Dylan Bettencourt
Disney’s latest animation movie Lightyear has been barred from release in 14 countries over a scene which shows two characters of the same sex sharing a kiss.
Lightyear, a Toy Story spinoff telling the backstory of the character Buzz Lightyear, has been banned in over a dozen Muslim nations, according to Associated Press.
The 14 countries across Asia and the Middle East have refused to broadcast the Disney movie over its LGBTQ+ content.
The movie production company has faced criticism for a lack of diversity in its films in recent years, but has since made efforts to improve that with movies such as Moana, Encanto and Soul.
However, regulators in the United Arab Emirates announced that they were banning the movie due to a “violation of the country’s media content standards”.
The regulators tweeted a picture of Buzz Lightyear with a red “no” symbol over the movie poster.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, said it did not ban the film “but suggested the owner of the movie think about their audience in Indonesia where an LGBT kissing scene is still considered sensitive”.
The Film Censorship Board in Malaysia said they would consider airing the movie if the same-sex kissing scene was removed.
Disney is said to have declined any requests to remove any particular scene from the movie.
The movie that shows one of the main characters, Alisha Hawthorne, kissing her wife will be offered “as is” to all broadcasters.
The scene caused controversy in the United States as well with several politicians threatening to remove perks Disney receives due to the dispute.
The scene was initially removed and added back in after Disney CEO Bob Chapek denounced the so-called “don’t say gay” law in Republican states.
Image source: @Polygon
