Chris Evans is proud of Disney reinstating Lightyear's same-sex kiss, but wants to see better from studios in the future. Evans stars in the upcoming Toy Story spinoff as the titular Space Ranger who would go on to inspire Tim Allen's iconic toy protagonist. Lightyear will explore Buzz's origin story as he tries to help his crew escape from being marooned on an alien planet by testing a hyperspace fuel, only to incidentally travel 62 years in the future and discover the threat of the evil Emperor Zurg.
Alongside Evans, the cast for Lightyear includes Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Helmed by Finding Dory's Angus MacLane in his solo feature directorial debut, the film has already garnered generally positive reviews, falling short of other Toy Story installments but still scoring acclaim for its sci-fi influences, typically gorgeous animation from Pixar and heartwarming story. Lightyear did draw attention prior to its release for the inclusion of a same-sex kiss scene in the film and one star is sharing their thoughts on the situation.
While speaking with Variety at the world premiere for the film, Chris Evans commented on Disney reinstating Lightyear's same-sex kiss. The star expressed his approval of the studio restoring the moment, but also expressed his hope to see better representation moving forward and to get to a point where representation is no longer a news story. See what Evans said below:
"I mean, it's great. As great as it is -- and you know, I've been asked the question a few times -- it's nice, and it's wonderful. It makes me happy. It's tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion. That it is this kind of 'news.' The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm and that this doesn't have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is. That representation across the board is how we make films. Look, it's an honor to be a part of something that is taking those steps, but the goal is to look back on this time and just be shocked that it took us this long to get there."
Pixar initially drew much ire from audiences and their own employees when it was first announced that the studio had allowed Lightyear's same sex-kiss to be removed from the film to appease a variety of other countries, including the People's Republic of China. Following this backlash from the employees and general public, which also came amidst criticism directed towards Disney CEO Bob Chapek's lack of response to Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, Pixar proceeded to restore the scene. As predicted, this in turn led to multiple countries, namely those with a Muslim-majority population, banning Lightyear from releasing there.
Lightyear isn't the only Disney film to find itself banned from release in international territories, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness being barred from coming out in Egypt over America Chavez being confirmed as an LGBTQ+ character. Much like Evans, the Marvel film's star Benedict Cumberbatch expressed a disappointment in the situation and his hope for it to become a normalized conversation in the future rather than it garnering headlines as it currently is. It will be interesting to see if Pixar can succeed with their representation efforts in Lightyear that they have largely failed at before when the film hits theaters this Friday.
Source: Variety