‘In victory or defeat’, Pixar’s first original animated series, is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in February, whose The story follows the Pickels, a high school co-ed softball team in the week leading up to the big championship. Each of the 8 episodes will focus on the off-field life of a different character.
And here comes the controversy, because as confirmed by a Disney spokesperson to THR, they have decided to eliminate the story of a transgender character for the following reason: “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.” The character has not been eliminated from the series, but some dialogues that made reference to his gender identity have been.
Some time ago the animatic of the deleted scene was leaked, in which you can see how the girl hesitates about which bathroom to enter. You can see it here below.
This is how the dubbing actress reacted
Chanel Stewart was the girl selected to voice the character when she was only 14 years old. She saw on Twitter that Pixar was looking for a transgender girl her age for an animated series, and thought he was perfect for her. “I was exactly what they wanted, and that’s why it felt so good”Stewart said in an interview with Deadline, “I immediately asked my mom if I could do it, because I felt like if I didn’t do this, it wouldn’t make any sense. You know what I mean?”
The young woman, who is now 18 years old, remembers how good she felt when she was chosen, “I wore it like a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant a lot to me. The idea of authentically portraying a transgender teenager made me very happy. “I wanted to do this for transgender boys and girls like me.”
However, when Disney called her mother to tell her that the trans girl’s story would no longer be included in the series, They were very disappointedas Keisha, the young woman’s mother, explained to Deadline:
“It was very sad because my daughter is transgender and this is her life. I felt it was very important that we not hide that fact, there may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but This is the world we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And this feels like another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s so hard for transgender teens… transgender people, period. “Especially when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to become your own person.”
“I was very disheartened,” adds Stewart, “from the moment I had the script, I was so excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. “Trans stories matter and deserve to be heard.” Although she now feels that “her character is a straight cis girl,” they have not taken away her hope of being one of the first trans girls to voice a character: “It is a true honor to be part of queer history.”
