SUMMARY
Considering the quality, quantity, and diversity of films distributed under the Walt Disney Company and its labels, GLAAD has given The Walt Disney Company a GOOD grade.
Walt Disney Studios included LGBTQ characters in all five of its Disney theatrical releases. While the LGBTQ representation in some films was groundbreaking in kids and family spaces, such as Lightyear and Strange World, other films’ inclusion was more minor, such as Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and other Marvel properties. Inclusion in Disney’s other theatrical labels, Searchlight and 20th Century, was minimal.
As for streaming, Hulu delivered outstanding LGBTQ-centric stories with romantic comedies Fire Island and Crush, in addition to casual inclusion in several other films including Darby and the Dead and Fresh. Disney+ released LGBTQ stories that reached a wide kids and family audience such as Zombies 3 and Better Nate Than Ever, but missed the mark in films like Hocus Pocus 2 and Turning Red, which only included “blink and you’ll miss it” moments of representation, if any at all. A concerning trend we’ve seen in the past year is the removal of films from their respective streaming services; Better Nate Than Ever and Darby and the Dead are two inclusive films that have been fully removed. These stories are a powerful tool to change hearts and minds and for queer youth to feel seen, yet their removal off all platforms means that their impact is essentially erased.
Overall, Disney released several high-profile films that included prominent LGBTQ characters and a diverse cross section of the community, however the company still had a number of films that either missed potential for increased LGBTQ inclusion or had no inclusion at all. This is a huge improvement on the last several years of Walt Disney’s films, and GLAAD looks forward to Disney continuing to expand LGBTQ inclusion, with more substantial roles for queer characters in Marvel movies, further animated stories, and more prominent LGBTQ inclusion in their art house divisions.
HISTORY
Walt Disney is one of the largest and most identifiable film and entertainment companies in the world, boasting an expansive international brand far beyond just films. The company distributes and markets the majority of content produced by a collection of film studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Searchlight Pictures, 20th Century Fox Animation, and Fox Studios Australia. In the past few years, they have shuttered studios such as Fox 2000 and Blue Sky Animation, most recently dissolving 20th Digital Studio in 2023. Since launching their streamer Disney+ in November 2019, the studio has experimented with film releases on the service in lieu of or in addition to theatrical release. Also in 2019, Disney reached an agreement with Comcast for majority control of Hulu, with the intent of finalizing the deal in 2024. In 2023, Disney announced its plan to combine Disney+ and Hulu content in a “one-app experience” by the end of the year. Each service, however, will also remain available separately.
Compared to other studios tracked in this report, Walt Disney Studios history is light on LGBTQ inclusion. There were several inclusive releases from Disney-owned Touchstone Pictures including Ed Wood (1994), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and Kinky Boots (2006). Lucasfilms produced Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), which combined gay Japanese writer Yukio Mishima’s autobiography with parts of his fiction novels, including his love for another man, but was never officially released in Japan due to protests, and was released under Warner Bros. in the U.S. Some of Disney’s past inclusive films include Delivery Man (2013); Muppets Most Wanted (2014); Beauty and the Beast (2017); and Eternals (2021); and 20th Century’s previous LGBTQ-inclusive releases include The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975); Making Love (1982); Silkwood (1983); The Object of My Affection (1998); The Family Stone (2005); Independence Day: Resurgence (2016); Love, Simon (2018); The New Mutants (2020) and West Side Story (2021). Hulu began producing original films in 2019 and has released GLAAD Media Award nominated films Happiest Season (2020), Changing the Game (2021), Plan B (2021), and more.
The sequel to Marvel’s acclaimed Black Panther, Wakanda Forever sees the return of the Dora Milaje, the group of women warriors who protect the nation of Wakanda. One of these women is Ayo, the second in command, who moves up to general over the course of the film. She is seen showing affection to another Dora member, Aneka, and calls her “my love.” Aneka later joins head general Okoye as part of the Midnight Angels. The couple mostly appear in ensemble and fight scenes in the film. While it is a nice moment of inclusion, the two characters only have their relationship confirmed briefly at the end of the story. Future Marvel properties have an opportunity to flesh out these queer characters as they have in the comics, which actress Michaela Coel cited as to what drew her to the part, and to take steps to further include Ayo and Aneka’s relationship alongside the larger story. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also included a brief appearance by out news anchor Anderson Cooper reporting on the conflict between the country and the rest of the globe.
The second Doctor Strange film introduces a beloved hero from Marvel Comics, America Chavez. Though America is an out and proud lesbian in the comics, the character in the film is aged down and her sexual orientation is never discussed or brought up, with the exception of a pride flag patch seen on her jacket. With a large portion of the film being centered on Stephen Strange’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend, it is disheartening that there was no mention of America’s relationships with women. There is, however, inclusion of America’s two moms who are the impetus of her motivations and the key to her mysterious past. Sadly, both women only appear for less than 30 seconds as they get sucked into a portal. 
This Toy Story spin-off focuses on the titular Buzz Lightyear on a mission to return to his home planet. Early on in the film, audiences are introduced to Buzz’s friend and commanding officer Alisha Hawthorne. A significant portion of the film’s first act shows Buzz testing hyperspeed flight; every time he leaves the planet for a run, mere minutes pass for Buzz while years pass for those who remain trapped on the planet. On his first mission back, Hawthorne reveals that she is engaged to another woman, a fact that is not shocking to Buzz or any other character in the film. Over the course of a montage, we see Hawthorne with her fiancée, who then becomes her wife, and the family they raise together. Buzz, as he stubbornly continues his test flights, returns one final time to find that Hawthorne has died of old age. However, her presence is continuously felt throughout the film, and her granddaughter becomes a major character in Buzz’s adventure, as well as providing the emotional motivation behind Buzz’s actions. Buzz’s love and respect for Alisha and her relationship is the ultimate driving force behind his decision to join today’s world and give up attempts to turn back time to where he left from, which would have erased the community built on the planet in his time away.
This film follows three generations of the Clade family, including Jaeger, his son Searcher, and Searcher’s son Ethan, on a subterranean adventure. At the beginning of the film, Searcher casually teases Ethan about Diazo, a boy Ethan has a crush on. Ethan’s feelings for Diazo remain part of the story throughout their adventure: Ethan asks Jaeger’s advice on how to ask Diazo out when they are reunited, and Ethan and Diazo are ultimately seen together as a couple at the end of the film. No one in Ethan’s family has an adverse reaction to Ethan having feelings for another boy, it is simply accepted as part Ethan’s identity and the world surrounding them. Ethan’s sexuality is also only one aspect of his character, and his quest for adventure, not his sexuality, is the driving force of the film. 
The press surrounding the fourth Thor film promised a “super gay” narrative, and while the movie did confirm the queerness of two characters from previous installments, it failed to live up to fan’s expectation set by the press tour. Since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, in which a scene confirming Valkyrie’s bisexuality was allegedly cut, fans have been rallying for Valkyrie to be openly bisexual. This film did confirm her bisexuality, as Valkyrie briefly flirts with a handmaiden and continues to reference her lost love. However, in a film so heavily focused on love and romance, there was an incredible missed opportunity for Valkyrie to experience a new romance herself, rather than lament on loss. 
Based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, this film follows infamous detective Poirot on yet another troubling case. Set in the 1930s, Poirot is aboard a cruise ship sailing down the Nile to celebrate a recent wedding when the unexpected murder of the bride turns everyone on the ship into a murder suspect. One of the suspects is Marie Van Schuyler, the bride’s godmother, who would benefit financially from her death. In his attempts to solve the case, Poirot uncovers that Van Schuyler and her traveling nurse, Miss Bowers, are secretly lovers. The couple’s names are eventually cleared, they both survive the film, and Poirot keeps their secret rather than outing them in a time unfriendly to queer people. These characters were not queer in the original novel, so it’s a commendable choice to add inclusion to this film. Yet given that the source material was already altered, a more in-depth look at the character’s relationship and increased roles for the pair would have been a welcome addition. However, the characters surviving and not facing any outward homophobia from the protagonist in a period piece is worth noting.
This murder mystery set in London in the 1950s follows an investigation surrounding the murder of American film director Leo Kopernick. One of the suspects is the screenwriter of the film Kopernick was set to direct, Mervyn Cocker-Norris. Mervyn lives with Gio, a man he claims is his nephew, but moments such as Gio getting upset when Mervyn flirts with another man and Gio calling Mervyn “amore” indicate that the pair are actually secret lovers. However, this is quickly glossed over, as Mervyn is killed partway through the movie. He is one of only three people who die in this film and it is disappointing to have the confirmation of his queerness be so brief and for him to then be an easily disposable victim.
This film follows the titular Nate pursuing his dream of starring in a Broadway show. Throughout the movie, there are several conversations about Nate being “different” than other kids. While that difference is never explicitly named, there are a number of scenes that, when added together, make it clear that Nate is gay. Nate’s best friend, a girl named Libby, confesses her feelings for him and he tells her he’s “not like that;” Nate’s parents say Nate can have a sleepover with girls because “Nate’s different;” Nate dramatically exclaims “no!” when asked about having a girlfriend; and Libby defends Nate, saying he’s great “no matter who he chooses to love.” While the word “chooses” is the wrong verbiage for talking about sexuality, as it is not a choice, this confluence of scenes clearly delineate Nate’s intended sexuality. Though this is a coming-of-age story, there is a missed opportunity here for Nate to use the word “gay” or “queer,” something rarely done in media aimed at younger audiences. There is also a brief scene where Nate asks a gay couple for directions. 
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This high school romantic comedy harkened back to the teen movies of the ‘90s and early aughts while being unapologetically gay. The film follows Paige as she joins the track team to get closer to her crush, Gabby, and subsequently falls for Gabby’s sister, AJ. The film is seamlessly inclusive; Paige is a lesbian who has been out to her supportive mother since a young age and AJ explicitly calls herself bisexual. There are also a plethora of other queer students at the school, many of whom are presented in a montage of potential romantic partners for Paige. The movie follows a typical rom-com formula, with hijinks, love triangles, and miscommunications leading to Paige orchestrating a grand romantic gesture for AJ, and the two embracing in a climactic kiss in front of the whole school. 
This supernatural comedy follows the titular Darby, who can speak to the dead. When her friend-turned-enemy Capri dies, Darby reluctantly helps her move on to the afterlife. Throughout this process, Darby becomes friends with Capri’s friends, including Piper, one of the more sarcastic girls in the group. During an early scene where someone asks for a tampon, Piper deadpans “still trans” as to why she doesn’t have one. This quick line confirms that Piper is a trans woman very casually, with no negative reactions from her friends, as her identity is already known information. As the film comes from trans filmmaker Silas Howard, it’s not surprising that the trans inclusion was done so well. 
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This satirical horror follows protagonist Noa as she begins dating Steve, only to discover that he is a killer and cannibal. Noa’s best friend, Mollie, whose dating history includes both men and women, ends up being more significant to the plot than simply a best friend stereotype. She discovers that Noa is in danger and is then held hostage by Steve, and, once freed, saves Noa from being strangled by Steve’s wife. Mollie’s identity was casually included, though in a film that was heavily focused on gender dynamics and modern dating, it would have been interesting to delve deeper into the nuance of this queer Black woman. 
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This teen sex comedy follows protagonist Avery as she scientifically delves into the mechanics of sex.