NEWS: Disney Removes Transgender Storyline from New Pixar Series

Disney has seen lots of box office success for its movies in 2024.

‘Inside Out 2’ Mural

Inside Out 2 grossed over $1 billion globally, while Moana 2 has crossed $720 million and is headed toward $1 billion after its debut over Thanksgiving. After a few years of underperforming movies (In 2022, Lightyear grossed $226.4 million, and Strange World grossed $73.6 million), Disney and Pixar have been seeing great success. On the curtails of that success, Pixar has recently released a new series on Disney+, Dream Productions, with another show on the way in 2025. However, a major change has just been announced for the upcoming show, Win or Lose.

Win or Lose is a series that will debut on Disney+. It follows a co-ed middle school softball team called the Pickles in the week leading up to their championship game. The series will consist of eight episodes, each focusing on one character’s off-the-field life from their point of view. The focus character for each episode may be a player, a parent, a coach, or an umpire.

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One of these eight episodes was set to focus on a character who identified as transgender, going through their storyline and including dialogue around LGBTQ+ and gender identity. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that story arc has been removed. The character will remain in the show, but all dialogue referencing LBGTQ+ and gender identity topics has been removed.

@Pixar X

A Disney spokesperson recently confirmed the change and stated, “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.”

This change comes roughly two years after the release of Lightyear, which included a same-gender couple and kiss, and Strange World, which had an openly gay lead character. Both of these movies were heavily scrutinized over the content for children and, in the case of Lightyear, banned in some countries.

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While Disney and Pixar are starting to censor their kids’ movies a little more, adult content continues to have dialogue and storylines around LGBTQ+ content. Shows like Agatha All Along, All of Us Strangers, Next Goal Wins, and Fire Island all include content with LGBTQ+ themes.

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Win or Lose was originally slotted to appear on Disney+ this past month; however, it was replaced with Dream Productions, a show about the main character of Inside Out, Riley, and the production of her dreams. Dream Productions was added to Disney+ shortly after the new Inside Out 2 movie premiered in theaters, while Win or Lose will now be on Disney+ starting in February 2025.

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