‘They are running scared’: Pixar removes trans storyline from first-ever upcoming series amid parental concerns

In disheartening news, Pixar has revealed its decision to cut a storyline involving a trans character from its first-ever upcoming long-form series, Win or Lose. 

The television show, set for release in 2025, was originally going to feature a trans character whose gender identity was directly addressed, but the animation studio, owned by Disney, has since scrapped plans to pursue the storyline. Multiple outlets report that the character will remain in Win of Lose, but that a story point involving their gender identity has been pulled. This involved cutting some lines of dialogue in later episodes of the animated series, as part of a decision that was made months ago, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Explaining the move — which adds to Disney and Pixar’s increasing pattern of turning away from LGBTQ+ storylines — a spokesperson said the removal of the character’s gender identity was borne out of concerns for parents. “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,” the spokesperson said.

Chanel Stewart, the transgender actress who voiced the character in question, was among those to respond to the news. Speaking to Deadline Hollywood, Stewart said she was “disheartened” by the change to her character. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth,” Stewart said. “I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”

Pixar fans were also quick to react, taking to social media to declare that “Disney’s transphobia will be remembered.” Others said the studio is “running away scared,” or criticized it for “showing everyone where you stand as far as being all-inclusive and progressive goes.” 

Unfortunately, it’s not the first time Pixar has shied away from LGBTQ+ representation. Just last month, reports emerged that the studio had similarly shelved an episode of its short-form series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that featured a trans character voiced by a transgender actress. In response, Derrick Malik Johnson — a storyboardist who worked on the series — said in a now-deleted social media post that it “breaks my heart” that the episode was “shelved because of which party won the recent election.”

Before that, reports emerged in September that Disney had given Pixar notes with the intent to make Riley, the protagonist of Inside Out 2, “less gay.” Back in 2022, Disney’s approach to LGBTQ+ storytelling was the subject of an open letter written by Pixar employees and addressed to the parent company. “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,” the letter read. 

“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.” 

Of course, while minimal, there have been brief moments of queer representation in some Pixar films, like the same-sex kiss that caused controversy from Lightyear, or the lesbian couple seen (extremely briefly) in Finding Dory. Then, there’s Luca, which — despite Disney’s protestations otherwise — was confirmed to be a gay love story when its co-director and story lead, Kenna Jean Harris, shared new illustrations of the characters kissing.