Scene causes discussions: Pixar movie “Lightyear” cannot be seen in some countries
Created: 06/14/2022, 22:20
By: Tom Offinger
With "Lightyear" the next big film from Disney and Pixar comes to the cinemas.
On the Arabian peninsula, there is clear resistance to cartoons.
Riyadh/Munich - Film giant Disney continues to produce one film after the other.
With the cartoon “Lightyear”, the next promising blockbuster is already in the starting blocks.
While the strip from the Disney-affiliated company Pixar will probably be seen in most German cinemas in Germany, some fans on the Arabian Peninsula will go away empty-handed.
Disney film "Lightyear": Muslim countries do not show blockbusters
As the US magazine
Variety
reports, numerous Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Malaysia, will not show "Lightyear" in their cinemas.
The reason for this is a same-sex kissing scene in the cartoon, which revolves around the history of the character Buzz Lightyear, known from "Toy Story".
In addition to the eponymous main character, the lesbian space traveler Alisha also plays a major role, kissing her partner on the mouth during one scene.
In the United Arab Emirates, the film initially slipped through censorship, but criticism on social media subsequently increased.
A majority of the criticism revolved around "insulting Muslims and Islam," according to
Variety
.
Disney film "Lightyear": company wanted to censor blockbuster itself
In Saudi Arabia,
Pixar's
parent company ,
Disney
, made no attempt to censor the film.
Other titles from the company such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” or “Eternals” had recently not been shown because of homosexual characters.
Disney
had previously attempted to censor the scene itself.
An open letter from
Pixar
employees then led to a rethink at the film and entertainment giant.
The letter accused
Disney
of having reservations about "almost every moment of overt homosexual affection" and hit the company, which is otherwise emphatically diverse and tolerant, hard.
"Lightyear" can be seen in German cinemas from June 16th.
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