Disney allegedly told Pixar to make Inside Out 2 ‘less gay’ following same-sex kiss in Lightyear
"A lot of us accepted the fact that we may never see a major gay character in a Pixar movie," said one source
By Alim Kheraj
Leadership at Disney told staff at Pixar to make Inside Out 2 “less gay” after the inclusion of a same-sex kiss in Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear, was blamed for that movie’s poor performance, according to a new report by IGN.
Speaking to the outlet under assurances of anonymity, 10 former Pixar employees shared how the sequel to the beloved Inside Out, which generated $1.6 billion at the box office this year becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, was plagued with interference from higher ups at the animation studio’s parent company.
The report details how, prior to the release of Inside Out 2, Pixar was facing difficulties following the pandemic and a number of low-performing releases, including 2023’s Elemental and 2022’s Lightyear.
According to a number of sources, Disney bosses blamed the financial failure of Lightyear on a same-sex kiss that occurs in the film.
“A lot of us accepted the fact that we may never see a major gay character in a Pixar movie” – Former Pixar employee
The kiss proved so controversial, in fact, that, according to a report by Variety in 2022, it was initially removed from the film.
It was later restored after employees wrote an open letter to leadership at Disney following the company’s response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. In the letter, they alleged that “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar”.
Speaking to IGN, one employee noted that such censorship is still an issue at Disney, noting that leadership will bring out Lightyear‘s flop “and say, ‘Oh, Lightyear was a financial failure because it had a queer kiss in it.'”
The company’s hesitancy when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation had a direct impact on the production of Inside Out 2, according to those who spoke to IGN. This included notes requesting to make the lead character, Riley, “less gay”, which resulted in numerous edits to remove “romantic chemistry” between Riley and supporting character Val.
While it is never explicitly said that Riley is LGBTQ+ in the film, one source said that “it is kind of inferred based on certain contexts. And so that is something that they tried to play down at multiple points.”
Another source said that leadership at Disney were “uncomfortable” with LGBTQ+ themes.
Those who spoke to IGN also described the production of Inside Out 2 as “a shitshow”, highlighting seven-day work weeks, overtime (known as crunch) and, now, layoffs at the company. It was reported in May 2024 that Pixar had begun laying off 14% of its workforce.
Meanwhile, according to one source, Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer at Pixar, has directed the studio to lean into making “universal stories… that anyone can relate to.”
The move has led many questioning whether Disney and Pixar will ever shift their position on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
As one insider said: “A lot of us accepted the fact that we may never see a major gay character in a Pixar movie.”