First gay disney movie character
Ellen DeGeneres even seemed to deny that they were together. LeFou can be seen dancing with another man at the end of the movie, for a split-second. Disney has established itself as one of the leading studios when it comes to movies, TV series, and popular franchises.
The first same-sex kiss in a Star Wars film was between Larma D'Acy and Wrobie Tyce in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (). After 22 movies, this first gay inclusion is expectedly underwhelming. Indeed, the company has, on many occasions, announced its "first openly gay character," and proudly patted its back for seemingly taking steps at positive representation and inclusion.
Speculation began after the trailer showed the two women together, but yet again this was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of representation, one that only made Disney look worse as it released during a campaign to give Elsa from Frozen a girlfriend.
And each character is important in their own way, explaining why they're consistently highlighted. Here are 17 times Disney was celebrated for including a "first" LGBTQ+ character or characters in its movies. On social media, the reaction to this moment was more positive than for some of the other moments on this list, but it still is a tiny moment that could easily be missed, with characters that are unnamed and have virtually no stake in the story.
Zootopia was the first Disney movie to ever include a gay couplebut this is not actually confirmed in the movie itself. In the last few years, Disney has featured its first lesbian kiss, its first gay protagonist, and a couple of amazing queer personalities.
The screenwriters later confirmed on Twitter that the two were in a relationship. However, all hopes were dashed as the representation in question turned out to be a kiss between two unnamed women rebellion fighters in the background of a fast-moving scene.
Disney and LGBTQ representation
Another, more unfortunate reputation Disney has forged for itself is its constant queerbaiting when marketing certain movies. The quality of these characters and their queer moments vary significantly, but each one is technically a first for Disney. This example in Finding Dory is potentially the worst on the list, as the filmmakers refused to confirm whether the characters were in a lesbian relationship or not.
Once again, Disney promised a lot only to disappoint everyone at the final hurdle. RELATED | 11 Gay, Bi, & Lesbian Creators Who Made Disney What It Is Today. Audiences were disappointed to discover this moment really was just a moment. This article features the history of the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters in animated productions under The Walt Disney Company, including films from the studios Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, and programming from the Disney Branded Television channels as well as the streaming service Disney+.
Worse still, this moment was censored in countries with anti-gay laws. We updated this article to include the most recent Disney queer characters. Avengers: Endgame features the first openly gay character in the MCU — allegedly — but, again, this character is not named and is only on-screen for a short amount of time.
Director J. Abrams spoke out a lot before the release of The Rise of Skywalkerabout how the representation was strong in this, the final installment in the Skywalker saga. However, even before, there were several characters that were queer-coded or whose journey positively inspired many LGBTQ+ fans.
Indeed, the company has, on many occasions, announced its "first openly gay character," and proudly patted its back for seemingly taking steps at positive representation and inclusion. The speculation at the time was centered around Finn and Poe Dameron, as their interactions in prior installments seemed to go beyond friendship, and the actors John Boyega and Oscar Isaac had seemed to be supportive of the possibility of romance between the two.
In a scene featuring people mourning those who were lost in the Snap, the non-superhero character played by one of the screenwriters, Joe Russo uses male pronouns to describe the man he was dating who was lost in the snap. Judy Hopps meets two antelopes while moving into her apartment, who unapologetically claim they plan to make a lot of noise.
LeFou was the earliest explicit and named example of this. In the credits, the antelopes are revealed to share the same surname, implying that they are married. Between its classic Disney Princess moviesthe action-packed MCU and Star Wars brands, and its collection of Pixar titles, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't seen or at least heard of the company.
However, what has always ended up the case is these characters or moments being nothing more than a split-second "acknowledgment" — which is being generous, truly. From onward, Disney's content often.