Jungle Cise's gay character isn't perfect, but he's progrs | SYFY WIRE

Contents:

• JUNGLE CISE: DISNEY’S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER (AND COMG OUT SCENE) EXPLAED
• A GAY CHARACTER SPARKS BATE AND A REFORMED TRAR SAM EMERG DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE'
• ‘JUNGLE CISE’S’ GAY CHARACTER IS YET ANOTHER BABY STEP FROM DISNEY
• ‘JUNGLE CISE’ STAR JACK WHEHALL IS ‘PROUD’ OF HIS GAY CHARACTER’S COMG-OUT SCENE DISNEY FILM
• WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?
• JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER ISN'T PERFECT, BUT HE'S PROGRS
• A CHARACTER DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE IS GAY, OR SO WE’RE TOLD
• 'JUNGLE CISE' 'S JACK WHEHALL SAYS HE'S 'PROUD' OF GAY CHARACTER'S COMG-OUT MOMENT FILM
• THE CONTROVERSIAL GAY REPRENTATN IN DISNEY’S “JUNGLE CISE” WAS MEH!

JUNGLE CISE: DISNEY’S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER (AND COMG OUT SCENE) EXPLAED

Although Disney mt ntue improvg s LGBTQ+ reprentatn, Jungle Cise is a clear step forward wh s first openly gay ma character.

Jungle Cise has Disney's first gay ma character a movie, as well as a g out scene. Disney proudly advertised the movie as havg the studs’ first gay ma character, but is far om perfect. MacGregor Houghton Com Out As Gay In Jungle Cise.

The word "gay" is never said, as is expected for a rerved, upper class Brish man 1916, but the nversatn mak MacGregor’s sexualy clear. The rather tastels joke, and Frank’s clear disfort, effectively eras the moment of support the two shared before and 's pound by a few more double entendre jok built around subtle gay panic. Is It Disney's First Gay Ma Character?

A GAY CHARACTER SPARKS BATE AND A REFORMED TRAR SAM EMERG DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE'

In 2017, the live-actn Bety and the Beast remake claimed to clu Disney’s first openly gay character. This blk-and-you’ll-miss- moment, which neverthels garnered much ntroversy, was meant to imply Josh Gad's LeFou is gay, but ’s only ever implied. Although there have been other LGBTQ+ characters, MacGregor is the first gay ma character a Disney movie.

Lackg a love tert, or any real way to celebrate his sexualy, only furthers the implitn that beg gay is somethg disgraceful or wrong.

‘JUNGLE CISE’S’ GAY CHARACTER IS YET ANOTHER BABY STEP FROM DISNEY

So often, g out scen are amed as unveilg a shameful secret, like when Stranger Thgs’ Rob tearfully rejects Steve and nfs she's gay (though he easily accepts the fact she is a lbian). Jungle Cise mers praise for havg Disney’s first gay ma character. Brish edian Jack Whehall plays a gay character Disney’s “Jungle Cise.

”Whehall’s MacGregor Houghton “ out” a “Jungle Cise” scene wh Dwayne Johnson’s Frank Wolff (never g the word "gay") film featur a rebooted Trar Sam, a character recently removed om the Disney Parks’ Jungle Cise after cricism over the ri’s racist pictn of Indigeno "Jungle Cise" has some notable passengers. Brish edian Jack Whehall plays Lily's brother MacGregor Houghton, who is gay, even g out  a scene wh Wolff (though notably whout employg the word "gay"). Meanwhile, ntroversial shnken head aler Trar Sam, recently removed om the Jungle Cise ri after cricism for s racist pictn of Indigeno people, reappears onscreen the reimaged form of Mexin actrs Veroni Falcó's how the characters took their plac onboard "Jungle Cise" which took $90 ln  worldwi box office and Disney+ Premiere Accs over openg Rock, Ey Blunt: Reveal that most awkward 'Jungle Cise' kiss, dirty jok cut by DisneyMacGregor Houghton subtly out to his Jungle Cise ptaDisney has been cricized for the lack of LGBTQ film reprentatn movi, and lled out for blk-or-you'll-miss- gay character moments films such as "Bety and the Beast" and "Onward.

" The word "gay" is not mentned the scene that further explas MacGregor's bond to his sister: dienc learn MacGregor's remag fay, and society, have turned their back on him "all bee of who I love. "It didn't matter if he said the word 'gay' or not, " says Johnson, a producer on the film. "'Bety and the Beast': That 'gay moment' may have been much ado about nothg"We didn't want to e across like we're standg on a soapbox, " Johnson adds, notg the scene shows diversy and cln were "owned and held regard" the praised screenwrer Michael Green for craftg the scene "wh licy and simplicy.

‘JUNGLE CISE’ STAR JACK WHEHALL IS ‘PROUD’ OF HIS GAY CHARACTER’S COMG-OUT SCENE DISNEY FILM

" Producer Hiram Garcia says the "Jungle Cise" filmmakers never set out to clu a gay character the perd piece. "Early reactn to the gay character was mixed, wh one Twter er statg, "Disney will really do anythg to avoid g the word 'gay' s mastream ntent. ""The gay character JUNGLE CRUISE is cute and is generally right about thgs, " another Twter er wrote.

WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?

He’s gay.

It’s another step om Disney toward LGBTQ+ reprentatn that feels big the ntext of the opprsively heterosexual rporatn—certaly, ’s an improvement over some of the lghably meangls Disney “gay moments” recent years—but small the ntext of the year 2021. This is hardly the first time mastream Ameri has seen a gay man on a TV or movie screen.

McGregor Houghton (Whehall) had already been d as a gay man, somewhat stereotypilly, throughout the film—fsy, effemate, and a ltle too to skre.

JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER ISN'T PERFECT, BUT HE'S PROGRS

) But about an hour to the film, Frank and McGregor share a quiet moment together, which McGregor reveals— so many words— that he recently me out as gay to his fay. In 2017, Bety and the Beast director Bill Condon promised an “exclively gay moment a Disney movie, ” which turned out to be a two-send shot of LeFou—as played by Josh Gad—dancg wh a man the film’s fal ball sequence, jt before the creds roll. Two years later, Avengers: Endgame -director Joe Rso revealed the film would feature the Marvel Cematic Universe’s first-ever openly gay character, which turned out to be a random du (played by Rso) g male pronouns to refer to his romantic partner.

A CHARACTER DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE IS GAY, OR SO WE’RE TOLD

Unsurprisgly, the queer muny has not rpond wh gratu to the gay bread cmbs om Disney. Unlike Bety and the Beast, his “gay moment” is an actual, hont-to-God scene that lasts for longer than two sends, and is not thrown at the very end of the film.

For once, the filmmakers didn’t proudly announce “Disney’s first gay character” while pattg themselv on the back for “reprentatn. ) There’s even a good exce to avoid the word “gay, ” given that Jungle Cise tak place the early 1900s, a time when the term “gay” ually meant feelg happy and nothg more. Some may argue—reasonably so—that a movie about a magil tree and ghosts is allowed a gay anachronism or two.

Personally, I re ls about hearg the word “gay, ” so much as I re about beg shown that McGregor is actually attracted to men. Jack Whehall says he didn’t know that his character McGregor “Jungle Cise” was gay when he origally dned for the film.

'JUNGLE CISE' 'S JACK WHEHALL SAYS HE'S 'PROUD' OF GAY CHARACTER'S COMG-OUT MOMENT FILM

While he don’t e the word “gay, ” he says he broke off three engagements wh women bee his “terts happily lay elsewhere. Jack Whehall opens up about playg a gay character #JungleCise, teasg a "signifint scene the movie" that was "thought about and talked about a lot" behd the scen. Johnson is the boat pta, and the woman (Ey Blunt) is acpanied by her utterly wimpy, fear-filled brother (Jack Whehall), who, turns out, is why, oh why, mt the brother be gay?

If anythg, Whehall’s character plays right to negative gay stereotyp.

THE CONTROVERSIAL GAY REPRENTATN IN DISNEY’S “JUNGLE CISE” WAS MEH!

I didn’t read any reviews about and I was unaware of the “gay ntroversy.

” As a July 31 USA Today headle announced, “A gay character sparks bate and a reformed Trar Sam emerg Disney's “Jungle Cise. ’”Acrdg to the USA Today article, “Disney has been cricized for the lack of LGBTQ film reprentatn movi, and lled out for blk-or-you'll-miss- gay character moments films such as ‘Bety and the Beast’ and ’Onward.