Disney has removed a storyline regarding a transgender character and themes of gender identity from the upcoming Pixar series “Win Or Lose,” IndieWire has confirmed.
The Pixar series, which is meant to release on Disney+ on February 19, 2025, follows a co-ed softball team in the week leading up to the championship game, with each of the eight episodes focusing on the perspective of a different character, including the kids, their parents, and an umpire.
Disney declined comment on the nature of the specific storyline that was cut or how much was edited or removed, but confirmed its removal.
“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,” a spokesperson said in a statement to IndieWire.
THR, which first reported the news, said the character remains in the show, but a few lines of dialogue referring to gender identity have been cut, with the studio making the decision to change course several months ago.
“Win Or Lose” features the voice of Will Forte as the team’s coach, and the show is directed, written, and executive produced by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, and produced David Lally.
The issue is the latest in a line of other LGBTQ+ woes for Disney and Pixar, which date back to the former regime with former Disney CEO Bob Chapek and the “Don’t Say Gay” debacle concerning Disney’s lack of a political stance on a controversial Florida law.
On the Pixar end, a report from earlier this year suggested that Pixar wanted the main character in its blockbuster “Inside Out 2” to be “less gay” and that executives were “uncomfortable” with some queer themes in the character, which hinted that the girl Riley could be interested in the supporting character Val. The report suggested that the apprehension stemmed from controversy generated over the inclusion of a same-sex kiss that appeared in “Lightyear,” which struggled at the box office and was originally edited out of certain international markets to appease censors. Disney Animation’s “Strange New World,” which featured an openly gay character, was also a box office bomb.