There’s definite progress here as Rachel Labonte from Screenrant suggests but one big explanation concerning the lack of LGBTQ+ representation is that Disney and Pixar have usually catered to the biggest demographic when creating their movies, shorts, series, and so on. The representation they have given, background characters that may or may not have much to do with the main story, has obviously been frustrating to many people. Unfortunately for those that want to see more representation this is a business, and no matter that they are pushing forward with shorts like Out, it’s going to remain a business which will look at the bottom line first and the feelings of their audience second. That they’re trying is great, and that they’ll continue to try is even better, since as it’s been explained over and over by those that have experienced the fear and uncertainty of coming out to their family and friends, this is a time when a person is possibly the most afraid that they’ll ever be in their life. Will their family understand? Will their friends still accept them? These are questions that still weigh very heavily on a lot of those within the LGBTQ+ community and many still feel persecuted for their lifestyle by those who don’t or won’t choose to understand why they are the way they are and why it’s not really a choice, but who they’re meant to be.
The latest heartwarming tale from @Pixar’s #SparkShorts. Start streaming Out tomorrow on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/gRvBEdK1Iw
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) May 21, 2020
It’s kind of a hope that as a society we would have been beyond the need to keep talking about these matters in this manner at this point, but obviously being human means that we’re still going to exhibit plenty of flaws and hold onto a past that had several high points but many low points as well, particularly when it comes to how we treat one another. I’m going to make a quick prediction now and say that Out will show some difficulty between the main character and his parents, but in the end they’ll be accepting of him for who he is and will be just fine with the whole idea of him being gay since Disney and Pixar aren’t about to show a tragic and unhappy ending when it comes to this type of content, and they’ll be more apt to showcase their continued acceptance of a subject that is still kind of touchy for some people but is gaining more and more acceptance with each passing year, hopefully. Jeff Green of Bloomberg has more to say on this. But as I said, it’s a business, and both Disney and Pixar are going to take things slow as they do their best not to alienate or upset the demographic that has made them the most money just so they can appease a number of people that are far fewer and don’t make up as much of the profit. Brutal as that might sound, it’s a stark reality when it comes to turning a profit, as corporations will do what they can to keep the money flowing in, and in the interest of not seeing that flow dry up they’ll do just about anything. Thankfully though that does mean a compromise.
This won’t the only big step forward we see from Disney and Pixar, though it could be a while until we see a full-length feature that stars an openly gay lead. Again, it’s business, not a personal attack on the LGBTQ+ community and not an attempt to push them into the background. When making a movie it’s typically wiser to play up to the majority since they’ll be the ones that will make up the bulk of the profits. As things continue to change it could be that we’ll see a definite shift towards more and more representation for the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s going to be a step at a time since like it or not, history has not been kind to the community and it’s not just the fact that what people see as different is bound to be targeted as ‘bad’, but it also has a lot do with…you guessed it, PROFITS. Those that pay the most money are going to be those that the industry caters to the most, and as a result the industry is going to stick to the norms that the majority of society will want to see. It’s not entirely just or right, but it’s what happens and as a result it’s what has continued to happen for years on end. This isn’t a moment to pat the LGBTQ+ community on their collective head and say “you’ll get there one day”, as being patronizing isn’t the best idea at this time. Henry Bevins of Little White Lies has more to say on this topic. Instead, it’s better to show that they are being listened to and slowly but surely they’re being given more of a voice in pop culture as time goes on. It’s not everything, but it’s something.
