Jungle Cruise
, the new adventure film from Disney with the good flavor of nostalgia, nevertheless features a first for the enchanted kingdom: one of its characters reveals his homosexuality.
The novelty appears in a scene where the character played by British actor Jack Whitehall discusses his sexuality with the captain of the boat played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
If by the standards of modern cinema such a scene is nothing extraordinary, it is on the other hand an event for Disney and its conservative reputation.
The young British dandy MacGregor, sailing the Amazon with Captain Frank does not specifically use the word "
gay
", but explains that he has broken off three engagements with women, his "
interests
" residing "
elsewhere
".
"I felt the scene represented exactly what it was - two men talking about what they love, and who they love,"
said The Rock, highest paid actor of the planet, at a press conference this week.
But the dialogue is likely to cause a stir when it releases in the United States on Friday, with every small step by Disney towards more LGBT representation in its productions having drawn criticism in the country, where the film is released. on July 30 in American theaters and on Disney +, as well as abroad, and not only among the curators.
Read also: Disney appeals against the censorship of
Beauty and the Beast
in Malaysia
The American evangelical group One Million Moms organized a boycott of
Toy Story 4
in 2019 because the animated film briefly showed two moms dropping their children off at school.
One Million Moms had accused Disney of "
exposing children to controversial subjects
."
Opportunistic symbol
A stealthy lesbian kiss in the latest installment of the
Star Wars
saga
was even cut during editing in the versions shown in Singapore and Dubai, where same-sex marriage is illegal.
But this historic smooch was also castigated by LGBT rights defenders who saw it as an opportunistic symbol, like a short scene in the mega-blockbuster
Avengers: Endgame
, where an openly gay man participates in a support group .
Jungle Cruise
goes further, however, as McGregor explains joining his scientist sister, played by Emily Blunt, in her expedition to Brazil, as she stood by his side when others threw him back into WWI London, because of his attraction to the same sex as his.
“It's a scene we really wanted to do well
,
”
said Jack Whitehall, a British comedian turned actor. Speaking about the issue at the premiere Sunday in California, he told
Variety
magazine
that the scene was "
meaningful
", and that they had "
thought about it and discussed it a lot
." “
I hope this is a scene that the audience will enjoy and I certainly felt pride at that time for the work we had done,
” he added, adding that he hoped that 'it would have a positive impact on LGBT children watching it.
But the lack of a term in the film has already sparked criticism on social media.
"Disney will do anything to avoid using the word
'
gay
'
in its mainstream content
," Declan Cashin, a content manager for the social network, said on Twitter.
Jeremy Blacklow, entertainment media director at LGBT rights group GLAAD, said in a statement to AFP that the dialogue represented a "
significant addition to a big-budget film that will reach viewers around the world
."
However, "
the implication of the scene makes it easy to miss it for anyone who doesn't pay particular attention to it, or for those who are too young to understand the reference,
" he said. added.
According to GLAAD, there were only 20 LGBT characters in films released by major studios last year, 30% of whom were on screen for less than a minute.
Read also: Hollywood: not enough homosexual characters in the films
For Jeremy Blacklow, Disney should include more diverse storylines in his upcoming films, including in Marvel superhero franchises like
The Eternals
, and
Doctor Strange
or
Thor
sequels
.
The story of
Jungle Cruise
takes place in the Amazon rainforest and follows Dr. Lily Houghton, played by Emily Blunt, and her brother, who enlist the services of a charismatic and bubbly but mysterious boat owner to sail up the Amazon. in search of a tree with mysterious healing powers.
As with
Pirates of the Caribbean
, the film has its roots in an attraction in Disney parks.