Disney LGBTQ+ Characters
Over the years, Disney has become a pioneer when it comes to inclusion. However, brushing issues related to the LGTBQ+ community is something Disney has been very careful about.
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00:00 Over the years, Disney has become a pioneer when it comes to inclusion.
00:05 However, brushing issues related to the LGBTQ+ community is something Disney has been very
00:11 careful about.
00:14 Even so, over time there have been various characters that have been related to the LGBTQ+
00:20 community.
00:22 And while there is some evidence to support these theories, Disney has never confirmed
00:26 that was actually the intention.
00:29 The villain in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid, Ursula, has been described as a bisexual character.
00:37 It is even said that the physical appearance of Ursula was inspired by the drag queen Divine,
00:42 who died a year before the release of the film.
00:46 The character Din Don from 1991's Beauty and the Beast is another character that has
00:50 always been considered part of the LGBTQ+ community.
00:56 Some versions suggest that Din Don and Lumiere were actually a couple.
01:01 Besides, the original voice of Din Don was provided by American actor David Ogden Stiers,
01:07 who was openly gay at the time.
01:11 A similar case comes up with Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King, who have been considered
01:15 to be a couple by many fans.
01:19 Add to the fact that they were in charge of raising a son together, the star of the whole
01:23 film, Simba.
01:26 Actor Nathan Lane is recognized for his activism in gay rights, and he was the talent behind
01:31 the famous voice of Timon.
01:34 Another Disney character that has been most closely related to the LGBTQ+ community is
01:39 Elsa from the Frozen Saga.
01:43 This famous queen has been considered one of the most obvious animated representations
01:47 of the community.
01:50 It was even expected that in Frozen 2 there would be a more forceful example of her sexuality,
01:55 which never came in the end.
01:58 Despite having been very careful about their stance in the past, the truth is that in recent
02:03 years Disney has been a little more open minded.
02:07 Proof of this change in attitude is a 2020 character who openly belonged to the LGBTQ+
02:13 community, coming to be through Pixar's animators.
02:17 We are talking about the movie Onward released in 2020, in which Officer Spectre who claims
02:22 to have a girlfriend is later revealed to be gay.
02:26 However, that ended up affecting the film economically as it was banned in several countries.
02:34 Despite this backlash, Disney has been increasingly open on the subject, and there will probably
02:38 be many more LGBTQ+ characters in the near future.
02:42 Thanks for watching.
03:01 (upbeat music)