Pixar are back with a new film: Lightyear. The Toy Story spin-off tells the origin story of Buzz Lightyear – a Space Ranger loved first by Andy, then multiple generations who have grown up watching him on screen. The film stars Chris Evans as young Buzz Lightyear, and Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne – a fellow Ranger who kisses her female partner. On top of giving backstory to a beloved character, Lightyear brings a watershed moment for lesbian representation. This is the first full-length Pixar film to include a kiss between a same-sex couple. And this has led to serious backlash.
Lightyear has been banned in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries. The United Arab Emirates made a public announcement through the Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Media Regulatory Office’s official Twitter account, declaring that the film will not open there.
The Office claimed that Lightyear is “not licensed for public screening” owing to a “violation of the country’s media content standards.” While the kiss was not referenced directly, the meaning is clear. The UAE actively criminalizes same-sex relationships.
Lightyear’s lesbian kiss is a significant moment. And Pixar staff had to fight for its inclusion. The kiss was cut from earlier versions of the film. According to Producer Galyn Susman, Disney were supportive of Alisha Hawthorne being in a same-sex relationship; it served the story by showing how Buzz’s choices led to his loneliness. But they were less enthusiastic about showing a “quick lesbian kiss.”
Pixar has been making films for 27 years, and only a handful of their recent movies contain any acknowledgement of lesbian or gay characters. 2020’s Onward had a one-eyed cop voiced by Lena Waithe who refers to her “girlfriend.” In 2019, Toy Story 4 showed two moms hugging their child, hinting at a lesbian family. And back in 2016, Finding Dory showed a tiny clip of a lesbian couple – though Pixar were reluctant to confirm this detail.
Pixar staff have faced an uphill battle to include lesbian and gay characters in their stories. Anonymous sources have repeatedly claimed that Disney – who bought Pixar in 2006 – keep cutting same-sex couples from the background of their films. There is even an allegation that Disney demanded the removal of a rainbow sticker from Inside Out – set in San Francisco, the Gay Capital of the USA – because it was too “distracting.”
This conflict came to a head over Disney’s refusal to condemn Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. LGBT Pixar employees and their allies petitioned management to ask that Disney stop funding politicians who support the bill, which prevents lesson plans on the topic of gender identity or sexual orientation from kindergarten to third grade by teachers and school staff, and give parents the ability to sue districts over alleged violations.
Pixar staff protested Disney’s censorship. They wrote a statement claiming that “Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
After this controversy, the Lightyear team got the green light for the kiss. “We got the opportunity to put it back in,” said Susman, “and that was really exciting.”
Chris Evans, the voice of Buzz Lightyear, was delighted by Disney’s decision to include the kiss. “It’s great that we are a part of something that’s making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity,” said the actor, “but it’s frustrating that there are still places that aren’t where they should be.”
