Pixar's Lightyear Rtor Same-Sex Kiss After Don't Say Gay Uproar - Variety

Contents:

• SAME-SEX KISS RTORED PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ FOLLOWG STAFF UPROAR OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL (EXCLUSIVE)
• 'LIGHTYEAR' STAR CHRIS EVANS LLS CRICS OF DISNEY PIXAR'S GAY KISSG SCENE ‘IDTS’
• LIGHTYEAR: PIXAR RTOR SAME-SEX KISS FOLLOWG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH
• DISNEY RTOR SAME-GENR ‘LIGHTYEAR’ KISS FOLLOWG “DON’T SAY GAY” BACKLASH
• PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ RTOR SAME-SEX KISS AFTER BACKLASH OVER DISNEY’S RPONSE TO FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL

SAME-SEX KISS RTORED PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ FOLLOWG STAFF UPROAR OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL (EXCLUSIVE)

Me unr fire for s ial silence regardg a Florida bill rtrictg classroom discsn of sexual orientatn and genr inty — dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by crics. Durg the tumult, Pixar employe lled out Disney executiv for cuttg “nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn” om the animatn stud’s films.

More:Disney CEO fally speaks out on 'Don't Say Gay. ' But where's the gay Disney fairy tale? The same-sex kiss first ma headl last month, when Pixar animators spoke out agast Disney an open letter obtaed by Variety, sayg that rporate executiv had mand cuts "om nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn.

But was later rtored light of Disney's "Don't Say Gay" ntroversy, when was revealed the pany had donated roughly $200, 000 to Republin policians who supported the bill, which forbids discsns of sexual orient elementary school classrooms. "Other live-actn Disney films have relegated queer characters to the background, like a blk-and-you'll-miss- kiss between two women "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, " or the "exclively gay moment" of Josh Gad's LeFou dancg wh another man "Bety and the Beast. On March 9, LGBTQ employe and alli at Pixar Animatn Studs sent a jot statement to Walt Disney Company learship claimg that Disney executiv had actively censored “overtly gay affectn” s feature films.

'LIGHTYEAR' STAR CHRIS EVANS LLS CRICS OF DISNEY PIXAR'S GAY KISSG SCENE ‘IDTS’

The stunng allegatn — ma as part of a larger prott over the pany’s lack of public rponse to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill — did not clu which Pixar films had weathered the censorship, nor which specific creative cisns were cut or altered. Followg the uproar surroundg the Pixar employe’ statement and Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s handlg of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, however, the kiss was restated to the movie last week. The most overtly LGBTQ project Pixar’s non is a 2020 short film, “Out, ” about a gay man stgglg wh g out to his parents — which the stud released on Disney Pl as part of s SparkShorts program.

LIGHTYEAR: PIXAR RTOR SAME-SEX KISS FOLLOWG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH

“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn is cut at Disney’s beht, regardls of when there is prott om both the creative teams and executive learship at Pixar, ” the statement says.

"Lightyear" actor Chris Evans, who plays the tular role Walt Disney’s new Pixar movie, has rpond to crics who say the film’s kissg scene between two female characters ph a pro-gay agenda. (Getty Imag)"Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the Amerin story, the human story is one of nstant social awakeng and growth and that’s what mak good, " Evans 'S SHORT FILM ‘OUT’ FEATURES FIRST GAY MAIN CHARACTERThe ment as some crics of the film have argued the cisn to clu LGBTQ reprentatn and a scene wh a gay married uple kissg a film marketed to children was on-screen kiss tak place between Hawthorne, a female lead voiced by Uzo Aduba, and another female, PIXAR'S 'LIGHTYEAR' SEES SAME-SEX KISS RESTORED AMID CONTROVERSY WITH QUEER CHARACTER: REPORTIt was reportedly removed om the film earlier this year, amid ntroversy over Disney’s quietns over Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill that barred nversatns about LGBTQ inty K-12 classrooms, Variety reported March of this year, cg "a source close to the productn.

DISNEY RTOR SAME-GENR ‘LIGHTYEAR’ KISS FOLLOWG “DON’T SAY GAY” BACKLASH

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIt will not be shown the Uned Arab Emirat or Malaysia, due to the on-screen gay kiss. : It was ially cut om the film, then rtored after ternal uproar when was revealed Disney had donated $200, 000 to Republin policians who supported Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which forbids discsns of sexual orientatn elementary school Chris Evans' Buzz is more fantastic than plastic Pixar's spiffy 'Lightyear'The iendship between Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his manr Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) is at the heart of "Lightyear. ': Chris Evans on 'Lightyear, ' playg bad guys and beg 'a romantic person'In March, the kiss was rtored after Pixar animators spoke out agast Disney  an open letter obtaed by Variety, sayg executiv had mand cuts "om nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn.

Playg a character like Alisha a high-profile movie the wake of “Don’t Say Gay” and other siar legislatn “means everythg, ” Aduba adds. While there have been blk-and-you’ll-miss- queer moments prev Pixar outgs — the lbian uple Fdg Dory, for example -— ’s long sce time for a proment gay character or two one of the stud’s films. Get our ee weekly email for all the latt cematic news om our film cric Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cematic email for eePixar has reportedly rtored a same-sex kiss shared between two characters the forthg Lightyear, after staff released an open letter cricisg Disney’s rponse to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” new animated film featur Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear and seeks to tell the orig story of the beloved Toy Story character and his journey to fy and an exclive report by Variety, a source close to the productn has nfirmed that a kiss between proment female character Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) and her female partner was restated last week.

While the nature of the characters’ relatnship hadn’t been qutned by productn, their kiss had reportedly been news follows the release of an open letter on 9 March by Pixar staff and LGBTQ alli cricisg Disney for havg same-sex reprentatn s films “shaved down to cmbs” the letter, staff further lled on Disney to “immediately whdraw all fancial support om the legislators behd the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” a handful of LGBTQ characters have been rporated Pixar’s feature films. Notably, 2020 film Onward, the ma character Specter mak a reference to her film featur Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear (YouTube)The same year, the stud released short film Out, about a closeted gay man’s stggle to e out to his rponse to the Pixar staff letter, Out director Steven Hunt told Variety: “I stand by my lleagu. Backlash ntu over Disney's rporate rponse to the "Don't Say Gay" bill Florida.

PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ RTOR SAME-SEX KISS AFTER BACKLASH OVER DISNEY’S RPONSE TO FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL

Expertise News Disney's Pixar has rtored a same-sex kiss to s Buzz Lightyear orig story after employe protted the removal of gay storyl om Pixar films, a report Friday said. The kiss was subsequently restated after employee prott amid the backlash agast Disney learship not immediately nmng the so-lled Don't Say Gay bill Florida.