Pixar’s higly anticipated forthcoming Toy Story prequel Lightyear, has put the same-sex kiss back in the film, following internal backlash of not supporting the lgbtq community.
Kiss-gate is between Hawthorne, a character voiced by Uzo Aduba, and another woman. The characters’ relationship itself was never called into question during production, the source said (to Deadline), but a kiss between the characters was excised before being restored last week. Pixar has been the loudest voice inside of Disney to call out CEO’s Bob Chapek’s reluctance to take a stance against Florida’s “don’t say gay bill.”
Lightyear is currently scheduled for theatrical release on June 17 of this year. The last three Pixar films: Soul, Luca and Turning Red, have all been re-routed from theaters to exclusive play on streaming service Disney+, a trend that has added to the unrest in the Pixar ranks. Digital plans for Lightyear have not been confirmed. Encanto, a smash on Disney+, grossed $250 million before starting its streaming run a month later. Not to mention their live-action side which saw Black Widow star Scarlet Johansson go head to head in a lawsuit with Disney (that was settled), for a breach in contract due to the theatrical and digital simultaneous release.