New York
CNN
—
Disney removed a plot about gender identity from its new animated series “Win or Lose” before its premiere.
The original animated series from Disney-owned studio Pixar centers on a co-ed high school softball team, the Pickles, as they prepare for the group’s championship game. Each of the eight episodes of the series, which will begin streaming on Disney+ on February 19, will focus on a different member of the Pickles.
Although the plot involving gender identity will no longer be included, the character will remain in the series, a person familiar with the matter told CNN, adding that the decision to remove that plot point was made a couple of months ago. However, the announcement is not as simple as crossing out lines in a script, since the character’s dialogue has already been recorded.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and time,” Disney said in a statement.
The decision was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The announcement comes after the re-election of former President Donald Trump, who has criticized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which became a cause célèbre on the right. In response to online pressure and threats, many companies have recently made changes to their DEI policies.
When asked whether Disney’s decision to remove the transgender plot from “Win or Lose” could be interpreted as a move away from diversity initiatives in anticipation of a second Trump administration, the company declined to comment.
Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that the entertainment giant isn’t interested in sending messages in its shows or movies.
“The term ‘woke’ is used pretty liberally,” Iger said. “I think a lot of people don’t even really understand what it means. The bottom line is that infusing messages as some kind of number one priority into our movies and TV shows is not what we do. “They need to be entertained.”
Disney’s embrace of diverse casts and plots has generated controversy in the past.
The 2022 “Toy Story” prequel, “Lightyear,” featured a same-sex relationship and kiss in a PG-rated film aimed at younger audiences. However, the kiss almost didn’t make it to the big screen after Disney executives decided to cut the scene, sparking outrage among Pixar staff. Eventually, the same-sex kiss was restored, but the film received criticism from conservatives and was banned in more than a dozen countries in the Middle East and Asia.
The Magic Kingdom also included LGBTQ representation in its adult films, including FX’s “Pose,” Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” and Searchlight Pictures’ “All of Us Strangers.”
After Florida enacted a law that critics labeled “Don’t Say Gay” in 2022, then-Disney chief Bob Chapek’s belated opposition to the legislation sparked a wave of reaction from right-wing media figures, who portrayed to the company as a “woke” organization seeking to “indoctrinate” children with what they characterized as a radical LGBTQ agenda.
Since his return to the helm, Iger made it clear that the creators have “lost sight” of what their main goal should be. Speaking at the DealBook Summit last year, the Disney boss said the company’s mandate is to entertain audiences, not defend rights.
“I like being able to do that, entertain, and if you can infuse it with positive messages and have a good impact on the world, great, but that shouldn’t be the goal,” Iger said. “When I came back, what I’ve really tried to do is get back to our roots, which is, remember, we have to entertain first: it’s not about messages.”
