Disney (DIS) has been in the midst of both the DEI and “anti-woke" movements over the past few years.
First, consumers took issue with the company’s lack of diversity in its content, which prompted Disney to commit to diversity, equity and inclusion in its films and TV shows.
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Now, the tables have turned, and many conservative consumers have been putting the company’s content under a strict microscope, criticizing it for going “woke.”
Related: Disney World cuts classic character from meet-and-greets amid scrutiny
Most notably, billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, who aimed and failed to land several seats on Disney’s board of directors in April, claimed that people don’t go to see Disney movies for its messaging.
“People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained,” said Peltz in an April interview with the Financial Times. “They don’t go to get a message.”
Disney cuts controversial storyline from new Pixar series
As the anti-woke movement grows, especially after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Disney has decided to make a controversial move.
Disney has axed a transgender storyline from its upcoming animated Pixar series “Win or Lose,” which is set to debut on Disney+ on Feb. 19.
The series is about “intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game,” according to Disney’s website.
The show was supposed to feature a plot about a transgender character, but a few months ago, Disney decided to cut out dialogue that focused on the character’s gender and a storyline that was supposed to debut towards the end of the series.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” said a Disney spokesperson in a statement to TheStreet.
Related: Billionaire investor has a problem with ‘woke’ Disney movies
In a new interview with Deadline, Chanel Stewart, a transgender voice actor who voiced the character in the show, admonished Disney’s decision, claiming that her character now identifies as “a straight cis girl” in the series.
I was very disheartened,” said Stewart in the interview with Deadline. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
Disney previously accused of cutting LGBTQ themes from content
This is not the first time Disney reportedly scaled back LGBTQ themes from its content.
Disney allegedly briefly cut a same-sex kiss in its 2022 film “Lightyear,” but restored it after it faced internal backlash for the decision, especially after it previously faced outrage from some of its employees for staying silent over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
More Disney:
- Disney World shuts down classic ride amidst controversy
- Disney flags startling shift in consumer behavior at theme parks
- Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions are getting more expensive
Also, according to a report from IGN in October, Disney employees alleged that they were encouraged to make a character named Riley in the movie “Inside Out 2” appear “less gay.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger previously defended the company’s messaging in its films and TV shows, rebuking recent “woke” backlash, in an interview with CNBC in April.
“The term woke is thrown around rather liberally,” said Iger in the interview. “I think a lot of people don’t even understand really what it means. The bottom line is that infusing messaging as a sort of a number one priority in our films and TV shows is not what we’re up to. They need to be entertaining.”
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