According to Variety, Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animated feature “Lightyear” will not be released in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and other Middle Eastern and Asian nations owing to the appearance of a same-sex kiss in the film.
According to the story, a gay space ranger called Alisha and her boyfriend kiss in the “Toy Story” prequel film. Because homosexuality is illegal in many Middle Eastern nations, films with LGBTQ+ characters or simply allusions to them are frequently restricted or downright prohibited.
Separately, according to Reuters, the film will be prohibited in 14 countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, and Indonesia, and is unlikely to be released in China, the world’s largest movie market.
Disney’s recent films “The Eternals,” which was barred in the area for portraying a same-gender couple and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first openly gay superhero, and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which features the character America Chavez, a lesbian hero who first appeared in Marvel Comics in 2011, both faced similar theatrical release restrictions.
The films “West Side Story” and Pixar’s “Onward” were both restricted in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as other countries in the Persian Gulf, due to the presence of a transgender character and a reference to lesbian parents. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the restriction applies to theatrical releases in those nations.