A Look at Disney’s LGBTQ Characters: Disney Launchpad Short Films

 

 

 

On the last Friday of May, Disney+ launched a collection of short films that serve as part of an anthology project called Launchpad.  This project is meant to give directors that are so often ignored a voice. As noted in this piece from The New York Times.  

 

 

the studio’s new initiative to support and uplift underrepresented filmmakers. Historically, Disney hasn’t had a strong track record for representation

 

I have watched all but one of these shorts, but two stand out for this series as they both deal with LGBTQ themes in different ways.  Before we get those, there is another titled Let’s Be Tigers, which deals with a girl dealing with the grief of losing her mother while babysitting a four-year-old boy.  And her charge has two fathers as he refers to them both as Daddy and Papi but they aren’t the focus of the short film.  Still, it is nice to see this family dynamic normalized.  With that out of the way,  I wish to take a look at the two short films that heavily deal with LGTBQ themes.  Let’s start with the more lighthearted of the two,  Growing Fangs.

 

 

 

Growing Fangs follows a queer Mexican-American Human/Vampire named Val as she tries to fit in at her new Monster School.  This short film was directed by a bisexual director named Anne Marie Pace and it deals with Val trying to find her place in this world including trying to impress her crush Elsie but goes south when it’s revealed she’s part human.  You see, the month school’s basketball team is called the Horrid Humans and it’s an obvious stand-in for how media has negatively depicted minorities.  A bit on the nose but I believe it works.  Looking at the vampire angle is the least surprising part as they have long been associated with the community. Think Lestat.

 

 

This also ties into how horror has often been viewed as a safe space for the LGBTQ community. This is something that my friend Chrystal Williams wrote about for the website,Gayly Dreadful.  

 

Fear is an all controlling presence and admittedly the LGBTQ community is very well accustomed to fear.

 

As  Chrystal writes here, fear is all-encompassing and that is something that horror is built on and it can also serve as a release valve for people, which is something the LGBTQ community often needs.   The other angle here is the character of Val being human and vampire that meant to be an allegory to what it is like to be Mexican-American.  This is perhaps the more important part to look at when looking at Val’s character.  As noted in this 2019 piece by Priscilla Blossom.

 

For marginalized kids like myself, it can be hard to grow up without allies or anyone who understands our position. Growing up in the late 90s, I was the first openly bisexual girl that I knew of in my middle school—and people openly hated me for it. Kids would avoid me in the halls, say terrible things, and play mean tricks on me. I became depressed and anxious, struggling with suicidal ideation.

 

 

This is something that Pace wanted to address in her short film as she explains in the making-of featurette, she wanted to know young kids that identify as part of this community to know that they are loved for who they are.  This short film is a great first step and honestly with the world that Pace created, I would love to see Growing Fangs be developed more into either a Disney+ movie or series as the world s so rich with potential and I would love to see more of Val figuring out who she is.

 

 

 

Now,  this next short film is the one that I was so excited about when I saw the Launchpad trailer.  This short film is titled The Little Prince(ss).  When I first saw the title for this short, I thought that maybe Disney would finally be giving us a trans character. Not exactly but this film does tackle the idea of gender identity.  

 

Gender identity is your deeply-held inner feelings of whether you’re female or male, both, or neither. Your gender identity isn’t seen by others.

 

 

Now,  this is handled rather well as this comes to us from Moxie Peng and they are nonbinary.  They mentioned part of this short was based on their experiences growing up.

 

 

 

Now, this film tackles something I have discussed long before I even knew and understood what gender identity was.  You see, this short film follows two young boys, Gabriel and Robbie.  The former is the self-titled Little Prince(ss).  He loves ballet, playing with dolls, and loves the color pink.  This is where the thing I mentioned earlier is that it often feels as though there is a double standard in that it is wrong for boys to play with girls’ toys.

 

 

Robbie’s father, Mr. Chen believes wholeheartedly and gets ballistic when he sees his son making a doll for Gabriel and takes it over to the boy’s house.   The boy’s parents see nothing wrong but Mr. Chen and tell Gabriel’s parents that it’s not right for a boy to play with dolls.  It’s uncomfortable but this is based on a real moment from Peng’s life when something similar happened to them and their parents.

 However, Mr. Wang does not budge. He tells Mr. Chen that he is proud of his son regardless of what his interests are and that he needs to understand that. He also explains that he is proud of Rob for seeing Gabriel for who he is and accepting it. Mr. Chen, speechless, quietly leaves.

 

 

Okay, so I wanna break this down a little bit.  First, I’ve dealt with people like Mr. Chen. Last year, when I was taking a course on the history of the internet and how to use it, there was an awful guy in that course that couldn’t understand that it’s okay and actually healthy forboys to play with dolls.  

 

 

 

Giving a boy a doll gives him the opportunity to explore his nurturing and caring side, and can teach a boy as much about being a father, just as dolls teach girls about motherhood.

 

 

If you know me, you that I love stuffed animals, and having them as a child helped me later in life to connect with people.  This is small but also important and I also want to look at Mr. Chen and his refusal to accept his son’s new friend.  Sadly, this is a reality for so many.  Mr. Wang takes this the best by saying he’s proud of his son and Robbie for looking past those differences.  As this source says, however, it’s okay to give them time but they may not always come around.

No matter how angry this person gets at you, remember it’s not your fault, and you’ve done nothing wrong for being LGBTI+. Don’t feel you need to change to satisfy this person – the only thing that needs to change is this person’s unaccepting attitude or behaviour.

 

The Disney Wiki highlights something that I didn’t even realize but it makes sense,  at one point, Gabriel is seen watching the 1998 Mulan.  And many believe that film to have LGTBQ+ themes.  Many have read Shang as bisexual.  Moreover,  Mulan has to hide her true identity when parading as Ping.  Which when one thinks about it, it ties into how so many in the community have to hide who they are as a way of being accepted by the normal.  This is something we see with Mr. Chen and how he can’t accept something that challenges his worldview.  It’s a heartbreaking reality that so many have to face.  Now, much like Val,  this is about an LGBTQ+ character of color.  Here being a young Chinese boy and well, I don’t think that makes things any easier.   And as we can see being Chinese and queer isn’t easy. 

 

Homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, but gay marriage remains illegal. The picture on trans and other queer rights is mixed.

 

That is where another important angle comes in as the Chen family had moved here (the states) from China for a better life.   And well, we see how that goes.   Thankfully, Gabriel and Robbie decided to stay friends despite Mr. Chen’s outdated beliefs.

 

 

 

This short film is beautiful and heartbreaking but also uplifting.  I can’t recommend this film enough.   It is honestly one of the best things I’ve watched thus far for this series.

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A Look at Disney’s LGBTQ Characters: Artie (Cruella)

 LGBTQ

 

Spoilers for Cruella.  Cruella, the latest live-action offering from Disney is good for the most part.  It’s fun and silly and doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Having said all this, I do have my issues with the film, in particular the character of Artie.  Artie has been promoted by news outlets (not Disney) as the first openly gay Disney character and well, if you’ve been following this series, you know that is not the case.  However,  Artie is played by an openly gay actor, John McCrea, and McCrea has confirmed that his character is gay.  

 

It depends on who you’re asking I suppose – but for me, yes, it’s official: he’s queer,” McCrea explained.

 

Now,  this isn’t a case of the LeFou exclusively gay moment that I kicked this series off with but I am still so mixed on this character.

 

 

 

 

For example one of the biggest things that seemingly tipped me off was Artie’s look as it was inspired by Bowie.

 

 

Bowie as inspiration totally makes sense for two reasons: Bowie is an LGBTQ+ icon and this movie is set in the seventies as noted by the glam rock aesthetic.  Let’s start with the former as noted here in a 2016 piece from Billboard.

 

“I’m gay,” declared David Bowie, “and always have been, even when I was David Jones.”

When he uttered these now-immortal words in the Jan. 22, 1972, issue of England’s Melody Maker, the fledgling starman had just released December 1971’s Hunky Dory and already was giving his interviewer a taste of his glam-rock milestone, June 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars. The British Parliament had only decriminalized homosexuality in 1967; post-­Stonewall U.S. gay life was not yet 3 years old.

 

 

Using such an important figure in pop culture history and not doing more almost seems like a waste.  You see, this is where part of my frustration comes in. I really like this character and the relationship that he forms with Estella/Cruella even if to some it might fall into the stereotype of a gay best friend but I don’t see it that way.

 

The GBF may talk about sex a lot, but is seldom depicted as having any, because too many viewers would find that disturbing. Either he has no love life to speak of (which never seems to bother him), or it’s forever offscreen, only discussed with the heroine over brunch at some pretentious cafe.

 

 

Moreover,  my biggest issue comes from how the movie doesn’t use Artie to explore what it meant to be gay in the seventies.  I understand that this is a Disney Villain origin movie but I still think this is something that could have been incorporated.

The Bowie quote touches on this somewhat but save for one line, there isn’t much exploration of what being gay at this time was like nor what it meant. Also since this movie is set in London, I believe that is another huge factor to take into consideration when thinking about how gay people were treated.

Up until 1967, gay and bisexual men could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if they broke the law around homosexuality.

That quote comes from a BBC timeline chronicling a gay timeline for the United Kingdom.  This ties into something, I looked it up to make sure but Cruella doesn’t specify what year it actually takes place in and rather seems to use the aesthetic of the seventies.   Though if we go back to the Bowie inspiration for Artie’s look and assume that he is a Bowie fan and bought the Ziggy Stardust album.,  I think it could be placed in the early – mid seventies.   Again, this is a stretch I admit but I think it can work and would give an idea of what life was like for them.  This also calls to mind some of the things that Artie says when he first meets Estella/Cruella.  This first one I feel does give a small idea but it doesn’t feel like enough.

Some abuse and insults, of course, but I like to say that ‘normal’ is the cruelest insult of them all. And at least I never get that

 

I do appreciate that this line acknowledges the hardships that gay people go through but the fact it’s only said this one time feels hollow.  Even still, this is frustrating as I like the character and I wish  I could say he’s a good step but at this point, I wish companies would stop taking baby steps and starting making leaps with their LGTBQ+ characters.

 

Now, there is something else that I wish to bring up that is just so annoying/eye-rolling.   

 

 

Omar Navarro, a California Republican politician who has tried and failed several times to unseat U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, is complaining that Disney has ruined his childhood by featuring a gay character in the movie Cruella.

 

 

Of course, we were going to get someone complaining about this character and I’m not shocked by this wording.  Honestly,  I’m just tired of hearing people saying the existence of gay characters ruining their life. It doesn’t and just stop.

 

Furthermore, this is a movie about the fashion world and in many ways, gay people helped to build the fashion industry.  

 

 

…. the fashion world has always been dominated by queer voices. From Gianni Versace to Yves Saint Laurent to Alexander McQueen and Michael Kors, the most prominent luxury designers over the past century have primarily been gay men. Beyond luxury designers, behind-the-scene roles in the fashion industry, from editorial to advertising, are often also members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

 

 

That quote highlights what I said of how the gay community helped to build the fashion world.  So, the fact that there is a gay character in a movie about the fashion world not only makes sense but should be expected.  With that, I find that statement to be so absurd.

 

As I’ve said I like this character but I am frustrated by how he’s used in the movie. I just feel as though the movie could have done more with him

A Look at Disney’s LGTBQ Characters: Elsa

 

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t sure if I was going to do this entry but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Whether or not, you like Frozen. It’s hard to ignore its impact, which also extends to how so many LGTBQ people have related to Elsa. After all, the hashtag #giveElsaagirlfriend exists. And we almost got that in the sequel.

It’s interesting to look at why so many people relate to Elsa. Concerning the LGTBQ community, I believe part of it comes from what her father tells her to do with her magic at a young age. This is also brought up in “Let It Go”

 

Elsa from a young age has been taught to hide part of herself and this is something we’ve discussed time and again of how people of this community often feel the need to hide part of themselves in the hopes of being accepted.

Once Elsa frees herself from the shackles of what her father instilled in her, she has a stronger sense of confidence. Quite honestly,  I’m not the first nor the last person to pick up on the gay coding of Elsa as observed here.  

 

 

Queer readings of Frozen and Elsa’s role within the film started appearing on social media shortly after the movie was released in November 2013, but they really began taking off in early 2014.

 

While the first movie may have planted the seeds,  it’s really the sequel where this idea comes into its own.  We’ve already discussed how this works with “Let It Go” but Elsa has two songs that truly play into this.   The first being the song that Disney used to promote this movie, “Into The Unknown”

 

 

 

Looking at the lyrics helps support this as seen here.

 

I’m spoken for I fear
Everyone I’ve ever loved is here within these walls
I’m sorry, secret siren, but I’m blocking out your calls
I’ve had my adventure, I don’t need something new
I’m afraid of what I’m risking if I follow you

 

These lines elicit thoughts of young queer people that are struggling to come out.  They may live in an area where that is not accepted. And sure Elsa is a young white woman that is very much privileged.  But there is still a modicum of truth to this. As the LGBT Foundation highlights, the first person that you need to come out to is yourself.

 

….the most important person to come out to first is yourself. Being honest about who you are and not feeling the need to hide behind a secret identity is to many people a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.It becomes easier to meet other people with similar feelings and over time can have a positive effect on all aspects of your life, when you are happier and feel that you can be accepted for who you really are.

This is what this song correlates to in many ways.  And it’s also interesting to note how Elsa has a big support system such as Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf but one of her biggest character flaws is pushing people away. She does that in both movies.  To a much greater extent in the first movie but she also does it in Frozen II.  In the first movie’s prologue, we see it as her locking herself away in her room after her parents’ death.

 

 

 

Elsa?
Please, I know you’re in there
People are asking where you’ve been
They say, “Have courage”, and I’m trying to
I’m right out here for you, just let me in

 

 

And in the sequel, she literally pushes Anna and Olaf away in an ice canoe.  And this comes from that she believes that she has to protect her younger sister but it also comes across as though Elsa believes that this journey of self-discovery following the voice.

 

 

 

This is an interesting trend in the last three characters I’ve covered for this series in that they have open support but are afraid to embrace it.  I haven’t been able to find anything that confirms this in real life but part of me believes that this may stem from the idea that when someone comes out, they are afraid of how those they love will affect them.  I believe that is something that Elsa shouldn’t have to worry about as Anna adores her sister but Elsa’s fears are still valid.

Before we get to the most important song in Elsa and gay coding, I want to expand our horizons a bit and look at a song from the Broadway adaptation.

 

 

This song is called “Monster” and while it’s clearly about how Elsa feels about her powers.  It truly struck me here:

 

Is everyone in danger/As long as I’m alive

 

This line here when Elsa sings made me think of all the young queer kids that go through these moments where they believe the world would be better if they didn’t exist.  This is even mentioned in an old study but I still find it rather relevant.

 

In a 2016-2017 survey from HRC, 28 percent of LGBTQ youth — including 40 percent of transgender youth — said they felt depressed most or all of the time during the previous 30 days, compared to only 12 percent of non-LGBTQ youth (HRC Foundation 2017).

 

 

 

This is where another set of lyrics comes in that shows the resolve Elsa has

 

No!/I have to stay alive

 

Yes, here Elsa is singing about how she has to fix the eternal winter that she has caused but again as someone that has had suicidal thoughts,  looking at this and knowing that young LGTBQ+ kids are still struggling, this is an important message and I look at it as a way of saying that the most important person to live for is yourself.  Speaking of that brings us to the most important song in Elsa’s journey.

 

 

 

 

“Show Yourself”  is the most important song in Elsa’s journey, this is the moment where she is able to accept herself, and she sees that one of the most important people in her life had already accepted her, her mother.

 

Her mother was the voice that started the journey that she went on.  There are many articlesthat focus on this aspect.

 

 She ends up duetting with the spirit of her mother and the latter woman utters the most powerful lyric of Elsa’s storyline: “You are the one you’ve been waiting for.” The song is full of beautiful lines: “you’ve got secrets too, but you don’t have to hide”, “step into your power”, and Elsa weeps when she sings “I am found!

As stated this is perhaps the most important moment for Elsa as she finds herself and is finally allowing herself to be happy.  And this is part of why I love the sequel so much as it continues such an important journey for Elsa.

 

I am afraid that this may be as far as Disney will take the coding with Elsa when you consider that this is one of the most profitable franchises that they have. Yeah, rainbow capitalism and all that but Disney is an old-school thinking company that they are most likely thinking about hetromormtive families first.  Bit of a shame if you ask me but I do think having a character like Elsa is important for the next generation of young kids especially if they love princesses as they can see a character that they can relate to.  It tells them that they aren’t wrong for feeling how they feel.

 

Join me next time for a different entry as we dive into the world of books and look at the two leads from the Hocus Pocus book sequel.

A Look at Disney’s LGBTQ Characters: Penumbra (DuckTales 2017)

 DuckTales

 

 

I remember the Monday that this episode first aired and I heard this and I first heard Penumbra say that she had no desire to an earth male.  I had an idea of what this meant but it wasn’t until I saw Sam King on Twitter confirm that this meant that Penumbra is indeed a lesbian. 

After a fan on Twitter asked if the line meant Penumbra is queer, the episode’s writer and director Sam King confirmed it. “Hey yeah! For clarity, I had certain constraints I had to work in to get this across, so believe me I’m the first to say I wish it was more overt,” she said. “But yes, Penny calls everything on Earth “Earth -” her saying “Earth… male” is specifically saying “Men.” She’s a lesbian.

 

Knowing this information is rather interesting as it falls back into something that we have seen twice so far with lesbian characters, that they are strong almost warrior types I.e. Mulan and Cassandra, however, Penny seems to take it to an extreme.  As she is nothing but a warrior and that is the only way she knows how to live.  Penburma is struggling to find her place on earth.   Which in many ways feels allegorical to how queer people constantly struggle to identify where they belong in the world.   On the surface, one might think that everyone feels that way and there is a truth to that, yes but the difference when looking at how queer youth are struggling, it feels like a sense of added pressure.

However, that is where something else comes into play, Penumbra actually does have a rather strong support system but she is in warrior mode that she has kept her wall up.  This is interesting as it seems to show another as it falls back on another trope I’ve noticed gay characters making themselves distant as a form of protection.   I mean, we can look at characters such as Gibbous to see that Penny does have others that care about her but she has to let them in at her pace.

Which brings me to the other important point,  how Launchpad reacts when Penumbra says she doesn’t wish to date an earth male.  He takes it in stride, he doesn’t get mad at her or anything.  He is understanding and totally cool with it.  I wish more people would react this way when someone came out.  As GQ points out, this is one of the best ways to react and this is akin to how Launchpad acted.

 

“I’m really glad you told me” is a lovely thing to hear. You’re telling them how you feel about it without making it all about you, and you’re acknowledging their courage in speaking up. “It’s going to be all right. You’ve no need to worry. I’m here for you whatever.” They may sound like corny clichés, but hearing these said sincerely can change someone’s life in the blink of an eye. Not all heroes wear capes, remember.

 

 

As the article points out, there are more straight people than there of us but it still means a lot when we come out and we’d rather have someone understand instead of just brushing it off. This also speaks to something great about Penumbra when she says that line, she is rather direct and it shows how confident she is in who she is.   That is important for young LGBTQ+ youth to see as see brave and confident woman say that tells them that it is okay to feel how they feel and that they aren’t wrong for having those feelings.

 

DuckTales (2017)  has always shown itself to be inclusive as we saw that Violet and Lena have two dads in the season three premiere but this episode and that line just took it one step further.

 

 

 

That scene was a good start but this line was even better.  Honestly, the more I look at it and think about it, this depiction was handled quite well.  Join me next time as we look at one of the biggest characters that the LGBTQ community has glommed onto and it’s not hard to see why as we look at…

 

Elsa