Disney has not been fair to the queer community.
Specifically with it’s recent princess movies, Disney pushes an exhausting heteronormative agenda that the growing queer population is frankly losing interest in. Not only is Disney neglecting to appeal to their queer audiences, but it is embarrassing that Disney does not have the guts to embrace the queer community in a way that could prove monumental in the lives of queer kids in america and internationally.
So why a Disney princess movie? Because Disney has buried queer elements in every other aspect of their industry except for heroine centered animated blockbusters that american kids treasure.
Maybe audiences remember the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it lesbian kiss in the end of The Rise of Skywalker, the gay police officer in the animated movie Outward, or the lesbian astronaut in the buried film Lightyear. Maybe they saw the film centering around a gay protagonist, Strangeworld, that slipped into theaters and onto Disney’s website silently. But they likely didn’t. It’s clear Strangeworld was buried…given that the film with a budget of $180 million and a Thanksgiving release date, only raised a revenue of $18.5 million domestically. Strangeworld was a great film, if it had been promoted half as much as Wish, Coco, or Elementals, revenue would be higher.
If these queer fragments were enough, people would know about them. They’re there just enough so that Disney can introduce their first queer character at least 10 times, yet small enough where some international countries only have to censor five seconds for their audiences..a factor that serves as Disney’s excuse for neglecting queer centered films. Disney generated $2.05 billion in international revenue alone from their films this year – 60 percent of their total $3.4 billion revenue. Movies being banned in international countries hurts their income – and it is not uncommon for Disney movies with an ounce of queer presence in them to be censored excessively or banned internationally.
Enter Elsa, the two boys from Luca, other Disney characters that are heavily shipped or rumored to be gay, and countless heterosexual princess movies with morals that align closely with coming out and living your best life.
In recent months, Disney has stood back and watched queer audiences speculate about these billion dollar characters, and million dollar morals. Disney doesn’t get a pass because they foster speculation, especially given the incredible opportunity it has to make a clear statement of support for the queer community. Through teasing these queer coded carachters and themes, Disney can still make billions off international films internationally while appearing queer supportive to Americans.
Commit, Disney. Make Elsa and her rumored lover happen. With the star studded cast resembling Frozen and a blockbuster box office promotion like Moana, Disney can push queer themes into the light for the better with new movies starring a lesbian or transgender princess. Queer kids across the world deserve more than a gay kiss at the end of star wars, and buried Disney short films. More than seeing themselves represented in an integral aspect of american culture, queer youth deserve to feel the love and acceptance that they might not be finding in their own homes.
Do better, Disney.
