Disney movies with gay characters
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Although she does not have much screen time, and appears only fleetingly throughout the movie, Specter was nonetheless the first confirmed lesbian character in a Pixar movie, and her story significance was apparently enough to see the movie banned and censored in a wide variety of countries. Often, boys have the pressure to follow in their father's footsteps, including certain cultural expectations of masculinity.
Kind, frank, and Buzz’s best friend, she is a strong backbone for the rest of the ship’s crew
When Buzz sets off to attempt to calibrate a hyperspace engine and ends up experiencing skips in time, however, Alisha remains on the alien planet, and ends up living out her life normally despite their situations – making a family, and eventually sharing a kiss with her wife upon one of Buzz’s brief returns from outer space.
Alisha’s inclusion into the film and this kiss resulted in Lightyear being banned in China, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Bahrain, Indonesia, Turkey, and Malaysia.
#3) Merida from Brave
Meridia and Brave as a movie represent Pixar’s dedication to quality filmmaking in a lot of ways, ranging from the insane amount of technical development involved in the appearance of the titular character’s hair to the respect it grants to the Scottish culture that it features.
Most of you probably know where this is going already, but it has something to do with the character we are covering in this overview – Alisha Hawthorne.
17 Priya Mangal Dances with a Girl in Turning Red
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan Voices Priya Mangal in Turning Red
Turning Red is one of the best coming-of-age stories in animated films.
Priya, for example, dances with another girl at a party, and the interaction has romantic connotations. The characters states that since the events of the last film he went on a date with another man, and that’s as far as that goes.
Additionally, Specter's voice actor, Lena Waithe, is also a lesbian, which adds genuineness to the performance and opens the field to the LGBTQ+ community.
At the beginning of the movie, Ethan has a crush on his friend Diazo. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the movie could possibly be dedicated and innovative in yet another direction – by having it’s main character stand as a staple of LGBTQ representation.
Don’t get it wrong – the movie certainly contains no shown indicators to Merida having an attraction to women, but the strongly feminist narrative that the movie proudly showcases dips into those waters nonetheless.
This gave it a special effect on the television scene of the early 2000s and onward, leaving many shows since trying their best to keep up.
New ideas and quality aren’t the only things about Kim Possible that are said to have had an effect on its watchers, however. Despite this, and despite the fact that the show sees a limited broadcast due to the content of its story, it remains adored by fans.
While the amount of queer characters in The Owl House is far greater than just Luz alone, she is the main protagonist, and so it is fair that we focus on her for this mention.
He's a shop owner with a David Bowie and 1970s glam rock aesthetic.
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Artie is able to be his authentic self and actor John McCrea is happy with his portrayal of Artie and believes him to be a gay character, but Disney yet again made the mistake of not fully delving into Artie being an openly gay character.
Working alongside Buzz in the Star Command, Alisha and our titular character are both amongst those stranded upon the alien planet where the movie takes place. While the movie certainly had its other flaws – such as being a little hard to take as being the movie that Andy watched, and that inspired Buzz Lightyear’s character as a whole – it is an absolute shame that something with so much dedication put into it saw controversy due to one fleeting moment.
The moment in question?
The decision not to outright state Nate's sexuality was the choice of the creator who wanted to tell a story about a young person at the beginning of his sexual journey.
The Owl House (2020- )
When The Owl Housepremiered on Disney Channel in 2020 it became the first-ever Disney show or movie to feature a same-sex couple in leading roles.
Among the points of interest is how LGBTQ people and their concerns are represented. While Jess is confirmed to be bisexual and is dating Ally foremost of the series. She also falls in love with Amity, her enemy-turned-friend-turned-lover.
The three girls love the boy band 4*TOWN more than anything, and their biggest dream is to go to their concert. While her role in the movie is small, and there's not much exploration of her story or sexuality, she does comment that her "girlfriend's daughter got [her] pulling [her] hair out." Not only is she canonically a lesbian character, but the reference to her girlfriend's daughter is a positive portrayal of unconventional yet lovely families.
In a film about coming to terms with your own identity, it's great that Disney added two queer characters to the film, Priya and Miriam.
Unfortunately, Priya and Miriam are not openly queer, but there are clues around the film that confirm their queer identities. Unfortunately, the movie was banned in several countries or censored.
Amphibia also features other LGBTQ+ characters in its several seasons.
Eternals (2021)
While the MCU has made lots of headway in recent years in regards to diversifying the superhero genre, it struggled in representing the LGBTQ+ community, at least prominently. Hahn notes that, in lion prides, there typically is only one male because he's killed off the previous king and any rivals, including cubs.
Elinor gives her best efforts at making the Princess into a ‘true, ladylike woman’, but Merida is simply too rebellious – constantly riding out alone and seeking her own adventures while turning aside male suitors and shunning all other expectations placed on her due to her gender.
While there is a possibility that Merida may not identify as LGBTQ, it’s equally plausible that she merely rejects societal pressure to conform to a relationship she isn’t comfortable with.
It is, however, disappointing to know that Disney was so inclined to delete this beautiful moment.