Report: Disney Show 'Won' a Christian Character While Losing a Trans Storyline

Disney jettisoned a transgender storyline in its Pixar animated series "Win or Lose," and reports now say the show also added a Christian character.

"The moves comes amid a wider cultural shift toward conservativism, in tandem with the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in office," Newsweek reported.

"Disney has made moves to placate Trump, who previously branded the organization as 'woke,'" the article noted, before recalling that, "In December, Disney's ABC News agreed to a $15 million settlement over a defamation lawsuit, marking a win for the president."

Newsweek noted of the show that, "In the debut episode, the character of Laurie is introduced, and is openly Christian. This character begins her scene with the words, 'heavenly father' and there is an angel cutout in her bedroom."

It's unclear from the report whether both Christians and transgender people were intended to be represented in the series all along, or if the Christian character was a late addition.

The erasure of the trans character reportedly took place once the production process was well along, but descriptions of that storyline indicate that the series was not deeply committed to trans representation in the first place, since the trans storyline was touched on only toward the end of the show's eight-episode run and was referenced in a scant few lines of dialogue, making it easy to cut.

The Hollywood Reporter backgrounded the story of the show's trans erasure with an explanation of the show's concept: "The series follows a co-ed middle school softball team named the Pickles in the week leading up to their championship game," with a different character serving as the focus for each of the eight episodes.

One of those characters, Kai, was set to provide the trans point of view, at least in passing. Execs evidently balked, however.

"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," THR quoted a spokesperson for Disney saying.

The character of Kai remains, but without their defining storyline – even though, as THR pointed out, Chanel Stewart, the actress voicing Kai, is transgender herself.

Responding to news that Kai's defining storyline was being scrubbed, Stewart said, "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."

The Trump administration would seem to disagree.

"Since returning to office, Trump has signed an order that rolled back transgender rights, emphasizing the importance of the issue to his agenda in his second term," Newsweek noted.

"Trump's executive order declared that the federal government would recognize only two sexes: Male and female."

But reluctance from Pixar to recognize LGBTQ+ people in general would seem to have been impacting the studio's productions since well before last year's election. It was reported in December that Pixar higher-ups demanded that hints of "romantic chemistry" be cut from the movie "Inside Out 2."

Moreover, company insiders said, Pixar execs made a scapegoat of a queer kiss in another animated film from the company, "Lightyear," which excited controversy when it was cut, only to be restored when an outcry followed. Overlooking the obvious flaws in "Lightyear," Pixar suits reportedly laid the blame for audiences staying away on that fleeting moment.

It made for a handy rationale, IGN indicated, when "continuous notes" rained down on Pixar workers from above, instructing them to tweak the look and editing of the animated "Inside Out 2" in order "to make Riley, the main character of both 'Inside Out' movies, come across as 'less gay.'"

"Disney has frequently drawn the ire of conservative groups over its inclusion of L.G.B.T.Q. characters and story lines in family movies," The New York Times noted in coverage of the "Win or Lose" trans storyline being scrapped.

Aside from the "Lightyear" flap, the article said, there was friction over the fact that the 2022 Pixar film "Strange World" included an openly gay teenager among its central characters.

"That same year," the Times said, "the company's chief executive at the time, Bob Chapek, faced criticism when he refused to condemn anti-L.G.B.T.Q. legislation in Florida. When he finally explained his silence, a union representing his employees called the decision a 'momentous misstep.'"

"Win or Lose" streams on Disney+.