Disney’s Pixar Will No Longer Cut Same-Sex Kiss From ‘Lightyear’ Following Staff Uproar

Disney‘s Pixar has decided to restore a same-sex kiss to its upcoming film Lightyear after it was previously cut, according to Variety.

The animated prequel for Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear character (to be voiced by Chris Evans) features a relationship between two female characters, one voiced by three-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba. A kiss between the two had originally been removed but following recent uproar from staff claiming that Disney executives had actively censored “overtly gay affection” in its feature films, the decision has reportedly been reversed.

“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” read a joint statement from employees.

This internal controversy follows the recent “Don’t Say Gay” rule passed by the Florida Senate, which was also addressed in the letter.

It spoke of Disney’s mishandling of the bill that seeks to ban teaching of sexual identity and gender orientation in early-grade education as well as in “a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”

Disney initially remained quiet on the bill, however, decided to take a stance once it was revealed that every politician who sponsored it had received donations from the studio. An internal statement from the CEO, Bob Chapek, said that the studio would “unequivocally stand” with LGBTQ employees but said that a public statement could be “weaponised.”

A group of company employees staged a walkout in protest of Disney’s political donations, resulting in Chapek’s decision to pause all political donations in Florida.

The same-sex kiss in Lightyear will mark the studio’s first, making it a major milestone for the LGBTQ community. In 2020’s Onward, Lena Waithe voiced a lesbian cop but her girlfriend was never seen. The brief scene led to the film being banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Lightyear will be premiere in theatres on June 17. Find out when Lightyear will be available on Disney+.

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor