Summary:
- Disney reportedly pressured Pixar to downplay any queer undertones in Inside Out 2, following the backlash over Lightyear’s same-sex kiss.
- Sources claim leadership made efforts to ensure the film’s characters appeared less gay, particularly in Riley’s relationship with a supporting character.
Disney reportedly pressured Pixar to downplay any queer undertones in Inside Out 2, following the backlash over Lightyear’s same-sex kiss. Sources claim leadership made efforts to ensure the film’s characters appeared less gay, particularly in Riley’s relationship with a supporting character.
According to IGN, which spoke to 10 former Pixar employees, Inside Out 2 was completed under difficult circumstances. The report revealed that 175 workers were laid off in May, just before the film’s success bonus was set to be distributed. Many of those laid off had already endured a grueling “crunch,” working seven days a week to finish the movie on time for Disney’s release schedule.
In addition to the harsh work conditions and sudden layoffs, the report uncovered a growing issue regarding the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in Pixar films. Several anonymous sources told IGN that Disney leadership placed much of the blame for Lightyear‘s underwhelming box office performance on a small same-sex kiss featured in the film.
Back in 2022, Variety reported that the kiss had initially been removed from Lightyear, only to be restored after employees voiced their concerns. They wrote an open letter, accusing Disney of cutting “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” from Pixar’s films. Although the kiss was restored, it seems the controversy surrounding it didn’t fade within the company.
Now, according to multiple sources, Disney executives have been using the same-sex kiss to explain Lightyear’s financial failure, with some leadership reportedly feeling “uncomfortable” with queer themes in their films. One source noted, “It is as far as I know, still a thing, where leadership, they’ll bring up Lightyear specifically and say, ‘Oh, Lightyear was a financial failure because it had a queer kiss in it.’ That’s not the reason the movie failed.”
These concerns reportedly extended to Inside Out 2, with several former employees stating that the film’s main character, Riley, was affected by these sentiments. Sources claimed that there were “continuous notes to make Riley… come across as ‘less gay'” and that Disney took “special care” to ensure Riley’s relationship with Val, a new supporting character, was portrayed as purely platonic. This involved making subtle changes to lighting, tone, and interactions between the two characters to avoid any suggestion of romantic chemistry.
“Mind you, Riley is not canonically gay,” explained one source. “In the film, what you saw, nothing about Riley says that she is gay, but it is kind of inferred based on certain contexts. And so that is something they tried to play down at multiple points.”
The report suggests that despite these efforts, tensions remain high within Pixar regarding the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, leaving many employees frustrated and disappointed. The concerns surrounding Inside Out 2 highlight a broader issue at Disney, where leadership appears cautious about representing queer characters openly in its films, fearing backlash or financial consequences.
These revelations come as the entertainment industry continues to grapple with the balance between creative expression and corporate interests, particularly regarding representation and inclusion in mainstream media.
