Future episodes of Pixar’s original animated series “Win or Lose” will not include a transgender storyline, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The series follows a co-ed middle school softball team named Pickles during the week leading up to the championship game. Each of the eight episodes focuses on the off-field lives and perspectives of characters, including players, parents, coaches, and referees.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed that the story arc has been removed and issued the following statement to THR: “When it comes to animated content for younger audiences, we recognize that many parents prefer to discuss certain themes with their children on their own timeline.”
The character will remain on the show, but a few lines of dialogue that referenced gender identity will be removed. Sources close to Win or Lose say the studio decided to change course several months ago.
Disney declined to comment on further details.
This isn’t the first time the company has come under intense scrutiny for its LGBTQ+ storylines, particularly animated content.
In 2022, controversy erupted inside and outside of Disney following former CEO Bob Chapek’s much-criticized response to Florida’s “Don’t Call Me Gay” bill. In June of the same year, Pixar’s “Lightyear” also included homosexuality and kissing scenes, which also caused controversy. A few months later, Disney’s animated film Strange World, which features an openly gay protagonist, was released. Both films performed poorly at the domestic and international box office, earning only $226.4 million and $73.6 million worldwide, respectively. LGBTQ+ content faces challenges in certain international markets where countries may impose stricter age restrictions or ban content entirely.
Gender identity has become a hotly contested topic across the United States, particularly in the youth and sports arenas. Recently, Disney Channel’s animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur have announced on social media that some people involved with the shows will release episodes featuring transgender characters. It became a hot topic when Disney announced that it had been banned. The company denied that the episode had been “banned” and said the decision to withhold the episode was made more than a year ago and was not based on its inclusion of a transgender character. said.
Disney continues to feature LGBTQ+ content in its more adult programming, most notably Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along, Searchlight Pictures’ All of Us Strangers, and The Next Goal. – Winds and Fire Island, FX’s “Pose”, etc.
Studios aren’t alone in grappling with the potential impact of politically charged content. All of Hollywood is bracing for what could be a tumultuous four years under the Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump, who won a landslide victory last month, has routinely criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and it has been widely reported that many companies are starting to withdraw from DEI programs, which are undervalued. groups are concerned about this trend. Just keep going. Top media executives have already met with Trump, including Apple’s Tim Cook, and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos is also scheduled to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago.
The decision comes as Alan Bergman’s Disney film empire is celebrating a major box office resurgence, led by animation. Pixar’s Inside Out 2, released last summer, grossed $1.7 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film in history, followed by Disney Animation’s Moana 2. It has broken numerous records and has grossed over $725 million to date. Billion dollar mark.
“Win or Lose” was originally scheduled to be released this month, but to capitalize on the success of the movie sequel, the schedule was moved to “Dream Productions,” Pixar’s other original animated series based on Riley from “Inside Head.” I decided to replace it. The show was created by Michael Yates, Carey Hobson, and David Lally, and was voiced by Will Forte as Coach Dan.
As it turns out, the voice actor whose character’s story arc was changed turns out to be transgender himself. Disney informed Chanel Stewart, now 18, of the decision on Monday night. Stewart told Deadline magazine late Tuesday that she was “very disappointed” (she was 14 when she won the role following an opening casting call for a trans actress). She continued, “From the moment I received the script, I was excited to share my journey to empower other transgender youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Transgender stories matter and deserve to be heard.”
Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m.: Updated with comments from Win or Lose voice actress Chanel Stewart.
