Pixar’s Lu isn’t a gay romance, or a romance at all, says director - Polygon

Contents:

• HOW GAY IS PIXAR’S LU?
• DO DISNEY’S ‘LU’ HAVE A GAY CHARACTER?
• LU MAY NOT BE A GAY NARRATIVE, BUT ’S ABSOLUTELY A QUEER ONE
• SORRY, FOLKS, PIXAR’S LU ISN’T GAY
• IF LU AND THE FALN AND THE WTER SOLDIER ARE GAY TO YOU, THEN THEY’RE GAY
• THE YEAR THAT QUEER ANIMATED CHARACTERS MA HISTORYTHE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH’S KATIE MCHELL AND FLEE’S AM LEAD THE WAY A MEDIUM THAT HAS LONG GIVEN VOICE TO STRIVG OUTSIRS.BY CHRIS FEILMARCH 16, 2022EVERYONE THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH IS AN ENARG ODDBALL, BUT ELST DGHTER KATIE FEELS SEPARATE OM EVEN HER MISF FAY.COURTY OF SONY PICTURES ANIMATION. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAT THE EMOTNAL CLIMAX OF DISNEY’S ENNTO, OUR HEROE, MIRABEL, NSIRS HER REFLECTN. SURROUND BY HER BEAMG FAY, THE OIME BLACK SHEEP OF THE MADRIGAL CREW IS NOW S LEAR, EMBRACG HER LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT AND HELPG REBUILD THE FAY’S SPRAWLG HOME. “WHAT DO YOU SEE?” ASKS MIRABEL’S STERN ABUELA ALMA, WHO HAS LEARNED TO EMBRACE HER GRANDDGHTER’S DIFFERENC. “ALL OF ME,” MIRABEL REPLI.“I THK MANY OF , BUT SPECIFILLY QUEER PEOPLE, N INTIFY WH THAT FEELG,” SAYS STEPHANIE BEATRIZ, WHO VOIC MIRABEL AND INTIFI AS BISEXUAL. “FOR MANY OF , OUR EXISTENCE HAS BEEN SORT OF SPRKLED WH THE VERY PAFUL, SOMETIM, MOMENTS [OF] HIDG PARTS OF OURSELV OM OUR FAI OR FEELG LIKE WE WERE OUTSIRS OUR OWN FAI.”IN ENNTO, ’S MIRABEL’S LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT THAT DIVIS HER OM HER FAY BUT ALSO EVENTUALLY ALLOWS HER TO SAVE .COURTY OF DISNEY.FOR S, LGBTQ+ DIENC HAVE INTIFIED WH ANIMATED CHARACTERS WHO ARE SEARCH OF THEIR INTY OR A PLACE TO BELONG. THE OUTSIR NARRATIV HAVE APPEALED TO A WI RANGE OF DIENC BUT HAVE HELD SPECIAL RONANCE FOR VIEWERS WHO ULDN’T OTHERWISE SEE THEMSELV ACTUALLY REPRENTED. IN RECENT YEARS THAT HAS SHIFTED, AND LAST YEAR PARTICULAR BROUGHT OPENLY, INTIFIABLY LGBTQ+ ANIMATED HERO, ADDN TO CHARACTERS LIKE MIRABEL WHO EXPRS A MORE UNIVERSAL YEARNG.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWNETFLIX’S THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH FEATUR AN ASPIRG FILMMAKER NAMED KATIE. SHE’S VOICED BY QUEER EDIAN ABBI JABSON—AND IS THE FIRST OPENLY QUEER PROTAGONIST AN ANIMATED FAY FILM. ALL OF THE MCHELLS ARE ENARG ODDBALLS, BUT EARLY THE FILM KATIE SCRIB HERSELF VOICEOVER AS “A LTLE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE” AS A TY ANIMATED RABOW POPS UP BEHD HER. AT FIRST SEEMS LIKE THIS MIGHT BE A WTY PARODY OF HEAVY-HAND, HIDG--PLA-SIGHT QUEER DG, BUT AT THE END OF THE MOVIE THE FILMMAKERS MOVE WELL BEYOND THAT. HAVG THWARTED A ROBOT APOLYPSE TOGETHER, KATIE AND HER FAY ARE PREPARG TO RNE FOR THANKSGIVG. IN A VIO LL HER MOM ASKS AFTER HER NEW LLEGE IEND JA, AND WHETHER SHE AND KATIE ARE “OFFICIAL.”“I THINK MANY OF US, BUT SPECIFICALLY QUEER PEOPLE, CAN IDENTIFY WITH THAT FEELING… HIDING PARTS OF OURSELVES FROM OUR FAMILIES.”IT’S A QUTN SANDWICHED A FLURRY OF OTHER FAY TOPICS, PRENTG QUEERNS AS SIMPLY PART OF THE FABRIC OF EVERYDAY LIFE. KATIE’S INTY IS KEY TO HER CHARACTER ARC—SHE IS SPERATE TO GET TO LLEGE PARTLY SO SHE N BE A MUNY WH PEOPLE LIKE HER—BUT NOT A POT OF NFLICT THE STORY. THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH CCIALLY SHOWS A FAY THAT IS NOT ONLY SUPPORTIVE BUT SUAL ABOUT THEIR DGHTER’S SEXUALY—WHICH FEELS RIGHT FOR TODAY’S DIENCE.BUT EVEN AN ERA WH MORE POSSIBIL­I FOR REPRENTATN THAN EVER, THERE’S STILL POWER THE MORE TRADNAL OUTSIR NARRATIV, AS ENNTO AS WELL AS PIXAR’S LU. ENNTO IS A FANTASY TALE OF A COLOMBIAN FAY GIFTED WH MAGIL POWERS—EXCEPT FOR AWKWARD MIRABEL. LIKE KATIE MCHELL, MIRABEL IS A MISF—HER LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT, THE ONE THG THAT SETS HER APART OM HER FAY, IS ALL ANYONE SEEMS TO NOTICE.ENNTO ALSO GENTLY NUDG AT THE FALSENS OF GENR BARI, AS MIRABEL’S SUPERSTRONG OLR SISTER, LUISA, STGGL TO EXPRS EMOTN, WHILE THE BETIFUL ISABELA FEELS NFED TO THE HYPERFEME ROLE SHE’S EXPECTED TO PLAY THE FAY.THEN THERE’S BNO, THE OUTST UNCLE EVERYONE SAYS THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT BUT ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT AN AWFUL LOT. AT THE END OF THE FILM, MIRABEL HELPS BRG HIM BACK TO THE FOLD, AND THE TWO JO FORC TO BREAK THE NSTRICTIVE L OF HOW THE FAY’S GIFTS ARE “SUPPOSED” TO OPERATE. AS BEATRIZ PUTS , “BEE MIRABEL CID TO REALLY EPLY LISTEN TO HER FAY, [AND] EPLY CHALLENGED THE FAY STCTURE, THAT IS HOW THE FAY WAS HEALED.” ENNTO GRACEFULLY PRENTS SOMETHG REGNIZABLE TO GAY DIENC’ LIVED EXPERIENC: THE WEIGHT OF FAY EXPECTATNS.MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHIN LU, TWO YOUNG SEA MONSTERS WHO N SHAPE-SHIFT TO HUMAN BOYS BUILD A POWERFUL IENDSHIP BASED ON A SHARED SECRET.COURTY DISNEY/PIXAR.LU FDS SIAR METAPHORIL POWER S STORY OF IENDSHIP BETWEEN TWO YOUNG SEA MONSTERS WHO N SHAPE-SHIFT TO HUMAN BOYS, LU AND ALBERTO. THEIR HIDN NATURE BONDS THEM IMMEDIATELY AS THEY REPEATEDLY GO ASHORE TO VIS A LOL ITALIAN VILLAGE HOSTILE TO SEA MONSTERS, WHILE LU NTU TO KEEP THE VISS SECRET OM MOST OF HIS FAY. AT ONE POT, LU BETRAYS ALBERTO TO SAVE HIMSELF, A HEARTBREAKGLY FAIAR SCENE FOR VIEWERS WHO HAVE HAD GAY IENDSHIPS LLAPSE FOR THE SAKE OF SURVIVAL AN UNKD ENVIRONMENT. BUT THE FILM IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT EMBRACG THENTICY SPE SOCIAL PRSUR. IN THE FAL SHOT, LU STEPS TO THE RA AND LOOKS AHEAD TO THE FUTURE, MAKG THE CISN TO LIVE THENTILLY AS HIS TE SEA MONSTER SELF.LU WORKS AS AN IMMIGRANT NARRATIVE TOO—AND AS AN ALLEGORY FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED SELF-DISVERY THE FACE OF A MUNY THAT NMNS THEM. THE THEME IS PART OF WHAT MAK ONE OF PIXAR’S RICHT FILMS YEARS. AS LU’S GRANDMOTHER POTEDLY PUTS THE FILM’S CLOSG MOMENTS, “SOME PEOPLE, THEY’LL NEVER ACCEPT HIM. BUT SOME WILL. AND HE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO FD THE GOOD ON.”EVEN IN AN ERA WITH MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR REPRESENTATION THAN EVER, THERE’S STILL POWER IN THE MORE TRADITIONAL OUTSIDER NARRATIVES.FLEE, AN ANIMATED DOCUMENTARY OF ONE GAY MAN’S STORY OF PG AFGHANISTAN WH HIS FAY, BRGS A WELE SPOTLIGHT TO BOTH THE LGBTQ+ AND IMMIGRANT MUNI. THE FILM’S NARRATOR, AM, WHO IS ANIMATED PART TO PRERVE HIS ANONYMY, SPEAKS AS NDIDLY ABOUT HIS JOURNEY OF SELF-DISVERY AS HE DO ABOUT THE HORRORS HE SAYS HE EXPERIENCED AT THE HANDS OF SMUGGLERS AND RPT POLICE. AS HE SCRIB THE PROCS OF LEAVG AFGHANISTAN FOR AN EQUALLY HOSTILE RSIA BEFORE FDG SAFE HAVEN DENMARK, AM’S STORY IS PUNCTUATED BY MOMENTS OF GAY LONGG. AND THOUGH HE’S NOW A HAPPY RELATNSHIP—HUNTG FOR A NEW HOME WH HIS BOYIEND—THE STRA OF HIS PAST IS ALWAYS VISIBLE.BUT EVEN AM’S JOURNEY THROUGH A CEL SYSTEM IS NOT ALL DARKNS AND TRMA. IN THE FILM’S MOST SURPRISG AND UPLIFTG SEQUENCE, HE JECTEDLY OUT TO HIS SIBLGS, ONLY TO BE LOVGLY AFFIRMED BY HIS OLR BROTHER, WHO TAK HIM TO HIS FIRST GAY CLUB. IT’S HERE THAT AM SE THE FIRST GLIMMER OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE AND UNRSTANDS THAT THERE’S A WORLD WHERE HE WILL NOT ONLY BE SAFE, BUT SAFELY HIMSELF. FLEE IS A NEW KD OF QUEER STORY, TOLD A NEW WAY. AT A TIME WHEN LGBTQ+ STORI ARE FLOURISHG ANIMATED CEMA, MAY BE THE CROWNG ACHIEVEMENT.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— JANE CAMPN: A CANDID INTERVIEW WH A MASTER— THE VANY FAIR OSR PARTY RETURNS: FILL OUT YOUR BALLOT AND WATCH THE LIVTREAM ON MARCH 27— THE AMY IS STANDG FIRM ON ITS CONTROVERSIAL CATEGORY CHANGE— SAM ELLTT HAS ONLY HELPED THE POWER OF THE DOG’S OSR CHANC— CAN CODA W BT PICTURE? IT’S COMPLITED— INDTRY TANS JO FORC TO SLAM OSR CATEGORY CHANG— SIGN UP FOR THE “AWARDS INSIR” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE.CHRIS FEIL
• I'M SORRY, BUT "LU" IS TOTALLY A GAY MOVIE, AND THE 18 TWEETS PROVE IT
• IS LU PIXAR’S FIRST GAY MOVIE? MAYBE
• IS LU A GAY METAPHOR?
• WA A SEC — ARE THE MA CHARACTERS PIXAR’S ‘LU’ GAY?

HOW GAY IS PIXAR’S LU?

When director Enri Casarosa says he didn’t tend to make Lu a gay romance, I believe him. OK, but isn’t still a ltle b gay? Still, there have been so many siar discsns about queer inty Disney movi that you n almost predict the disurse ahead of time: “They’re gay!

” “But why do they have to be gay?

” “But why n’t they be gay?

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

For both live-actn and animated movi, the stud has overhyped what have bee known as “exclively gay moments, ” ty morsels of reprentatn that are eher so subtle you hardly notice them (a kiss between two women the background of a Star Wars movie) or so plot-irrelevant that they n be easily chopped or overlooked by ternatnal censors (here’s lookg at you, Endgame’s unnamed Grievg Man). Meanwhile, while Disney has ngratulated self and claimed to blaze new trails, plenty of other animatn studs have been ahead of them: Laika’s ParaNorman, for example, featured an openly gay character way back 2012.

LU MAY NOT BE A GAY NARRATIVE, BUT ’S ABSOLUTELY A QUEER ONE

Ironilly, the Disney movie that gave the term “exclively gay moment” the first place took a different tack: The live-actn Bety and the Beast’s LeFou is more the spir of the stud’s long-standg tradn of strongly queer-d, if not explicly gay, villas. Fans have sce picked up on homoerotic unrton Raya and the Last Dragon and the live-actn Mulan, but the movi rema rabow Rorschach tts, wh dienc havg to read between the l or project their own meangs to fd queer reprentatn. How gay is ?

Whatever the director’s stated tent, the answer seems to be: as gay as you want to be. Lu is marketed as a "metaphor for anythg" but the sea monster setup is a perfect allegory for a gay story, and LGBTQ viewers n read that way.

SORRY, FOLKS, PIXAR’S LU ISN’T GAY

Lu has arrived on Disney+ and, spe what Pixar says, the movie prents a strong allegory for growg up gay and fdg a nnectn wh other LGBTQ people.

This elis the fact that beg gay, queer, or LGBTQ+ is not simply a matter of partners or relatnships or sex. Young gay people often feel very different om others before such feelgs velop, which n occur squarely the age bracket the story plac Lu and Alberto.

IF LU AND THE FALN AND THE WTER SOLDIER ARE GAY TO YOU, THEN THEY’RE GAY

In the ments, Casarosa is enuragg such terpretatn, meang that, if you see there, Lu is a gay story, Pixar's first feature film wh LGBTQ+ leads. The parallels of the boys secretly beg sea monsters and gay and LGBTQ+ people beg forced to hi their inti cuts closer than other mory groups, ratnalizg a queer readg of the movie.

THE YEAR THAT QUEER ANIMATED CHARACTERS MA HISTORYTHE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH’S KATIE MCHELL AND FLEE’S AM LEAD THE WAY A MEDIUM THAT HAS LONG GIVEN VOICE TO STRIVG OUTSIRS.BY CHRIS FEILMARCH 16, 2022EVERYONE THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH IS AN ENARG ODDBALL, BUT ELST DGHTER KATIE FEELS SEPARATE OM EVEN HER MISF FAY.COURTY OF SONY PICTURES ANIMATION. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAT THE EMOTNAL CLIMAX OF DISNEY’S ENNTO, OUR HEROE, MIRABEL, NSIRS HER REFLECTN. SURROUND BY HER BEAMG FAY, THE OIME BLACK SHEEP OF THE MADRIGAL CREW IS NOW S LEAR, EMBRACG HER LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT AND HELPG REBUILD THE FAY’S SPRAWLG HOME. “WHAT DO YOU SEE?” ASKS MIRABEL’S STERN ABUELA ALMA, WHO HAS LEARNED TO EMBRACE HER GRANDDGHTER’S DIFFERENC. “ALL OF ME,” MIRABEL REPLI.“I THK MANY OF , BUT SPECIFILLY QUEER PEOPLE, N INTIFY WH THAT FEELG,” SAYS STEPHANIE BEATRIZ, WHO VOIC MIRABEL AND INTIFI AS BISEXUAL. “FOR MANY OF , OUR EXISTENCE HAS BEEN SORT OF SPRKLED WH THE VERY PAFUL, SOMETIM, MOMENTS [OF] HIDG PARTS OF OURSELV OM OUR FAI OR FEELG LIKE WE WERE OUTSIRS OUR OWN FAI.”IN ENNTO, ’S MIRABEL’S LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT THAT DIVIS HER OM HER FAY BUT ALSO EVENTUALLY ALLOWS HER TO SAVE .COURTY OF DISNEY.FOR S, LGBTQ+ DIENC HAVE INTIFIED WH ANIMATED CHARACTERS WHO ARE SEARCH OF THEIR INTY OR A PLACE TO BELONG. THE OUTSIR NARRATIV HAVE APPEALED TO A WI RANGE OF DIENC BUT HAVE HELD SPECIAL RONANCE FOR VIEWERS WHO ULDN’T OTHERWISE SEE THEMSELV ACTUALLY REPRENTED. IN RECENT YEARS THAT HAS SHIFTED, AND LAST YEAR PARTICULAR BROUGHT OPENLY, INTIFIABLY LGBTQ+ ANIMATED HERO, ADDN TO CHARACTERS LIKE MIRABEL WHO EXPRS A MORE UNIVERSAL YEARNG.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWNETFLIX’S THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH FEATUR AN ASPIRG FILMMAKER NAMED KATIE. SHE’S VOICED BY QUEER EDIAN ABBI JABSON—AND IS THE FIRST OPENLY QUEER PROTAGONIST AN ANIMATED FAY FILM. ALL OF THE MCHELLS ARE ENARG ODDBALLS, BUT EARLY THE FILM KATIE SCRIB HERSELF VOICEOVER AS “A LTLE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE” AS A TY ANIMATED RABOW POPS UP BEHD HER. AT FIRST SEEMS LIKE THIS MIGHT BE A WTY PARODY OF HEAVY-HAND, HIDG--PLA-SIGHT QUEER DG, BUT AT THE END OF THE MOVIE THE FILMMAKERS MOVE WELL BEYOND THAT. HAVG THWARTED A ROBOT APOLYPSE TOGETHER, KATIE AND HER FAY ARE PREPARG TO RNE FOR THANKSGIVG. IN A VIO LL HER MOM ASKS AFTER HER NEW LLEGE IEND JA, AND WHETHER SHE AND KATIE ARE “OFFICIAL.”“I THINK MANY OF US, BUT SPECIFICALLY QUEER PEOPLE, CAN IDENTIFY WITH THAT FEELING… HIDING PARTS OF OURSELVES FROM OUR FAMILIES.”IT’S A QUTN SANDWICHED A FLURRY OF OTHER FAY TOPICS, PRENTG QUEERNS AS SIMPLY PART OF THE FABRIC OF EVERYDAY LIFE. KATIE’S INTY IS KEY TO HER CHARACTER ARC—SHE IS SPERATE TO GET TO LLEGE PARTLY SO SHE N BE A MUNY WH PEOPLE LIKE HER—BUT NOT A POT OF NFLICT THE STORY. THE MCHELLS VS. THE MACH CCIALLY SHOWS A FAY THAT IS NOT ONLY SUPPORTIVE BUT SUAL ABOUT THEIR DGHTER’S SEXUALY—WHICH FEELS RIGHT FOR TODAY’S DIENCE.BUT EVEN AN ERA WH MORE POSSIBIL­I FOR REPRENTATN THAN EVER, THERE’S STILL POWER THE MORE TRADNAL OUTSIR NARRATIV, AS ENNTO AS WELL AS PIXAR’S LU. ENNTO IS A FANTASY TALE OF A COLOMBIAN FAY GIFTED WH MAGIL POWERS—EXCEPT FOR AWKWARD MIRABEL. LIKE KATIE MCHELL, MIRABEL IS A MISF—HER LACK OF A MAGIL GIFT, THE ONE THG THAT SETS HER APART OM HER FAY, IS ALL ANYONE SEEMS TO NOTICE.ENNTO ALSO GENTLY NUDG AT THE FALSENS OF GENR BARI, AS MIRABEL’S SUPERSTRONG OLR SISTER, LUISA, STGGL TO EXPRS EMOTN, WHILE THE BETIFUL ISABELA FEELS NFED TO THE HYPERFEME ROLE SHE’S EXPECTED TO PLAY THE FAY.THEN THERE’S BNO, THE OUTST UNCLE EVERYONE SAYS THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT BUT ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT AN AWFUL LOT. AT THE END OF THE FILM, MIRABEL HELPS BRG HIM BACK TO THE FOLD, AND THE TWO JO FORC TO BREAK THE NSTRICTIVE L OF HOW THE FAY’S GIFTS ARE “SUPPOSED” TO OPERATE. AS BEATRIZ PUTS , “BEE MIRABEL CID TO REALLY EPLY LISTEN TO HER FAY, [AND] EPLY CHALLENGED THE FAY STCTURE, THAT IS HOW THE FAY WAS HEALED.” ENNTO GRACEFULLY PRENTS SOMETHG REGNIZABLE TO GAY DIENC’ LIVED EXPERIENC: THE WEIGHT OF FAY EXPECTATNS.MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHIN LU, TWO YOUNG SEA MONSTERS WHO N SHAPE-SHIFT TO HUMAN BOYS BUILD A POWERFUL IENDSHIP BASED ON A SHARED SECRET.COURTY DISNEY/PIXAR.LU FDS SIAR METAPHORIL POWER S STORY OF IENDSHIP BETWEEN TWO YOUNG SEA MONSTERS WHO N SHAPE-SHIFT TO HUMAN BOYS, LU AND ALBERTO. THEIR HIDN NATURE BONDS THEM IMMEDIATELY AS THEY REPEATEDLY GO ASHORE TO VIS A LOL ITALIAN VILLAGE HOSTILE TO SEA MONSTERS, WHILE LU NTU TO KEEP THE VISS SECRET OM MOST OF HIS FAY. AT ONE POT, LU BETRAYS ALBERTO TO SAVE HIMSELF, A HEARTBREAKGLY FAIAR SCENE FOR VIEWERS WHO HAVE HAD GAY IENDSHIPS LLAPSE FOR THE SAKE OF SURVIVAL AN UNKD ENVIRONMENT. BUT THE FILM IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT EMBRACG THENTICY SPE SOCIAL PRSUR. IN THE FAL SHOT, LU STEPS TO THE RA AND LOOKS AHEAD TO THE FUTURE, MAKG THE CISN TO LIVE THENTILLY AS HIS TE SEA MONSTER SELF.LU WORKS AS AN IMMIGRANT NARRATIVE TOO—AND AS AN ALLEGORY FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED SELF-DISVERY THE FACE OF A MUNY THAT NMNS THEM. THE THEME IS PART OF WHAT MAK ONE OF PIXAR’S RICHT FILMS YEARS. AS LU’S GRANDMOTHER POTEDLY PUTS THE FILM’S CLOSG MOMENTS, “SOME PEOPLE, THEY’LL NEVER ACCEPT HIM. BUT SOME WILL. AND HE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO FD THE GOOD ON.”EVEN IN AN ERA WITH MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR REPRESENTATION THAN EVER, THERE’S STILL POWER IN THE MORE TRADITIONAL OUTSIDER NARRATIVES.FLEE, AN ANIMATED DOCUMENTARY OF ONE GAY MAN’S STORY OF PG AFGHANISTAN WH HIS FAY, BRGS A WELE SPOTLIGHT TO BOTH THE LGBTQ+ AND IMMIGRANT MUNI. THE FILM’S NARRATOR, AM, WHO IS ANIMATED PART TO PRERVE HIS ANONYMY, SPEAKS AS NDIDLY ABOUT HIS JOURNEY OF SELF-DISVERY AS HE DO ABOUT THE HORRORS HE SAYS HE EXPERIENCED AT THE HANDS OF SMUGGLERS AND RPT POLICE. AS HE SCRIB THE PROCS OF LEAVG AFGHANISTAN FOR AN EQUALLY HOSTILE RSIA BEFORE FDG SAFE HAVEN DENMARK, AM’S STORY IS PUNCTUATED BY MOMENTS OF GAY LONGG. AND THOUGH HE’S NOW A HAPPY RELATNSHIP—HUNTG FOR A NEW HOME WH HIS BOYIEND—THE STRA OF HIS PAST IS ALWAYS VISIBLE.BUT EVEN AM’S JOURNEY THROUGH A CEL SYSTEM IS NOT ALL DARKNS AND TRMA. IN THE FILM’S MOST SURPRISG AND UPLIFTG SEQUENCE, HE JECTEDLY OUT TO HIS SIBLGS, ONLY TO BE LOVGLY AFFIRMED BY HIS OLR BROTHER, WHO TAK HIM TO HIS FIRST GAY CLUB. IT’S HERE THAT AM SE THE FIRST GLIMMER OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE AND UNRSTANDS THAT THERE’S A WORLD WHERE HE WILL NOT ONLY BE SAFE, BUT SAFELY HIMSELF. FLEE IS A NEW KD OF QUEER STORY, TOLD A NEW WAY. AT A TIME WHEN LGBTQ+ STORI ARE FLOURISHG ANIMATED CEMA, MAY BE THE CROWNG ACHIEVEMENT.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— JANE CAMPN: A CANDID INTERVIEW WH A MASTER— THE VANY FAIR OSR PARTY RETURNS: FILL OUT YOUR BALLOT AND WATCH THE LIVTREAM ON MARCH 27— THE AMY IS STANDG FIRM ON ITS CONTROVERSIAL CATEGORY CHANGE— SAM ELLTT HAS ONLY HELPED THE POWER OF THE DOG’S OSR CHANC— CAN CODA W BT PICTURE? IT’S COMPLITED— INDTRY TANS JO FORC TO SLAM OSR CATEGORY CHANG— SIGN UP FOR THE “AWARDS INSIR” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE.CHRIS FEIL

So while Pixar ni Lu is a gay story due to s settg and the age of s characters, viewers should read the LGBTQ+ narrative for what is.

The film's director said 's about iendships, but many viewers observed a strong gay subtext.

Alberto and Lu's relatnship is laced wh gay subtextLu is immediately taken by the ee-spired Alberto when he meets a fellow sea monster off the ast of 're sually physil wh each other, sleepg si by si unr a star-filled sky, wrappg their arms around each other's waists, and watchg the sunset together. "This might seem rehg to some, to see a Disney movie explore iendships as opposed to a fairy-tale love story, but s a shame that this cisn has e when a gay romance uld have so easily and naturally be Lu and Alberto explicly gay or queer wouldn't have felt ntrived. It would have been a meangful nfirmatn of what is already a story rich gay subtext.

I'M SORRY, BUT "LU" IS TOTALLY A GAY MOVIE, AND THE 18 TWEETS PROVE IT

"Bety and the Beast" and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" both featured blk-and-you'll-miss- "gay moments:" a dance between two men and a kiss between two women.

Queer kids will still feel forted by this story bee the scene plays out like an allegory for g out and beg gay, even if Casarosa said isn't. —ClassicMovieGay (@jblikmovi) June 19, 2021What would have ma even more powerful, though, is if the movie explicly embraced the unniable queer subtext through will argue that Pixar ma the right ll to be more ambiguo, so that more people n take different thgs om the movie, but I feel queer dienc have been robbed of a goln opportuny for tangible reprentatn.

Instead, Disney seems happy to let dienc terpret the movie their own way — (almost) satisfyg LGBTQ dienc wh a movie that feels gay but actually isn't, whout beg brave enough to prent an openly queer story. Jt a ltle over halfway through Pri Month, we are seeg people flock to Twter to prent their theori on why and how the lead duo Disney and Pixar’s latt g-of-age animated feature film, Lu, is, fact, gay.

IS LU PIXAR’S FIRST GAY MOVIE? MAYBE

So do Lu have a gay character after all, or is this jt a se of fans creatg a headnon that’s gag tractn and onle clout? Do Lu have a gay character? While Disney has not e on the rerd sayg that Lu and Alberto are gay, we (and many a Twter er!

) believe that the great mds at Pixar may have meant for the movie’s plot to be an overall metaphor for gayns and acceptance. I KNOW #Lu isn’t an explicly gay movie.

So while no character Lu has been intified by Disney outright as gay, we n very well read the subtext, metaphors, and straight-up visual evince (all of those nocent touch! In rponse to viewers who reacted to trailers by hopg the film might be a childhood gay romance, Lu director Enri Casarosa rapidly shut the notn down, sayg “I was really keen to talk about a iendship before girliends and boyiends e to plite thgs. The Deep is portrayed as horrible place of self-nial, but they’re willg to make him suffer to keep him away om what they see as immoral, a clear parallel to the nversn therapy or wilrns therapy that so many young LGBTQ+ people are subjected to by homophobic muni.

IS LU A GAY METAPHOR?

His rponse was simple: “I’d say is meant to be terpreted by the viewer […] If you thk Le is gay, of urse he is. ” Hal regnized that some people benefted om readg the character as gay, and acknowledged that there isn’t a sgle rrect terpretatn of Le.

When Pixar first revealed the plot synopsis of s upg movie Lu — a tale of two sea-monster boys named Lu and Alberto, and an “unfettable” summer on the Italian Rivera — many people quickly pared to Call Me By Your Name, the 2017 gay romance that also took place durg an unfettable summer Italy. But 2020, Pixar released “Out” through s SparkShorts program, which centered around a gay uple.

WA A SEC — ARE THE MA CHARACTERS PIXAR’S ‘LU’ GAY?

Eager for reprentatn, many fans have clung to the possibily that Lu might give them openly gay ma characters, and not jt one-note si characters.

Unfortunately, none of the tangible romantic chemistry between Lu and Alberto was ever ma official, and Lu director Enri Casarosa explaed that while makg the film's two lead characters gay was fely a possibily, he end up wantg to make the film about a "pre-romance" part of many children's liv.