This article features the history of the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters in animated productions under The Walt Disney Company, including films from the studios Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, and programming from the Disney Branded Television channels as well as the streaming service Disney+. From 1983 onward, Disney's content often included LGBTQ stereotypes or the content was censored in series which aired on Toon Disney such as Blazing Dragons. Some creators have also criticized Disney studio executives of cutting LGBTQ scenes from their shows in the past, or criticized that their shows were not seen as part of the "Disney brand", like The Owl House.
Representation Queer coding Gender has always been a component of animation, with scholars Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin writing that animation has always "hint[ed] at the performative nature of gender." Some argued that the Walt Disney Company played with gender stereotypes in the past, featuring effeminate or sissy characters, or those coded as gay, which occurred while the characters were comedic and kept at arms length. Continuing from the late 1980s, villains in Disney films which were queer coded began to appear.
Gaston and LeFou in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and Jafar from the 1992 film Aladdin were created by an openly gay animator named Andreas Deja, and sang songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman, who was also openly gay. Deja supervised animation for those characters, with some noting the campy value of these characters. The fact that Deja had also worked on Scar in The Lion King and the titular character in Hercules, for example, has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters. In a June 1994 article in The Advocate, an executive producer of The Lion King, Thomas Schumacher, a gay man, argued that there were "a lot of gay people at every level" of Disney, and called it a "very supportive environment". He noted that he brought his partner, Matt White, to an annual company beach party and long company retreats and that while some executives were uncomfortable with Schumacher bringing his partner, higher executives didn't give him any trouble. Schumacher also said that while he regretted handing over reins of the film to Don Hahn, he was proud of songs by Tim Rice, a lyricist, and Elton John in the film. The Advocate noted that even if there aren't any openly gay or lesbian characters in the film, there is sensitivity to LGBTQ issues in the upper echelon of Disney.
This queer coding had its disadvantages, with networks not wanting to show overt representation. Rebecca Sugar argued that it is really heavy for a kid to only exist as a villain or a joke in an animated series. In 2011, Deja told news.com.au Disney would have a "family that has two dads or two mums" if they find the "right kind of story with that kind of concept." However, other critics criticized such queer-coded villains as contributing to homophobic discourse and equating queerness with evil itself.
Historian Peter C. Kunze argued that Ashman was recruited by Disney from Broadway, saying that while working with Alan Menken, he crafted songs in The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Kunze noted that Ashman and animators on The Little Mermaid were inspired by gay culture and gay icons. He also pointed out that Ashman was supported by Jeffrey Katzenberg after coming out as HIV-Positive, with the company even creating a production unit near his home so he could receive treatment in New York City rather than traveling to Burbank, California, with Beauty and the Beast dedicated to him. Kunze further noted that Albert Tavares, a gay man, oversaw casting on The Little Mermaid.
In 2006, Brother Bear II, directed by Ben Gluck, advocated for themes of diversity and personal transformation. The film portrays Nita's transformation into a bear, which is met with unconditional support from her father, who affirms, “I will love you no matter what you choose,” highlighting the importance of acceptance and love across differences. Melissa Etheridge, inspired by the film, wrote three original songs for the soundtrack.
In May 2020, Amber Vucinich, a story revisionist for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, revealed that Cassandra "Cass" was gay coded, with "sapphic looks" toward the story's protagonist, Rapunzel. She also said that there were many "queer women who boarded scenes [of] Cassandra," and that women-love-women vibes were ingrained in every drawing she did of the character.
In March 2021, Kelly Marie Tran, the voice actress of Raya in the film Raya and the Last Dragon, argued that Raya is queer, stating that she believed there were "some romantic feelings" between Raya and Namaari in the story. She later made clear that this isn't the official Disney position and hoped for a Disney warrior that is "openly in the LGBTQ community" in the future, perhaps even a person who is disabled.
In June 2021, Luca was released on Disney+. Some argued that the film felt "gay" even if not "explicitly queer," and more ambiguous, comparing it to the 2017 live-action film Call Me by Your Name and the 2020 animated film Wolfwalkers. Others said that Luca and Alberto hiding their true sea monster identities was an allegory for people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, feeling as though they need to hide their true selves in order to be accepted. The film's director, Enrico Casarosa, said this was unintentional and that his original vision for the film was to explore the time in a child's life before romance, but he has since welcomed the interpretation after the film's release, also stating: "While I identify with pronouns he/him and I am a straight man, the themes of diversity, acceptance and inclusion in our movie are dear to my heart".
Positive representation
In the 2010s, the series finale of Gravity Falls, aired on the Disney Channel, and featured Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland confirmed to be a gay couple.
In 2016, Jared Bush, writer and co-director of the film Zootopia, stated that the film features a gay couple, Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson.
In March 2017, Star vs. the Forces of Evil would make headlines with an episode entitled "Just Friends". The episode featured characters attending a concert and later concert-goers starting to kiss, including same-sex couples.
On September 30, 2018, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors aired on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. The team included America Chavez, a Latina lesbian superhero. GLAAD expressed hope that the film would allow Chavez to be represented accurately, and "serve as an introduction of America and further queer characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe." The film was later described as "a superhero tale with diversity oozing out of every animated frame," with note of Chavez having two mothers.
On May 22, 2020, an animated short film titled Out premiered on Disney+. This short Pixar film revolves around Greg attempting to hide a framed photo of him and his boyfriend, Manuel, from his parents, out of fear for their disapproval. The seventh short film in the SparkShorts series, it is both Disney's and Pixar's first short to feature a gay main character and storyline, including an on-screen same-sex kiss.
In the 2020s, The Owl House featured a bisexual protagonist, Luz Noceda, and various other LGBTQ characters. GLAAD praised it as a "noteworthy" series which "introduced new queer women characters". Previously, series creator Dana Terrace confirmed Luz Noceda as bisexual and Amity Blight as a lesbian in a Reddit AMA in September 2020. Amity and Luz represent Disney's first animated LGBT+ female regular characters. The series also featured Raine Whispers, who goes by they/them pronouns and is voiced by transgender and non-binary actor Avi Roque, and is Disney's first non-binary character.
On September 29, 2020, Samantha "Sam" King, a writer for the Season 3 episode of DuckTales, "They Put a Moonlander On the Earth!", confirmed that Lieutenant Penumbra is a lesbian character. King wished it had been more overt and said that people should continue to ask for better representation. In 2020, she participated in a DuckTales zine where she confirmed that Launchpad is bisexual, saying "LP just has so much love in him, that of course he's not only romantically attracted to one gender."
In March 2022, leaked clips from a Walt Disney Company meeting showed the president of Disney General Entertainment, Karey Burke, explain to staff that she is a parent of "two queer children," and the production coordinator at Disney Television Animation, Allen Martsch, note that his team is trying to include "more trans and gender non-conforming characters" in Disney animations. Also, in the meeting, Layota Raveneau, series director of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and Rise Up, Sing Out, said that she was adding queerness wherever she could in the projects she worked on for Disney. Elsewhere, Burke promised that 50% of the characters in content created by the Disney General Entertainment would be "from minority groups."
On May 21, 2022, Luz and Amity kissed each other on the lips in The Owl House episode "Clouds on the Horizon". It is the first same-sex kiss between the main characters in a Disney animated series. Strange World, which was released on November 23, 2022, features Ethan Clade, who is the first gay lead character in a Disney animated film. Ethan Clade is voiced by gay comedian Jaboukie Young-White. However, the film underperformed at the box office, as did Lightyear the same year, leading to a strategic pivot for Disney. Pete Docter of Pixar asserted that "fan expectations" hurt Lightyear, while The Independent said the film had a "nebulous and confusing" plot and it represents the obsession of the industry with "fallible, perhaps even doomed" filmmaking for franchises, and noted that both films were among those which had "protracted right-wing backlashes."
Although both films also led to criticism of Disney, by notable Republican donor and billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, the company stood by its business strategy. Later, Disney CEO Bob Iger called upon the company to prioritize entertainment rather than anything else, and the company prioritized business outcomes over initiatives for equity, inclusion, and diversity.
Elemental which was released on June 16, 2023, features Lake Ripple who is the first non-binary character in a Pixar film, and their girlfriend Ghibli. Lake uses they/them and she/her pronouns. Lake Ripple is voiced by non-binary actor Kai Ava Hauser.
Criticism