Disney’s ‘Strange World’ Is Its First Animated Movie Wh a Gay Lead. Why Is It Beg Buried?

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• ‘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
• WHY PARANORMAN FEATURED THE FIRST GAY CHARACTER AN ANIMATED FILM
• FLORIDA TEACHER INVTIGATED AFTER SHOWG KIDS DISNEY MOVIE WH GAY CHARACTER

‘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

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. More:Disney CEO fally speaks out on 'Don't Say Gay.

WHY PARANORMAN FEATURED THE FIRST GAY CHARACTER AN ANIMATED FILM

' 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.

FLORIDA TEACHER INVTIGATED AFTER SHOWG KIDS DISNEY MOVIE WH GAY CHARACTER

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. While gay characters were equently ed for lghs or not explicly stated to be queer most early mastream Hollywood films, a brief relaxatn Germany's film productn the early 20th century allowed for LGBTQ+ classics like Anrs als die Anren and Mädchen Hollywood, the strict Hays Co forba explic pictns of homosexualy on film for three s, durg which there were a slew of queer-d villas.

Afterwards, gay characters appeared more, but often tragic stori like 1961's The Children's Hour. Later, the New Queer Cema the 1990s flourished, as many pennt filmmakers (many of whom were gay) told fluid, empathetic stori about queer dividuals. The film, which featur an all-Black st, was one big step toward makg gay cema that isn't whewashed, featur a range of inti, and don't make s queer characters one-note or vehicl of sufferg.