Disney Removes Transgender Storyline from Upcoming Pixar Show ‘Win or Lose’   

Despite some much-needed successes with films like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, the once-invulnerable Disney empire has struggled in recent years. The studio has found itself embroiled in several controversies, including a much-publicized conflict with Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and has undergone a series of sweeping cost-cutting layoffs.      

Enthusiasm for previously bankable franchises like Marvel and Star Wars has waned in recent years. Yet arguably more concerning for Disney is the studio’s strained relationship with its core family audience due to the inclusion of LGBTQ elements in many recent animated stories.   

For example, Pixar’s Lightyear (2022) included the studio’s first same-sex kiss in an animated film, Strange World (2022) featured a young, gay protagonist, and the episodic streaming series Baymax! (based on the hit 2014 film Big Hero 6) incorporated storylines about a gay romance and a transgender character purchasing tampons.   

The disastrous box-office returns and icy reception toward these stories seem to have caused Disney to rethink its storytelling approach. Earlier this year, Pixar creative officer Pete Docter expressed the need to focus on more universally relatable stories, and behind-the-scenes reports revealed a top-down directive to avoid any LGBTQ elements in Inside Out 2.   

Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has reversed course on a planned transgender storyline in its upcoming series Win or Lose (scheduled for release on February 19^th, 2025). The show will focus on a co-ed middle school softball team. Each episode will cover the same events from the point of view of a different character, with one identifying as transgender.   

In a statement, Disney provided an explanation for the change: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” While the transgender character will still be present in the show, dialogue explicitly related to gender identity has allegedly been removed. Whether the decision is an isolated case or reflects a larger strategic shift in the way Disney explores sexuality in its animated stories remains to be seen.