Toy Story Lightyear spin-off will not be released in Saudi Arabia due to the inclusion of a gay kiss, the last of a series of Hollywood movies that have been banned in the Middle East for LGBTQ + content.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the scene in question involved a space guard named Alisha (voiced by Uzo Aduba) and her partner greeting each other with a kiss on the lips. Variety reports that Lightyear was not subjected to censorship in Saudi Arabia, as it was not expected to happen due to the country’s total ban on same-sex relationships. However, Pixar’s film was subject to the relatively more liberal censorship of the United Arab Emirates, but the film’s license was revoked following complaints on social media.
The scene in question had previously sparked controversy within the Disney production studio, after a group of LBGTQ + Pixar employees published a protest letter because material containing “openly gay affection” was being removed from all animated films by studio executives. The protest was sparked by internal anger over Disney’s corporate stance on Florida’s “don’t say gays” bill, which saw the company agree to stop political donations after staff falls. Lightyear’s same-sex kiss was later reported to be restored after being cut.
Lightyear’s problems in the Middle East are the latest in a series of challenges facing LGBTQ + content films in the region. The 2020 Pixar film Onward was banned in Kuwait, Oman and Qatar also in Saudi Arabia after a character with the voice of Lena Waithe implied that she is a lesbian, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness He denied the release to several Gulf countries due to the inclusion of teenage lesbian character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez). Saudi Arabia, which legalized cinemas in 2018, also banned the recent remake of West Side Story, as it contained a transgender character. Black Panther got a screening in the country, the first after legalization, after Disney accepted 40 seconds of cuts including two kissing scenes.