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Turning Red, the much-awaited Disney-Pixar animated movie, co-written and directed by Academy Award-winning Canadian animator Domee Shi, is all set to be released this Friday, March 11, 2022, exclusively on Disney Plus.
It is safe to say that the anticipation and excitement among viewers, especially Pixar fans, regarding Turning Red is quite high as Disney's Don't Say Gay bill controversy amplifies.
Pixar employees have reportedly exclaimed that Disney has purged efforts to create LGBTQ+-inclusive projects and are demanding that the studio’s parent company counter and challenge anti-LGBTQ legislation like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill with strong action.
Viewers are quite excited for Turning Red to be released
What is Disney-Pixar's Turning Red about?
The highly anticipated animated movie Turning Red will chronicle the story of Meilin Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian teenager living in Toronto, who eventually discovers that she has the power to magically turn into a giant red panda whenever she feels strong emotions.
Turning Red will also be Pixar's very first feature-length movie directed by an Asian woman, Domee Shi. Since the arrival of the trailer for this animated movie, it has started to create a lot of buzz among viewers as they were quick to point out that the animation seemed lazy and not up to Pixar standards.
However, since Disney's Don't Say Gay bill controversy came to light, viewers have become even more eager to witness how the movie unfolds.
How intense is the controversy?
In a memo, Disney's current CEO Bob Chapek told staff members that the company strongly stands with its “LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities,” but corporate statements do much less to change minds or results and can “be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change” because they “are often weaponized by one side or the other.”
He further exclaimed:
"Because this struggle is much bigger than any one bill in any one state, I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support."
In an interview, Bob Chapek's staff memo acknowledging the company’s decision to remain silent publicly regarding Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill was called out by an unidentified group of queer employees of Pixar and their supporters.
In particular, the group of employees made a demand that Disney should stop backing politicians that support HB 1557/SB 1834, which would allow them to ban the much required discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten by school officials and third parties through third grade and also allow parents to sue districts over breaches.
Dropped after Chapek’s discussion with shareholders, the statement put forward that although employees have made attempts to make inclusion a primary focus in their respective projects, Disney corporate has reportedly reduced the portrayal the creators have put forth.
They further exclaimed 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. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the ‘inspiring content’ that we aren’t even allowed to create, we require action."
Catch Turning Red, as it is all set to stream on Disney+ from Friday, March 11, 2022.
