Another chapter has been added to Disney’s saga with Gulf censors.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio’s latest film, Buzz Lightyear, has been banned in a number of Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to THR, the decision was influenced by Pixar’s Toy Story prequel spinoff’s inclusion of a same-gender kiss. The scene, which features the female character Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) and her partner, was originally cut from the film but was reinstated after the uproar over a statement from Pixar employees alleging that Disney had been censoring “overtly gay affection” and Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Due to “violation of the country’s media content guidelines,” the UAE’s Media Regulatory Office said on June 13 that the film, which was set to be released on June 16, would not be approved for public viewing.
Lightyear joins a long list of famous Disney films that have experienced censorship in Gulf nations because of sequences including LGBTQ allusions or subjects, which frequently fall foul of censors for theatrical distribution due to homosexuality being outlawed in the area.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was denied a theatrical licence in April, purportedly owing to the inclusion of the character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez), who is homosexual in the comics. This came after Chloé Zhao’s Eternals was banned in parts of the Gulf in November due to the inclusion of a same-gender marriage and the MCU’s first homosexual superhero in the film. THR knew at the time that censors had sought a number of changes that Disney refused to make. However, an altered version was shown in the United Arab Emirates.
West Side Story was also banned from being shown in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait in January. This time, regional sources informed THR that the decision was made because of the character Anybodys, who is performed by nonbinary performer Iris Menas and is described as transgender in the new rendition.
