Same-sex kiss in Pixar's Lightyear prompts latest Middle East ban

The latest ban of a movie in the Middle East for showing same-sex kissing is so formulaic, it’s almost a given that there’s no going beyond the infinite zaniness of the matter.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Pixar’s Lightyear has run afoul with the censors there, marking the fourth time that the region has clapped back at Disney.

An upcoming same-sex kiss scene in the movie between the female character Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) and her partner is the reason for the ban.

This places Lightyear in the same category of Disney theatrical movies which did not see a Middle East release — Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and West Side Story — due to LGBTQ representation.

When it comes to LGBTQ issues, it would appear that the regulators have had a hard time reconciling if the content is safe for the audience’s consumption. In the case of The Eternals, the movie saw a same-sex kiss between Phatos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his partner. This scene saw the movie earn an M18 rating for Singapore.

With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, America Chavez’s (Xochitl Gomez) parents were both female. It was largely implied to be a same-sex relationship but this was inferred and not mentioned in the film. This earned the film a PG13 rating in Singapore, but it didn’t pass muster in the Middle East.

[[nid:571027]]

According to sources, the same-sex kiss in Lightyear is not even overt but it was enough to earn a ban. There is no word on the rating for the Singapore market though previous indicators point towards a likely M18 rating.

In a surprise move, likely more cautionary than intended, the Disney+ documentary, Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey To Lightyear, is rated M18 even though nothing within the documentary indicated it warrants M18.

Streisand Effect anyone? Now, we really want to watch Lightyear the moment it hits the cinema.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.