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Just before the holidays, news broke that Disney would cut a plot for a transgender character in the next Pixar series, Win or lose. At the time, Disney said the removal would allow parents to “discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and timeline,” which sparked a lot of discussion online, as it had been second sample with a trans-focused plot to get the ax recently.
Win or losewhich hits Disney+ in February, centers on a co-ed softball team; an episode would have been dedicated to a character called Kai, who remains in the episode, but without any reference to his gender.
Now, the former creators of Pixar have shared their feelings on the matter with the Hollywood Reporter. Former Pixar assistant editor Sarah Ligatich, who is trans and consulted on the episode, said the removal would cause problems, as the overall show has been finished “for a long time,” although repeatedly delayed by the its release scheduled for 2023. That Kai’s story was cut was not a big surprise for Ligatich, but he still felt “devastated”: “Disney has not been in the business of making great content”, he said. “They’ve been in the business of making big profits. Even two years ago, when I was at Pixar, we had a meeting with (then CEO) Bob Chapek, and they were clear with us that they see animation as a conservative medium .
That sentiment was shared by fellow ex-Pixar employees who spoke to the outlet. Some have found it ironic that Disney had no problem cutting the story of a trans character, but spent years giving the media a pass with considerably heavier topics, such as dealing with (and going from) the death of a loved one. Others have recognized that the now finished episode would need to have several story elements added before Win or lose mid-February launch. An anonymous former employee called it “very frustrating that Disney decided to spend money not to save lives”, explaining that the episode “was so beautiful – and beautifully illustrated some of the experiences of being trans – and it was literally to save the life. showing those who feel alone and unloved, that there are people out there who understand.”
The recent history of Disney throw weird people under the bus (up to it is not), and with Pixar Projects in particular, it has been documented before. But Donald Trump’s incoming second term has Pixar staff worried Win or lose it will be just one among many projects that will cut particular messages or points of view. A former Pixar artist speaking to THR said the studio’s 2026 film hoppers it will minimize any message of the environment. The film is centered around a girl who swaps brains with a beaver, and as the artist said, “when you have your entire film based on the importance of environmentalism, you can’t really walk on to this. That team struggled a lot to figure out, “What do we even do with this note?”
For Ligatich, the management of Disney Win or lose it’s also a reminder that queer creatives and audiences might have to look elsewhere to find stories that resonate. She singled out Netflix, which revived and released last year’s queer-centric film Nimona after Disney first he discarded itand said that the streamer “is more than happy to host content that tells authentic LGBTQ stories. That’s really how it’s going to go, is that you’re going to see a lot of indie studios pop up to tell stories.
Win or lose Premieres February 19, 2025 on Disney+.
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