Disney’s ‘Lightyear’ gets banned in 14 countries over same-sex kiss
The film ‘Lightyear’ by Disney and Pixar, which was released to theaters over the weekend, has been banned in 14 countries because of a relationship and kiss between a female couple.
But despite being banned in 14 Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets, Disney has refused to make any changes or cuts to the movie.
“Lightyear” focuses on the character, the legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans), which inspired the toy line prominent in Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise.
No changes in the Disney movie
A close friend of Buzz is Alisha Hawthorne, a female space ranger played by Uzo Aduba, who marries a woman and shares a brief kiss with her in a montage showing scenes of the couple’s life.
Because of this, countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates will not release the film.
Rommy Fibri, the chairman of the Film Censorship Board in Indonesia, told The New York Times that the film’s same-sex relationship could violate a law that bans “deviant sexual behavior” in movies.
It’s also expected that China, the world’s biggest theatrical market, will ban the film.
Producer Galyn Susman told Reuters that China’s film censors asked some scenes to be cut. However, Disney has reportedly refused.
Disney’s representative also told the Wall Street Journal that the company “typically refuses to make cuts or changes that interfere with the integrity of a movie or that it views as inequitable.”
Lightyear versus many nations
The subject of a same-sex kiss and relationship in the film is obviously a touchy matter in those nations with a Muslim majority.
The United Arab Emirates had announced through its Media Regulatory Office of their Ministry of Youth and Culture that it would not be opening in their country.
The office said in a tweet that the film “is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards.”
A social media campaign with the Arabic hashtag “Ban Showing Lightyear in the Emirates” had earlier spread throughout UAE, saying the lesbian couple in the film was against their culture and religion.
This is not the first time it has happened as many movies featuring same-sex affection face face challenges when getting released in international markets.
To kiss or not to kiss in Lightyear
Ironically, Disney’s hard stance also experienced internal resistance to the kiss being in the film.
Susman told The Mercury News that while Disney was “supportive” of the same-sex relationship, “there was definite pushback” to the kiss.
In March, the Hollywood Reporter detailed that the same-sex kiss had been cut but was restored after a backlash coming from Pixar staffers.
Despite the ban by China and the other countries, this may not affect the movie’s overall global box office.
Previously, Pixar’s 2019 film “Toy Story 4” earned US$32.5 million in China, out of a total of US$1.07 billion worldwide gross, or only three percent.
The combination of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates had a total of less than two percent, or less than US$20 million.