Normally beloved worldwide, Disney/Pixar films have often been among some of the biggest grossing movies released worldwide, but their new venture Lightyear seems to be losing a small chunk of its audience - namely, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Lightyear is a spin-off of Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, creating the movie-in-a-movie that the Buzz toy is based on.

The reason for the ban, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is due to the inclusion of a same sex kiss between Hawthorne, played by Uzo Aduba, and her partner in the film. The scene in question is a "violation of the country's media content standards," according to the United Arab Emirate's Media Regulatory Office.

The subject sparked controversy when the public found out that it was to be removed from the the final version - only to be kept in after the dust-up with Florida Governor DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" Bill, and Disney CEO's Bob Chapek's wavering support - which he has since backed away from, after Pixar employees pointed out to the public that Disney was censoring "overly gay affection."

This is a sad trend, which seems to be preventing several big-budget movies from being seen in the region. Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as Eternals, were banned, due to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters. Evidently, as reported by THR, Disney was asked to edit these parts of the films out, but refused, resulting in them not being screened.

It will be interesting to see how these laws will affect entertainment in these areas going forward, due to the increasing call for inclusively in film and television throughout the industry in recent years.

Tags
Disney, LGBTQ