENT OM PIXAR FILMS

Disney’s latt major animatn fally livers on those reprentatn promis the pany’s been makg for years (Picture: Disney)Disney has fally done – after years of quick referenc, teasg and plenty of queer dg, the stud has s first gay lead character an animatn wh new film, Strange World. Dpe s stumble earlier this year when Disney had to be phed to speak out publicly agast Florida’s highly ntroversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, as one of the world’s most powerful media pani has been an advote for LGBTQ+ rights and cln for many years via s msagg, polici and – of urse – merchandise.

Everyone remembers the ial excement when was revealed Disney was gog to feature s first ‘openly gay’ character wh LeFou (Josh Gad) the 2017 live-actn remake of Bety and the Beast, before turned out was all to do wh Gad’s performance one scene and never tentnally baked to the script.

Sce 2020, feels like we’ve been chg towards this evable moment wh Strange World, after Onward featured a lbian character, live-actn film Jungle Cise ma explic reference to Jack Whehall’s character McGregor beg gay and Toy Story adjacent film Lightyear showed Disney’s first animated same-sex kiss 2022 (aga, sadly cut some untri, as well as almost the US). Fans were prevly upset to see Shang cut om the live-actn Mulan remake (Picture: Disney)However, is Strange World that is the Disney rtoon that is first to make one of s lead characters gay, balancg a way where is repeatedly referenced, forms part of a sub-plot and – ccially – allows for some lovely bondg moments between s supportive onscreen fay. Openly gay edian Jaboie Young-Whe stars as Ethan Cla, the grandson of legendary explorer Jaeger Cla (Dennis Quaid) and son of the more rerved explorer-turned-farmer Searcher Cla (Jake Gyllenhaal).

‘STRANGE WORLD’ IS DISNEY’S FIRST ANIMATED MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD. WHY IS IT BEG BURIED?INVISIBLEJABOIE YOUNG-WHE VOIC THE FIRST OUT, QUEER LEAD CHARACTER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM. THE PROBLEM: YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THE MOVIE, “STRANGE WORLD,” EXISTS.ALLEGRA FRANKDEPUTY ENTERTAMENT EDORUPDATED NOV. 26, 2022 5:02AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 23, 2022 7:00PM EST DISNEYDISNEY HAS TWO MOVI THEATERS RIGHT NOW STARRG QUEER CHARACTERS—BUT YOU’D BE HARD-PRSED TO NAME BOTH OF THEM. IN BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, MICHAELA COEL PLAYS A WARRR WH A FEMALE PARTNER, A RELATNSHIP GIVEN THE MOST CURSORY OF NODS TOWARD THE END OF THE MOVIE WHEN THE PAIR LLS EACH OTHER “LOVE.” THAT FET TOWARD SEXUAL DIVERSY IS PAR FOR THE URSE WH DISNEY MOVI THE DAYS: SPRKLE A LTLE QUEERNS THERE FOR THE FOLKS AT HOME, BUT NOT TOO MUCH, SO THAT N BE EASILY EXCISED FOR THE OVERSEAS RELEASE. (EHER WAY, BIGOTS ARE UNHAPPY.)VERY MUCH NOT PAR FOR THE URSE, THOUGH, IS THE OTHER DISNEY MOVIE WH A QUEER HERO PLAYG THIS WEEKEND. STRANGE WORLD BOASTS NOT ONLY A QUEER TEEN LEAD, VOICED BY IRL QUEER EDY IN JABOIE YOUNG-WHE, BUT THAT QUEER TEEN IS ALSO BIRACIAL. BETWEEN THE EXPLIC QUEERNS AND THE TERRACIAL FAY AT S CENTER, STRANGE WORLD IS SHOCKGLY PROGRSIVE—WELL, AS FAR AS HOLLYWOOD FAY FILMS GO. ESPECIALLY ON OM DISNEY.YET STRANGE WORLD HAS LAND NEHER WH A BANG NOR A WHIMPER. INSTEAD, THE BIGGT STUD THE WORLD HAS RELEASED A NEW FEATURE FILM WH PRACTILLY ZERO FANFARE. THERE ARE NO STRANGE WORLD TOYS AT MCDONALD’S RIGHT NOW. YOUTUBE ISN’T BOMBARDG WH TRAILERS. REVIEWS DROPPED TWO DAYS BEFORE THE FILM’S RELEASE, GENERATG NO NVERSATN. AND EVEN FOX NEWS HAS MA NARY A PEEP ABOUT STRANGE WORLD’S DISURSE-READY STG.IT’S EASY TO SPECULATE AS TO WHY STRANGE WORLD HAS BASILLY BEEN DUMPED TO THEATERS. THE DISPIRG EXPLANATN ULD BE THAT DISNEY, FEARG UPROAR OM ALL MATTERS OF THE RIGHT, HAS CHEWED ANY BIG PROMO S MORE HOMOGENO FILMS RECEIVE. ALL PRS IS GOOD PRS, UNLS ’S ABOUT A RTOON WHERE TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME GENR HOLD HANDS. THAT’S WHEN THE BAD CHATTER N GET BOTH TOXIC FOR SOCIETY AND POISONO TO THE BOX OFFICE. (LIGHTYEAR, I’M LOOKG AT YOU.) DISNEY THAT THE FILM CENTERS AN TERRACIAL UPLE (DAD SEARCHER, VOICED BY JAKE GYLLENHAAL, AND MOM MERIDIAN, VOICED BY GABRIELLE UNN) AND THEIR QUEER SON, ETHAN (YOUNG-WHE), SHOULD FEEL LS EXCG THAN IS; BY REAL-WORLD STANDARDS, THIS ULD BE A REGULAR-GULAR AMERIN FAY. BUT PALISM IS NOT THE REAL WORLD, JT A LN UPON SOCIETY’S BRA, AND ONE FLUENCED BY THE MYOPIC END OF THE SOCPOLIL SPECTM. WHICH IS WHY UNR THE HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM, STRANGE WORLD UNTS AS SPECTACULARLY DIVERSE. CRICS SEEKG TO UPHOLD THE OUTDATED STAT QUO OF WHE, CISGENR HETERONORMATIVY N’T HELP BUT REMARK UPON ANY SEMBLANCE OF DIVERSY. TH, ’S EASIER FOR DISNEY TO SHY AWAY OM STRANGE WORLD’S MAKP THAN POT AT . GOTTA LOVE THE FLUENCE OF VTORS ON THE CREATIVE PROCS!BUT AFTER WATCHG THE MOVIE, THERE SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLER EXPLANATN FOR DISNEY’S SHYNS AROUND STRANGE WORLD. SIMPLY PUT, STRANGE WORLD IS THE MOST BORG MOVIE DISNEY HAS RELEASED YEARS.FOR ALL THAT TALK ABOUT WHAT MAK EXCG, THE MOVIE SELF IS CREDIBLY FORMULAIC. STRANGE WORLD IS SET 25 YEARS AFTER SEARCHER’S REVOLUTNARY DISVERY OF A NEW ROURCE, PANDO, UPON WHICH THE FICTNAL WORLD OF AVALONIA N RELY. HE ONLY MAK THIS DISVERY, HOWEVER, AFTER GOG AGAST THE WISH OF HIS EXPLORER FATHER, JAEGER (DENNIS QUAID). SEARCHER AND JAEGER HAVE BEEN TRANGED EVER SCE. THIS DAMAGED FATHER-SON RELATNSHIP TO THE FORE WHEN SEARCHER MT JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE PLA TO HELP ERADITE WHATEVER HAS BEEN DRAG THE PANDO THEY NEED. WHEN SEARCHER ENUNTERS JAEGER ON THAT MISSN, THEY RNE AND HAVE TO LEARN TO ACCEPT EACH OTHER FOR WHO THEY ARE. DISNEY SEARCHER HAS A PARALLEL STGGLE GOG ON WH HIS OWN SON, ETHAN, WHO DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE HIS GRANDPA OR HIS DAD. ETHAN WANTS TO CHART HIS OWN PATH, STUDYG THE WORLD’S ABUNDANT CREATUR AND FLORA. BUT THAT PLOT IS DOWNPLAYED FAVOR OF ETHAN’S EFFORTS TO REPAIR SEARCHER’S RELATNSHIP WH HIS FATHER—AND SAVE THE WORLD AT THE SAME TIME.IN THE FILM, ETHAN IS ALREADY ACCEPTED AND LOVED FOR WHO HE IS WAYS THAT WE ARE FORCED TO NSIR REMARKABLE: ETHAN LIK ONE OF HIS (MALE) IENDS, AND HIS IEND LIK HIM BACK. AN EARLY SCENE SHOWS ETHAN FLTERED AS HIS CSH FLIRTS WH HIM; SEARCHER SHOWS UP AND TRI TO WGMAN FOR HIS SON. EVERYONE IS ROOTG FOR ETHAN AND THIS NICE YOUNG FELLA TO GET TOGETHER, CLUDG HIS OTHERWISE STUBBORN GRANDPA. STRANGE WORLD’S GOT MORE LEGIMATE PROBLEMS TO AL WH THAN ETHAN’S SEXUALY. WHICH IS WONRFUL, EVEN IF SHOULD WARRANT A BIG “WELL, DUH.”BUT THE VERY MONPLACE PROBLEMS OF DADS AND SONS NOT VIBG SEIZE THE FILM’S SPOTLIGHT, TO S TRIMENT. THIS IS A MOVIE WH A LEGIMATELY EPIC SPE TO PLAY WH. WHILE ETHAN IS TELLG HIS DAD THAT HE DON’T WANT TO HARVT PANDO WHEN HE GROWS UP, HE DON’T JT WALK AWAY AND SLAM THE DOOR TO HIS ROOM. HE JUMPS OFF THEIR SPACHIP AND SAILS TO THE UNKNOWN UPON THE BACKS OF A SCHOOL OF EXTRATERRTRIAL FISH CREATUR. HE BEIENDS A LIFE SIZE BACTERIUM, WHO SAV ETHAN OM BEG NSUMED BY SENTIENT TENTACL. ETHAN AND HIS DAD RENCILE THEIR DIFFERENC WHILE STARG TO A GIGANTIC EYEBALL. YET ’S NOT THE EYEBALL OR THE TENTACL OR THE FISH THAT THE FILM PRRIZ, BUT THE STAID “YOU DON’T GET ME, DAD!” DRAMA. THIS IS A FILM THAT WANTS TO BE MORE VTED SEARCHER AND JAEGER’S RELATNSHIP THAN A LIGHTFULLY SIGNED “WALKG LANDMASS” CREATURE. PERHAPS THAT’S ANOTHER TENTNAL CHOICE, MEANT TO SHIELD THE FILM OM NSERVATIVE CRIQUE. IT TOYS WH A STRONG ENVIRONMENTALIST MSAGE TOWARD THE END, WH A LATE-STATE REVEAL RAISG QUTNS ABOUT ETHIL NSUMPTN OF NATURAL ROURC. THE WORLD OF STRANGE WORLD IS ALIVE, VIBRANT, LH, AND VAST, BUT THE MOVIE’S SEEMGLY WELL-TENTNED HUMANS HARDLY NOTICE. IT’S IRONIC THAT THE FILM IS SIARLY IGNORANT OF S GEOLY ANIMATED ENVIRONMENTS; CLIMATE CHANGE NIERS WILL CERTALY APPRECIATE HOW UNTERTED THE SCRIPT IS ENGAGG WH THE FILM’S LANDSP, OPTG FOR NSTANT QUIPS AND EXPLANATORY DIALOGUE STEAD. LS TALK ABOUT SAVG THE PLA, MORE TALK ABOUT HOW AWOME DADS ARE!BUT THIS IS GIVG DISNEY TOO MUCH CRED HERE. STRANGE WORLD WAS NEVER STED TO BE A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE WH ANTI-GAY, RACIST, FOSSIL FUEL-LOVG PUNDS. THAT WOULD REQUIRE ANYONE WATCHG THE FILM FEELG ANYTHG AT ALL—SOMETHG STRANGE WORLD ISN’T PABLE OF DOG. ALLEGRA FRANK

Ethan also mak an awome new iend Splat, FYI (Picture: Disney)Durg their geoly animated adventure, which ow a bt of gratu to pulp magaz, Jul Verne, Terry Pratchett and mythology, is ma clear early on that Ethan is gay and nursg a csh on one of his male iends. Strange World manag to balance a sual ‘not a big al’ approach to Ethan as Disney’s first gay lead character while also makg tegral to who he is and an element of his personaly that’s never bshed unr the rpet.

DISNEY ANNOUNC 'PRC,' FIRST FILM WH OPENLY GAY CHARACTERS.

It also featur Ashman’s tragic end as a gay man the 1990s, dyg as a rult of plitns om AIDS durg the height of the AIDS epimic New York before Bety and the Beast released. Not only is Cella one of Disney's bt live-actn remak, but also featured Disney's first "major" gay character -- a claim that was qutned by some Disney fans sce Disney has ed the same headle before. When Eternals premiered theaters 2021, marked the first openly gay superhero the MCU.

STREAM IT OR SKIP IT: ‘LU’ ON DISNEY+, A PIXAR OUTG WHICH (POSSIBLY GAY?) FISH-BOYS ENJOY AN ADVENTURE ON LAND

Season 1 not only featur Carlos, a publicly gay character, but also tells a heartwarmg g-out story for Seb as well. (Image cred: Greg Gayne/Hulu). Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) and Cta Kaz (Varada Sethu) Andor, (Image cred: Disney Pl)Jungle CiseJungle Cise was so, so, so close to almost havg a character say the words "I'm gay" on screen.

(Image cred: Disney+)CellaSure, we might have roasted Disney a ty b our Cella review for once aga pattg themselv on the back for their "first" out gay character (for the seventh time) and not even havg the cency to do anythg beyond an implic gay scriptn. And, fally, we do get a (slim) scene where there's at least an acknowledgement of a gay uple the film. Rodriguez) is the fabulo, flamboyant, gay choreographer at East High School.

While this character is fun and entertag to watch, some might argue that this is a fairly cliche terpretatn of what gay men are actually like. Bex puts a ser damper on Andi and her iends' fun which tak a toll on her first year as a Goodman, one of Andi's bt iends, ma history as the first Disney character to ever say the words "I'm gay, " out loud on televisn. Typilly, if gay characters were reprented at all, their sexual orientatn was merely implied and not voiced.

GAY FISH

The dispirg explanatn uld be that Disney, fearg uproar om all matters of the right, has chewed any big promo s more homogeno films receive. Strange World was never sted to be a hot button issue wh anti-gay, racist, fossil fuel-lovg punds.

6 ln over the five-day holiday weekend spe beg herald as the first Disney movie to clu an openly gay ma character. However, those figur were rapidly, and signifintly, revised downwards when was unrstood how poorly the movie was performg wh wh other recent Disney animated movi cludg Lightyear (another disappotg box office flop), Strange World sought to crowbar progrsive to the film, cludg for the first time Disney’s history an openly gay ma character. However, one liberal movie reviewer said Disney would likely e homophobia to shield om the film’s obv shortgs.

“Disney is 100% gog to blame STRANGE WORLD’s evable bad box office on the fact that there’s an openly gay character the movie when realy, ’s gog to flop bee they didn’t market at all.

STREAM IT OR SKIP IT: ‘LU’ ON DISNEY+, A PIXAR OUTG WHICH (POSSIBLY GAY?) FISH-BOYS ENJOY AN ADVENTURE ON LAND

When news outlets reported that The Walt Disney Company donated money to legislators who supported Florida’s ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent an ternal memo to the pany sayg Disney would still “unequivolly” support s LGBTQ employe.

In 2017, director Bill Condon, who is gay himself, told Attu Magaze that his versn of Bety and the Beast, Gaston’s henchman LeFou (Josh Gad) would have a csh on Gaston (Le Evans). “It is a nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie, ” he said. Two years after g out, Cys also beme the first Disney character to say the words “I’m gay” out loud, when Cys sually told another iend about his sexualy.