Onward is the first Disney/Pixar film to include a transgender character with dialogue, and it has been praised by many for its progressive stance on LGBT representation in children’s media. However, some viewers have been critical of the film’s handling of the topic.
The reference to transgender people in the film has been censored in some countries. For example, it has been banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. As of press time, the movie is showing in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Egypt, but has yet to be distributed in Saudi Arabia. In addition, Russia has censored one scene in Onward, changing the character’s girlfriend’s name to her partner’s. In the local version, the character is not mentioned by name, making it difficult to gauge if it is intended to be offensive to the community.
The recent inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in Pixar films has received criticism from conservative parents and religious groups. However, this move is a positive step forward, and the inclusion of a transgender character will help educate audiences and provide more diverse characters in the future. The studio has an ongoing search for a young voice actress to voice the transgender character in their films.
Another recent cartoon that has featured a transgender character is Arthur. It has an episode dedicated to a same-sex wedding, and there is a bisexual episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog. In addition, Sony has announced that it will make a new movie featuring a bisexual Spider-Man.
Onward also features a transgender character, named Sally. The director, Dan Scanlon, told Yahoo! Entertainment that the scene is important because it represents modern society. He also said that a transgender character can be treated the same as any other character in a movie.
Adding a transgender character to a popular movie isn’t an easy task for an entertainment conglomerate like Disney. The problem with removing characters who are not “straight” is that foreign audiences may find them offensive and might even ban them. This is not always the case, however. Some countries have been known to ban movies with a transgender character as the lead character.