17 June 2022 - Pixar's 'Lightyear' banned over same-sex kiss
Buzz Lightyear film banned over kiss
(Sky News Australia, 16/06/2022)
The latest Buzz Lightyear animation film has been banned in 14 nations due to a kiss between two female characters.
Disney has refused to make cuts to the movie, which is yet to debut in theatres.
Why Pixar's 'Lightyear' has a same-sex kiss and not an 'awkward handhold' between queer characters
Brian Truitt (USA Today, 16/06/2022)
In the new Pixar animated film “Lightyear,” space ranger Buzz Lightyear works through a lot of character issues, though having his best friend’s back isn’t one of them: He not only knows and respects his lesbian commander Alisha’s sexuality but is excited to hear that she's found love while stuck on an alien planet.
Many people in the real world haven't been so supportive.
Lightyear’s same-sex kiss – the controversy that led to Disney’s first ‘real’ LGBTQ+ representation
Matt Weaver (The Conversation, 16/06/2022)
Disney-Pixar’s latest animated escapade is about to hit our cinema screens. It’s the origin story of one of their most beloved characters – Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear. In the lead-up to its release, online speculation soared after it was confirmed that Lightyear would include the company’s first same-sex kiss. The film’s producer, Galyn Susman, stated that the female character Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba, is in a “meaningful” relationship with another woman and a kiss occurs between them.
In response, several countries – including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Egypt and Indonesia – recently announced they would be banning Lightyear from cinemas due to its “violation of their country’s media content standard” (in short, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes).
Lightyear’s anti-gay critics can buzz off, says Chris Evans
Reuters (The Guardian, 15/06/2022)
The actor Chris Evans, who voices the main character in the new Pixar animated movie Lightyear, has applauded its depiction of a gay couple, saying those who react negatively should be disregarded.
“The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said. “Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good.”