Disney Backs Off Messaging - Pixar Removes Trans Comments From Win Or Lose

[@leyenda6149]

As black & Jewish dude growing up in the 90's, it was so cringe how unnaturally tv and movies tried to insert token black characters. The writers couldnt write for 💩. The characters were always named Jamal, or Dre, or some 💩 and they were always soapboxing. That's the problem when people force an agenda. It's so inorganic. Every focused insert is always "Hey, look how

[@digigum5996]

Yeah you had me at the name Jamal they use that shit for every black character 😂😂😂😂

[@JB5GoIrish]

I am a trans viewer and appreciate this take. Other comments are, not surprisingly, already consuming the low hanging fruit. Reasonable as always, Adam, cheers 🥂.

[@tmac326]

So, is every take that is against yours “low hanging fruit” or is a nuanced take allowed?

[@blurg2712]

These fear mongers really have it in for you folks. This is how they used to treat gay people, pretty much my whole life. Not that they've stopped hate mongering gay people, but trans folks are the next low group on the totem pole.

[@kicknowledgesmith8608]

I don't think they're backing off, from messaging. It's more like they're letting their foot off the gas a bit in this case.

[@Brevincampbell12]

It’s no longer profitable due to the election

[@chrislacy1990]

Thanks for the video, Adam!! *Here’s an idea:* Disney+ could add a separate tile in their app called “Disney Sparkle.” This way, anyone who wants LGBTQ+ content knows what to expect. (While I personally don’t believe LGBTQ+ content is appropriate for children of any age, I understand that many businesses and families are more liberal nowadays.)

[@edboymovies]

Or Disney* (Disney + asterisk, which would be the sparkle)

[@leyenda6149]

I've seen that "Disney Sparkle" done before. I think it was Chris Gore from FilmThreat

[@nicholas1236]

“Separate but equal”

[@robbyroba]

Then media shouldn't force heterosexual messaging on kids. Like... no need to teach kids about relationships in general.

[@sprinkle61]

@@robbyroba Its all about hard sell vs soft sell. Most children in the story don't need explicit intimate relationships of any type, and the existing adult relationships don't need the plot stopped and to be explicitly explained to the younger characters, and when on-screen relationships come up, if you have to stop and think about it, it usually hurts the story. An example of hard selling heterosexuality was right at the start of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, where Star Lord gets (apparently) a 'Lust Interest' HARD inserted at the part where he flees the first planet he is on, for absolutely no plot reason, and absolutely no story reason, either. They could have done it WAY more subtly, like, by say inserting some women's unmentionables randomly on his space ship, but no, for SOME ABSURD REASON, they decide that he literally has some poor random woman sleeping on his spaceship, that he forgot about (!!), that we are left to assume he got busy with the night before, just pop up on his ship, in the middle of some space battle, forcing her into a life or death situation for our amusement, and then never seeing or discussing her again. Star Lord gets plenty of screen time to 'skirt chase' more than one women later in the actual plot, so why we have some 'Scooby Doo' level hetrosexual stuff dumped on us at the start of the series just makes no sense, and the only reason its not 100% cringe is that its played for laughs, but if you think about it, its actually speaks quite negatively about the kind of person Star Lord is, and makes no sense, the way they staged it.

[@kevinrudy]

I thought Pixars Luca is a great subtle way to represent people that fell different, or gay, ect. It's how "representation" should be imo.

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Fantastic movie!

[@Christcorepunkfan]

There wasn’t anything remotely gay in that movie wym?😂😂

[@emhu2594]

​@Christcorepunkfan are you serious dude

[@Christcorepunkfan]

@@emhu2594 yes I am. I’m not the weirdo who is forcing an lgbt agenda on a fictional child character. Thats just weird to do.😂

[@M_k-zi3tn]

​@Christcorepunkfanlol I know right!

[@MatthewGurtner]

I personally don’t have any problem with gay or trans people in film. However when they throw it and stuff it down your throat and it DOESN’T fit i get very annoyed and I have a problem. On the other hand if it’s well added in and fits I’m fine with it.

[@MistaShawn]

That's what happens when good writing is replaced by activists with little to no experience. Look at all damage Kathleen Kennedy has done alone. At some point, after massive revenue loss, the shareholders need to say no more of this.

[@sprinkle61]

How do you feel when they throw in, and then stuff strait-hetro things down your throat, and it doesn't fit the plot, either ? I'm thinking that red chick at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy 1, that Star Lord 'forgot about' on his spaceship, that he almost gets killed, along with himself, and her panic and endangerment its played for laughs. Most people just accept when a movie gets the 'not-gay's', but its just as bad as the forced representation, and it shouldn't be there. Its not like the movie didn't have time for Star Lord to have some 'I'm Strait-Hetro' time later in the movie, when he hits on other chicks...

[@sniper8560]

When you’re making a kids show why is your first thought to inject lgbt/crt themes into it

[@Yoshi-dy7qg]

Ultimately, do Disney make films for an audience or for large organisations? They clearly now think that doing what the audience want is more financially lucrative, rather than taking money from organisations and the audience not turning out for the product. Regular movie goers don't agree with the things the organisations want in the films. You've mentioned these organisations before Adam, and said that nobody (Disney etc) are pushing any propaganda and whatnot, it's just that they get paid for doing it. OK, but what about the organisations that are paying them to put these things into their products, are they not pushing it? Somewhere, someone is pushing it. If the majority regular people don't like that kind of thing (evidenced by them not consuming the product), then who is actually funding these massive organisations in the first place, and why? Are they trying to socially engineer acceptance? Just food for thought. Thanks for your videos as always. Much love.

[@sprinkle61]

Clearly part of the audience does want representation, and part of the audience also wants to 'smell their own farts'. The question is, do we want this kind of content in all works of fiction, including children's shows, which normally soft-sell the reality of people's personal lives.

[@markzuckergecko621]

Just let kids be kids, they have plenty of time to worry about complicated stuff as they grow into teenagers, and then as adults. And then... It never stops.

[@tmac326]

I can empathize with the idea that this is creative stifling but the point is that Disney has been being told for years that people don’t want this in their entertainment. Not only Disney but many entertainment companies and corporations from all different forms of entertainment, so while I get that it’s preventing Pixar from telling the story they want, I think it’s weird to put this into a show primarily aimed at kids 5+.

[@DominickSpano]

I guess I feel it is a loss, but Disney seems to pander to this woke culture a little to much. I am talking about the race swapping and gay female kiss in Lightyear. I don't mind any of it, but Disney just seems to weave this into their media in the most nonorganic way possible.

[@rafaelbalaguer9342]

It's really frustrating to see so many comments say things like "keep LGBT storylines away from kids." As if LGBT people don't exist in the world or as if there aren't hundreds of thousands or millions of kids with LGBT parents. Also, so many people in the comments conflate trans-ness with sexuality. Who you are and who you love are not the same thing. Having a trans character does not imply that there is a love story. Trans kids exist. It is a fact. It is not a stretch to create characters and storylines that reflect the real world. This is why these shows and movies have boy and girl characters and straight love stories. But when you're a man, woman, or straight...you don't think twice about seeing it because it just feels normal to you. Even when that story involves a young teenage girl making out with a literal giant beast. It doesn't feel like an active choice because straightness is "normal." But that was in fact a choice made by the creators. I'm friends with someone who works at Pixar, and he let me know that the storyline wasn't just thrown in to check a box. It was actually well thought out and served the story. Removing that character is truly just about Disney being afraid of the backlash in a Trump world. Adam, thanks for posting this video. I'm glad you stand on the side of good storytelling, regardless of who the characters are.

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Yeah, it amazes me what videos always receive blowback. A bunch of people unsubbed just because I didn't pick "their side" but instead wanted to just see where everyone is coming from. I should have know better. At this point, if you are not anti or pro something 100%, you have lost. It's really pathetic. As for the stories. Yes. They will suffer. Pixar/Disney and other studios will absolutely play it more safe now. This is just a very small example and I should have gone further into that in the video. Thanks for the comment!

[@rafaelbalaguer9342]

@@AdamDoesMovies You're right about that. This will create a ripple effect with other studios who look to Pixar/Disney as leaders in the space. As for lost subs, how great for you to have fewer people who don't accept the nuances of life and storytelling to get the hell out of here. You have solid opinions and an understanding of good filmmaking that is too deep to feel stifled by your own channel. You've always been a story-first guy, and that's why so many of us love you and your content. Go forth!

[@mj4193]

I definitely dont think this is a loss. You make a point to say it stifles creativity. Let's not forget that for past 5 years, Disney FORCED their creatives to have black, gay, and women characters in place of lore written characters or, dare I say, white male characters. They stifled the creativity of all their properties in lieu of pushing an agenda. So, it's about time this messaging, not creativity, is stifled.

[@digitalhighways3234]

Good, no place for that in kids movies. there is a place for it and kids shows aint it. It also depends on whether you support or dont support that.

[@elorajdh]

I'm of the belief kid shows shouldn't be too on the nose with this stuff, because then it comes off like they're pushing certain things. If the character was androgynous looking with a neutral name, it would be a "nod" to them being trans without pushing the issue to kids. If this was a show geared toward maybe high schoolers, then I'd say a more in-depth trans character could be ok.

[@leyenda6149]

Even though she officially isn't gay, Peppermint Patty would serve a very naturally occurring and well-wrriten character if she were gay. She's just going through life and doesn't soapbox about her identity. Writers could learn a thing or two from that example IMO

[@Ralph-id3xg]

It is neither a win or a loss, it is a non-event. These kind a minor rewrites, sex-swap, race-swap happens all the time in animation. The political and social optics change so fast nowadays and developing TV series takes time. This series was probably in the work 2 years ago when the discourse on juvenile transsexuality was seen more positively, now the tide has shifted and they are adapting their script with it.

[@blurg2712]

Agreed. It's an illusion that these studios have an actual opinion about these socio-political issues. "Trans messaging... sure... I don't know what that is but yes put it in the movie if it will make us money"

[@MZ99698]

Can’t agree on this I’m afraid. Pixar’s classics are about toys, bugs, a lost fish, a cooking rat, 2 robots in love. There wasn’t overt “representation” in any of these films, crowbarring in “representation” is the true stifler of creativity because the artists have to meet a checklist of topics before their story can go out.

[@sprinkle61]

If it was checkbox or not isn't the problem, its the VERY hard sell way they are inserting this stuff, and its not just sexual things, either. The Forky character really inserted child suicide pretty directly as a plot point in Toy Story 4, and played it for laughs, when it really should never have been in a children's story at all, and if for some reason they were going to do it, it should have been given some weight in the telling, and not 'hey, isn't it funny that the non-corporate-industrial toy has negative self-worth, and wants to end itself'.

[@calebcreech7629]

Though I don’t personally agree with some of the recent messaging being put into kids media, I think it’s a shame for genuine attempts at discussing these topics are being silenced. I think cynical attempts at only barely mentioning or including a topic or character just to check a box for any group of people is shameful because it casts a bad light on an entire experience that people love through. What people forget very quickly is that we’re free to watch or not to watch whatever Disney or any other big company puts out; if we don’t agree with something we don’t need to watch it, and if a movie or show isn’t properly depicting what a certain topic or experience is like, we can have that discussion without the movie or show. I’m glad you covered this, Adam; keep up the great videos!

[@sprinkle61]

The reason people care about this stuff is they typically DON'T first watch the children's stuff they pass on to their kids, so if messaging is handled really poorly, then the child wants a much more detailed explanation, and the parent just wants to not have that discussion as long as possible. This is all about having corporations babysit people's kids, and not having awkward discussions. The only reason we are discussing the 'Wokeness' of Pixar is that this particular topic has been VERY awkwardly inserted into previous works, particularly the movie 'Lightyear'. It wasn't plot-important, but it was HARD sold to the audience, and people didn't like it.

[@Ralph-id3xg]

Censoring for adult programming is a shame, but for kids content, it is normal practice. There are a lots of topics that are censored in kids programmation like suicide, substance abuse, pornography, etc. These topic are globally accepted to be censored from kids programming. When it comes to sexual education, we don't have a consensus yet, we are still in the debate phase.

[@Superdimensional]

This messaging to kids is unacceptable, PERIOD.

[@Fretfulbanjo]

Yup. Let them be kids for fucks sake

[@echecroi]

Exactly! Stop this Forcing this on Kids.

[@markzuckergecko621]

Yea that kinda stuff is awkward but we figure it out, at an appropriate age. It doesn't need to be pushed.

[@ShadowHumor]

agree

[@Cpt.Stickerno0dle-iu3ok]

Disagree

[@JakeDHS07]

This kind of level headed yet direct commentary is why I think you'd be a perfect fit for Autopstream since Bryan is gonna be stepping away. If you can fit it in your schedule brother you really should talk to Cody about it. Your humor and presentation would be a wonderful addition 🤘

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Is that his 31 on 31 thing? I believe I am taking part in one in 2025. He's putting a schedule together.

[@JakeDHS07]

@@AdamDoesMovies Yeah it's been happening a couple years now. Do about two a year on average. Excited to hear your taking part! I was gonna run it by him next we spoke after you guys did that panel together. Siked to hear this!

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Wouldn't hurt to mention it to him. We all don't talk that much. Good to get reminders :)

[@JakeDHS07]

@@AdamDoesMovies Oh I'll absolutely mention it. I've been modding for him for ages now and we talk every now and then cause we like alot of the same stuff which is how I even found his stuff to begin with 😅 It's one of my favorite things about the internet being able to make friends with common passions in movies and music that I probably would never have gotten to meet or interact with otherwise 🤘

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Absolutely man! I'm so bummed they aren't doing MegaCon again. I was really looking forward to hanging out with those guys and the viewers that could make it out. Hopefully down the road we can all find a venue to talk movies again. It's my favorite thing!

[@bryandavismoviefan]

I've always appreciated your honesty and openness on representation in cinema. I serve on the board of directors for a trans-affirming non-profit organization and I also agree that the first amendment is a precious but dangerous constitutional right. It can be used in wonderful and awful ways. I'm disappointed in this decision and it does make me wonder what progress for the queer/trans community in cinema looks like that doesn't receive backlash and hate from a portion of the population. I don't think these people understand or know much about the role of gender or race in cinematic history. It's sad how little progress has been made but I've said it a million times, Adam. Wokeism is the greatest threat this country has ever faced in history. Perhaps longer. Great topic and perspective. Keep it up!

[@sniper8560]

It’s a kids show. Not a show for adults. Come on man

[@blurg2712]

I'm glad you're here, Adam. The world needs more sensible people speaking sensibly. Please keep it up, and resist the urge to chase the "offense baby anti-woke" money.

any transactions in this one ?

[@Austin_Nicholas_]

Adam’s not scared to tackle the important topics with humor and his own anecdotal response. That’s why I’m here!

[@ryantheanimator1156]

I see this as a W. I don't mind creators wanting to tackle LGBT story, but..... keep that away from kids. Do it in contents aimed at older audience or something.

[@blurg2712]

Shielding children from understanding and cooperating with the reality of the world around them sounds like a great way to raise ignorant and combative people.

[@xXMapcoXx]

I find myself agreeing, you got one side claiming yo ve free speech champions, while you got the other side wanting to respect people feelings. Neither accurately care about anything but their own opinion. Your right this kinda thinking gonna stagnant creativity.

[@BagzAndPresident]

Democrats dont care about anyones feelings

[@sniper8560]

But it’s a kid show not an adult show

[@Mariofanaticanimations]

Do you want The Animation Guild to come after Trump? Like Lord Hater said, “LGBTQ is so hard, people who do this for a living deserve more credit and respect!”

[@PhillipRauschkolb]

You're wrong. It's a win. They've already lost numerous times with this, this is them learning their lesson.

[@BagzAndPresident]

They never learn

[@AdamDoesMovies]

I said that I understood why they would back off it. Financially it makes sense. Where was I wrong?

[@PhillipRauschkolb]

@@AdamDoesMoviesyou were wrong somewhere in the first 30 seconds of the video where I stopped watching and commented then left 😂 glad you agree putting this shit in content for children is wrong. It’s great if animators want to make these stories..just go make an indie film, win some festival awards, but keep it out of mainstream family content

[@ShadowHumor]

Leave the kids alone.

[@AdamDoesMovies]

Where is Maude Flanders when you need her?

[@anaalicia5029]

@@AdamDoesMovieshahaha

[@blurg2712]

@@AdamDoesMovies damn dude, that was a deep cut

[@John-f8z1s]

Thank you Mr. Obvious

[@iseewood]

We are not all Christian and I’m tired of Christians censoring and threatening media companies to appease their beliefs. There should be diverse shows for everyone and media companies need to show some spine against these anti-woke snowflakes. If you don’t like shows like this, go watch some Veggie Tales. Geez.

[@christopherweeden2255]

GOOD. Keep that bullshit out of kid's movies.

[@RowanRiverstone]

I believe there's a right way and a wrong way to handle representation. It boils down to the writing, and most script writing I've seen dealing with any minority really falls flat if it's even a hint didactic or preachy. I'm LGBTQ+ and I don't like token characters with weirdly shoehorned in dialog. Was that how this was going to be handled? We'll probably never know. At the end of the day, though, it's what you said. Studios are out to make money, and they're going to do what rakes in the most of it. With kids' movies and shows, that usually means playing it safe and same-y. I take issue with the "don't shove it down kids' throat" crowd. If you object to gay relationships and trans identities in kid shows, then you should equally object to straight relationships and cis identites being portrayed, because there is literally no difference other than the genders involved. It's not an "agenda." It's people existing. As they do.

[@art23428]

Its definitely a win

[@anaalicia5029]

Adam, agree with you -this is creatively very dissapointing. Why pretend people don’t exist? Well for money of course but it reinforces negativity.

[@anaalicia5029]

Btw your Kraven spoiler review had me in stitches, hilarious video!

[@therandom_dude]

I respectfully disagree, but you can blame my fellow LGBTQ for being very annoying as of late😢

[@YoutubeModsAreSnowflake]

Good, this.is.the.way

[@DuffyGabi]

Lyrics from Walker Hayes- “Son thinks ‘trans’ is short for transformers.” I miss those days. I have four adult kids 30 and younger. Especially among females in this generation I’ve seen so many go through different gender/sexuality iterations trying to find themselves. I’m tired of the far far left telling me I need to applaud every different iteration. I get tired of being lectured so I simply boycott.

[@eyelandtwig6984]

No one is telling you to applaud. Just acknowledge they exist. Pretty simple.

[@Brevincampbell12]

Thank you Adam for having the bravery to discuss this topic

[@Ixorpehc]

This issue of "representation" and "inclusivity" wouldn't create so much drama if it weren't for the actors and celebrities who have the audacity to attack the fans for not falling in line with their personal ideology, like Rachel Zegler wishing half the country to go to hell. I blame Disney for handling PR so terribly.

[@s3.14dervision]

They're coming for your children....

[@Korra228]

Who's "they"?

[@DorianCairne]

As a gay man I love how willing you are to poke fun at both sides of this whole representation debate instead of just slavishly devoting yourself to the "woke" or "anti-woke" side. People make fun of fence-sitting so much, but sometimes, with how radical both sides can get, it seems like the only sensible option. I really enjoy your content a ton, please keep it up.

[@supervegeta1509]

As a trans viewer I find this move by Disney very disappointing. People can complain about inclusion in media all they want, but the reality they see in their heads does not match my lived experience. There was a moment when being trans seemed like it was becoming acceptable from roughly 2015-2019, but we’ve entirely slid backwards since then. Thats why inclusion of any sort of minority group should be present in media, because when handled with care, it helps expose viewers to a culture or issues they may not understand otherwise and can help people understand us. Even if you believe these are difficult topics, queer and trans people exist, and there is no lower stakes way to have a conversation about it than through discussion of a sanitized corporate tv show. Showing us in media is just a way to show viewers that we’re just people who deserve empathy and respect, which is very necessary in the current political climate in which massive amounts of misinformation are being spread by bad actors to demonize queer people.

[@ShadowHumor]

Good.

[@Excog1787]

One side wants to sexualize children, and the other side doesn't want to sexualize children. How is a reasonable person supposed to be nuanced about this issue? Where exactly is "the middle" on this issue? Stop pandering to perverts.They're not your audience. We were.

[@JB5GoIrish]

Trans "pervert" here. Whaddaya know, trans people watch Adam (and Pixar) too!! Yes, people. No matter how much you try to sexualize us, we are still people.

[@markzuckergecko621]

Seriously, I really don't see where the middle ground is here. There's absolutely no innocent reason to want to push gender ideology onto kids, they'll figure all that junk out on their own, like all humans did, for all of time. And it's awkward, and uncomfortable, but we figure it out. Any time an adult, especially one that isn't even the parent, wants to talk about that with kids, they have a sinister motive.

[@Cpt.Stickerno0dle-iu3ok]

How is a character being trans sexualized? I think it says more about you that you automatically sexualize trans people

[@maugseros8347]

Guess what? There are over 8 billion people on this planet and they don't all think like you. Simply acknowledging that there are people in the world who look different, think different, feel different, and act different than you is not "sexualizing children".

[@markzuckergecko621]

@@maugseros8347 it's not about acknowledgement, trust me, you're so loud it's impossible for anyone to not know you exist. It's about letting kids be kids and figure out who they are at the appropriate time, when they figure it out.

[@hemiller6517]

Let's keep pandering to the rainbow sqaud.

[@codybishop7526]

respect Adam. mad respect

[@denniskarish6180]

Love this guy ,you make me l!!

[@nerychristian]

Trump 666

[@emhu2594]

Trump would be in prison where he belongs if the democrats were actually a different party.

[@generovinsky]

They should let the movie do what they want and then let people react with their wallets.. Censorship is stupid

[@andrewgonzalez6208]

You are the best film critic on KZbin

[@christesterman]

Don't even care.

[@sad_michael]

Wow, a nuanced take. How about that?

[@AdamDoesMovies]

I lost 50 subs almost instantly. You really have to pick a "side" with some folks.

[@sad_michael]

@@AdamDoesMovies Some people need to have their beliefs spoon-fed back to them. Glad you don't do that.