Image

Disney’s new gay character censored in Russia, banned in the Middle East, boycotted in the U.S.

Disney-Pixar’s latest animated release “Onward” has been censored in Russia, banned in some Middle Eastern countries, and boycotted in the U.S. after introducing the first openly gay character in an animated feature film. The character, voiced by actress Lena Waithe, appears in just one “vital” scene in the middle of the film. During the scene,…


Disney-Pixar’s latest animated release “Onward” has been censored in Russia, banned in some Middle Eastern countries, and boycotted in the U.S. after introducing the first openly gay character in an animated feature film.

The character, voiced by actress Lena Waithe, appears in just one “vital” scene in the middle of the film. During the scene, the female character, named Specter, makes mention of her lesbian girlfriend.

However, according to a report from the Russian film website Kinopoisk.ru, the Russian dubbed version changes the word “girlfriend” to “partner.”

“Presumably, Disney’s Russian branch tried to avoid unnecessary problems with the anticipated project’s release,” the website said.

A Disney spokesperson in Russia has declined to comment on the website’s queries.

According to The Moscow Times, “this is at least the third known censorship of a gay scene from a foreign film in Russia since the country passed a controversial 2013 law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’ to minors.”

Russian distributors have previously cut scenes from Elton John’s biopic, “Rocketman” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

“Onward” has also reportedly been banned in multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt, however, are all said to be showing the film.

Last week, in the U.S., a petition calling for a boycott of the new film, attracted more than 56,000 signatures from concerned parents. The petition, which is addressed to Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek, says:

“Parents are the primary educators of their children, and Disney has no place to interfere with what parents teach their children about sexual mores. By forcing the LGBT agenda on us, you are seriously disrespecting our values.”

Those who signed the petition pledged not to see the film for “sexualizing children with the LGBT agenda.”

The Caldron Pool Show

The Caldron Pool Show: #2 – Elijah Schaffer
The Caldron Pool Show: #16 – Justice For The Five (Warning: Graphic)
The Caldron Pool Show: #17 – Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin & Digital Money w/ Heidi from CryptoTips
The Caldron Pool Show: #32 – Caesar and the Church (with Anthony Forsyth)
Image

Support

If you value our work and would like to support us, you can do so by visiting our support page. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Visit our search page.

Copyright © 2024, Caldron Pool

Permissions

Everything published at Caldron Pool is protected by copyright and cannot be used and/or duplicated without prior written permission. Links and excerpts with full attribution are permitted. Published articles represent the opinions of the author and may not reflect the views of all contributors at Caldron Pool.