The Walt Disney Company

Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott as Harry and Adam in All of Us Strangers
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott as Harry and Adam in All of Us Strangers

SUMMARY

Considering the quality, quantity, and diversity of films distributed under the Walt Disney Company banner, GLAAD has given the Walt Disney Company an INSUFFICIENT grade.

Of the theatrical films released by Walt Disney Studios itself, it was disappointing to see that none of their releases passed the Vito Russo test. Any inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was from characters whose identities were confirmed in other Marvel properties, and the one animated film with LGBTQ representation was a quick confirmation from a character with under a minute of screen time. Considering past Marvel films such as Eternals and animated films such as Strange World, which both featured LGBTQ characters as major parts of their ensembles, it is disappointing to see 2023’s Disney films far beneath the bar set in previous years. Further, no films from label 20th Century Studios included LGBTQ characters.

Subsidiary Searchlight Pictures fared far better in terms of queer representation. Romantic drama All of Us Strangers painted a nuanced and beautiful portrait of a gay man’s loneliness and finding love with another man. Mockumentary Theater Camp also showcased a gay lead, and a handful of queer youths. Films such as Poor Things and Next Goal Wins had LGBTQ characters in prominent roles, yet the portrayal of those characters did not live up to their potential.

Hulu featured the most films with LGBTQ representation including Black queer women in films such as romantic comedy Rye Lane and horror film Jagged Mind, though some Hulu films left more to be desired from their onscreen representation including Appendage, Clock, and Quasi. Unfortunately, zero Disney+ scripted feature films included LGBTQ characters.

Overall, Disney has a mixed bag when it comes to LGBTQ representation. Specifically, representation is lacking in blockbuster franchises and kids and family films, which is what the Disney brand is known for. GLAAD urges Disney to include more LGBTQ characters in these types of stories and a greater variety of platforms telling a greater variety of queer stories.

HISTORY

Walt Disney is one of the largest and most recognizable film and entertainment companies in the world, encompassing an expansive international brand far beyond just films. The company distributes and markets the majority of content produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Studios. In recent years, Disney has shuttered studios such as Fox 2000 and Blue Sky Animation, most recently dissolving 20th Digital Studio in 2023. Disney launched its streaming service Disney+ in 2019 and has experimented with film releases on the service in lieu of or in addition to theatrical releases. 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 into a “one-app” experience” by the end of the year. The official launch of Hulu on Disney+ was finalized in 2024, but each service remains available separately.

Compared to other studios tracked in this study, Walt Disney Studios has historically had a subpar reputation surrounding LGBTQ inclusion. Disney-owned Touchstone Pictures has released inclusive films 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, but was never officially released in Japan due to protests, and was released by Warner Bros. in the United States. Disney’s past LGBTQ-inclusive films include GLAAD Media Award winner Eternals (2021) and GLAAD Media Award nominee Strange World (2022), in addition to Delivery Man (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Lightyear (2022), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022); 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), GLAAD Media Award winner Love, Simon (2018), The New Mutants (2020) and GLAAD Media Award nominee West Side Story (2021). Hulu began producing original films in 2019 and has released GLAAD Media Award winners Happiest Season (2020), and Changing the Game (2021), and Fire Island (2022); GLAAD Media Award nominees Plan B (2021), Crush (2022), Wildhood (2022), and Mormon No More (2022), among others. In 2022, Disney+ also released GLAAD Media Award nominees Better Nate than Ever, Trevor: The Musical and Zombies 3.

OF THE 14 LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE FILMS,

3 WERE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

4 WERE SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

7 WERE HULU

0 WERE 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS OR DISNEY+

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 INSUFFICIENT grade.

 

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

Widest Release: 4,345 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

This installment in the MCU did not introduce any LGBTQ characters. A brief post-credits scene featured Loki, who was confirmed as bisexual in the MCU series Loki. However, it is disappointing that this was all of the representation that was in this film, especially considering that it is set in San Francisco. The MCU still has a long way to go in terms of including LGBTQ characters in significant roles in their films.

Elemental

Widest Release: 4,080 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

This children’s film follows a fire elemental, Ember, who falls for a water elemental, Wade, and has to navigate the familiar pressure that arises in the element world. There is brief LGBTQ inclusion when Wade introduces his family to Ember, including his “little sib Lake and her girlfriend Ghibli.” Though it’s great to see a confirmed queer couple in this world, both characters have under a minute of screen time and aren’t significant to the plot. The actor who plays Lake has spoken about the character being nonbinary, but based on what was presented on screen, Lake was only referred to using she/her pronouns and there was no mention of her gender identity, so GLAAD did not count Lake as nonbinary. Though casual inclusion in children’s films is a step in the right direction, we are beyond the point of only having “blink and you’ll miss it” representation.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Widest Release: 4,450 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

There are no LGBTQ characters in the third Guardians of the Galaxy film. There is a sequence where Mantis uses her powers to make a male guard attracted to Drax, so they can sneak into a building. The male guard flirts with Drax, but only because of this superpowered coercion. There is also a brief joke that Drax makes about “touching” Starlord to help him get over his ex. Neither instance is actual representation. It is disappointing to see more jokes surrounding the community than actual LGBTQ characters.

The Marvels

Widest Release: 4,030 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

The Marvels does not introduce any LGBTQ characters. There is a brief scene that includes Valkyrie, whose bisexuality was confirmed in Thor: Love and Thunder. Her screen time is under one minute. This is another example of the Marvel films not expanding on established queer characters in any significant way.

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

All of Us Strangers

Widest Release: 295 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

All of Us StrangersThis emotional drama follows neighbors Adam and Harry, who form a relationship as Adam is haunted by the ghosts of his parents. Much of the film is Adam going back to his childhood home, where his young parents appear as old as they were when they died, and they catch up on Adam’s life since they passed. This includes a coming out scene where Adam tells his mother he’s gay, and she reacts poorly, because she’s worried for his safety and happiness. Unlike typical coming out scenes portrayed in film, where the parent is either fully accepting or hateful, Adam’s mother is in between. Beyond forging a relationship with his ghostly parents, much of the film centers around Adam growing closer to Harry, showing their emotional and physical intimacy and frank conversations about their own queerness. The lines of reality are blurred in the entire film, but especially as the film progresses and Adam is unsure of what’s real or not. Eventually his parents have to move on from their time on this earth, and Adam cannot find Harry. The film ends with Adam discovering Harry in his bed, having died before they began their relationship. Adam weeps, and holds Harry in a tender embrace.

The film, though ultimately tragic, paints a thoughtful and nuanced queer love story as well as showing the specific loneliness that is often faced by the community. It went deeper and more intimate than many other gay romances, and ultimately told a story of the transformative power of love.

Next Goal Wins

Widest Release: 2,240 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Next Goal Wins

This film is based on the true story of the American Samoan soccer team’s historic win in 2014, after having been regarded as one of the world’s worst teams for over a decade. Included in the film is Jaiyah, a player on the team who is fa’afafine, a third gender recognized and honored in Polynesian culture. In real life, Jaiyah was a respected member of the team and a national hero in American Samoa. However a significant amount of her portrayal in this film involves her being misgendered and disrespected by the new white coach brought in to improve the team. The coach, Thomas, laughs at the idea of Jaiyah being on the team when he first meets her and then repeatedly misgenders her. One incident involves Thomas misgendering Jaiyah until she physically retaliates. While some might feel her reaction was fully justified, Jaiyah apologizes to him – which results in Thomas asking her invasive questions about her genitalia. Later in the film, when it is time for the championship game, Thomas finds Jaiyah crying in the bathroom, and she explains that she has gone off of her hormone replacement therapy to perform better, while he confesses that she reminds him of his deceased daughter. This scene reinforces untrue and harmful narratives that hormones lead to erratic behavior. Ultimately, Jaiyah is the hero of the championship game, bringing it home for her team. But before those final scenes audiences had to stomach a lot of transphobic behavior from the coach so that he could become a better person. Trans characters should not exist to teach cisgender characters a lesson.

The film ends with clips from real life, one showing the real Jaiyah, as the first transgender player in FIFA. Jaiyah is an inspirational figure in the world of sport and the film could have spent more time centering her story and the acceptance she has in American Samoa, rather than centering the narrow-minded bigotry of her coach.

Poor Things

Widest Release: 2,300 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Poor ThingsThis fantastical drama follows Bella Baxter, a Frankenstein’s monster type created by using the body of a pregant woman who died by suicide and the brain of her unborn baby. The resulting Bella has the body of an adult and the mind of a child, which leads to a disturbing number of men who wish to sleep with her. As the film progresses, so does Bella’s brain, and she learns about the seedier parts of society. There is a sequence where she works as a sex worker in Paris, having sex with a variety of men who ask her to do degrading things. One of the only sexual experiences during this time she seems to enjoy is with Toinette, another sex worker who is Bella’s friend at the brothel. While this presents an opportunity to dive into Bella’s sexuality beyond just men taking advantage of her, the film quickly moves on from the sexual act between Bella and Toinette, instead focusing on yet another man exploiting and abusing Bella. Toinette briefly appears at the end of the film, as one of Bella’s companions after she has performed her own experiment on her abusive ex-husband. Toinette is never fully explored as a character, nor is her relationship with Bella ever fleshed out besides their one sexual encounter. This could have been a significant part of Bella’s development and understanding of sex and relationships, but instead was buried beneath a sea of men taking advantage of Bella.

Theater Camp

Widest Release: 555 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Theater CampTheater Camp is a mockumentary that follows the employees and students of a theater summer camp on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the main characters is Amos, who is confirmed to be gay upon his introduction, as his co-counselor and best friend Rebecca-Diane used to have a crush on him until he came out. Several of the tweens at camp are confirmed to be queer as well, at one point chanting “we are gay witches and this is our spell” when getting ready. The camp is presented as a safe space for queer people, as being gay is never an issue for anyone. In fact, there is a moment where one of the campers with two dads essentially comes out as straight. It is exciting to see queer joy from young people in an environment where they are so easily accepted.

HULU

Appendage

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: PASS

This body horror film follows Hannah, who has a condition where she grows an “appendage,” which is a DNA replica of herself who, over the course of the film, tries to take over Hannah’s life. Hannah meets other people with the same condition, including Claudia, a woman who claims she has slept with “everyone.” It’s later revealed that “Claudia” is in fact the appendage of the real Claudia. She spends a lot of time with Hannah’s appendage, and during one sequence where Hannah’s appendage tries to suck the life out of her boyfriend, Claudia’s appendage calls her “so hot,” and is clearly attracted to her. Thus, this count included Claudia’s appendage as bisexual, though not Claudia herself. Additionally there is a moment where Hannah kisses her own appendage, but GLAAD did not count either form of Hannah, as this was more a remark on Hannah’s relationship with herself rather than her sexuality.

Boston Strangler

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

Boston Stranger follows the journalists who covered the case of the titular serial killer and does not include any LGBTQ characters. There is a moment where the police commissioner orders every gay bar to be raided, showing homophobia from the police. Additionally, the credits show that one of the protagonists went on to be one of the first journalists to cover the AIDS crisis.

Clock

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

This horror film follows Ella, a woman who does not want to have kids, but is coerced into getting a procedure that makes the term “biological clock” literal. In the beginning of the movie, we see that nearly all of Ella’s friends have kids, including pregnant lesbian couple Shauna and Fiona. They are very small characters in the film, though at one point Shauna confronts Ella with how easy it is for her, as a straight woman, to get pregnant, versus all the steps Shauna went through. Overall, the characters are quite minor, and their removal would not affect the plot.

Cypher

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

This documentary-turned-mockumentary about rapper Tierra Whack includes some brief cameos by well known queer artists, including Cardi B, Billie Eilish, and Janelle Monáe. None of them play significant roles in the film, but it’s exciting to see queer artists amongst the featured musicians.

The Drop

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: PASS

The DropThis comedy surrounds the fallout of someone accidentally dropping a baby at their friends’ wedding. The wedding in question is between lesbian couple Mia and Peggy, and the baby is theirs as well. The woman who dropped the baby is Lex, who we find out has dated almost everyone in the friend group, including Mia and Lindsey. As a bisexual woman, so much of Lex’s character revolves around her promiscuity, which is a stereotype that bisexual characters too often fall into. As for the lesbian couple, they are off screen more than the straight characters, because they are at the hospital with their baby. Even at their wedding, the focus pulls to the straight romance. Though on paper, having a friend group with a lesbian couple and bisexual characters is notable, the execution fell flat.

Jagged Mind

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Jagged Mind -- When Billie starts dating a mysterious new girlfriend, she suffers blackouts and strange visions that feel like she’s living the same moments of her life over and over. Billie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)

This thriller follows Billie, an art curator who meets a new woman, Alex, and starts a relationship with her. However, the audience sees the day Billie meets Alex over and over again until it is revealed that Billie is caught in a sinister Groundhog Day situation. Soon, Billie finds out that things went sour with Alex and now Alex is using a magical crystal to force Billie to relive their meeting and relationship all over again, so that Billie won’t leave her this time. Billie discovers that Alex’s ex Rose started using the crystal on Alex until Alex took it and began to use it on Billie. Alex’s use of the crystal escalates to the point of Alex being so controlling she kills Billie’s ex. When Billie finally gets the crystal from Alex and is free, she is warned to destroy the crystal, but Billie keeps it, implying that the cycle of abuse will continue. Though it is exciting to see a cast where all the main characters are queer women, it’s unfortunate that nearly all of them were in toxic and emotionally abusive relationships.

Quasi

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Quasi

This parody of The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows Quasi Modo as he is hired by the King of France to murder the Pope of England and hired by the Pope of England to kill the King of France. By the end, Quasi reveals to the King and the Pope that they both hired him, and the two men fatally stab each other. As they die, they confess that they were lovers in university and still love each other. While this is treated as somewhat of a joke given the nature of parody, their confession of love is the only thing grounding both characters’ absurd actions in the film, and feels more authentic than many other moments in the film. Even though both characters were antagonists to the main character and of questionable moral character, their portrayal falls in line with the other characters in the film, rather than singling out the gay characters as the sole punching bag for jokes. 

Rye Lane

Straight to Streaming Release

Vito Russo Test: PASS

Rye LaneThis romantic comedy follows protagonists Yas and Dom as they meet and spend a day together in Rye Lane market. The film peppers in casual queer representation throughout. The two leads go on an adventure to Yas’ ex-boyfriend’s house, where they meet his two mothers, Janet and Tanice, who are casually portrayed as two older Black women in a loving relationship, still a rarity in film today. Yas also visits her friend Mona, a nonbinary karaoke bar performer. Though none of these characters are the leads, they affect the plot without falling into the “gay best friend” trope, but just existing as Black queer people in Yas’s life. Rye Lane is a prime example of casual inclusion in a romantic comedy. It is important to note that the actor playing Mona is not out as a nonbinary person at the time of this study. Authentic casting is important for nonbinary characters too, even if they are not transgender nonbinary characters.

Documentary Film:

The Walt Disney Company released 10 documentaries across all their subsidiaries in 2023, of which two included LGBTQ people. Hulu’s release Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl tells the story of Morgan Olivia Rose, a transgender woman who founded the popular celebrity blog Park Avenue Peerage, which reported on the Manhattan socialites of the 2000s. The film also features Morgan’s friend from college, Casey, who is a lesbian, as well as mentioning RuPaul and Andy Warhol. Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman, a Disney+ original documentary, follows Dave Letterman as he travels to Dublin to watch a concert performance from Bono and the Edge, as well as to speak with them about U2’s music. In this conversation, they briefly talk about homophobia and the shift in LGBTQ acceptance, at which point drag performer Panti Bliss is interviewed.

OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD

Disney has a number of upcoming films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving them ample opportunity to include various LGBTQ characters from the comics and other films already within the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World is set to release early in 2025, and has the potential to feature LGBTQ characters from the comics American Chavez, Phyla-Vell, or Scarlet Witch’s sons Wiccan and Speed. Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars both will likely feature Phastos, who was confirmed as gay on screen in Eternals, and has the potential to include other LGBTQ characters already mentioned. Thunderbolts has the potential to include Elektra Natchios, a bisexual character from the comics. The third Deadpool film released in summer 2024, titled Deadpool & Wolverine, had a brief inclusion of queer couple Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio from the previous film.

Toy Story 5 is set to release in 2026; Lightyear, the last film within the Toy Story universe, featured a significant queer character with a family, so hopefully the franchise will continue to be inclusive in this way. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which was released earlier in 2024 year, features Raka, an ape who many viewers of the franchise view as queer. As 20th Century continues to make these films, there is an opportunity to make this reading explicit. Searchlight’s Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood will likely feature queer actor Rock Hudson as a character, as well as a number of other LGBTQ workers and actors in old Hollywood. The film is also directed by gay director Luca Guadagnino.

Hulu released Prom Dates in 2024, which features a queer teen girl as one of two main characters who are trying to find prom dates the day before the dance. The film was written by queer and nonbinary writer D.J. Mausner. LGBTQ-inclusive upcoming projects on Disney+ include Elton John: Never Too Late, which focuses on gay rock legend Elton John, and Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires, which will see queer character Willa return.

For the purposes of this study, GLAAD is counting films distributed under The Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century, and Searchlight, as well as original films on streamers Disney+ and Hulu.

Summary of 2023 Findings

37

Total films released in 2023 under studio and official imprints

14

Total number of LGBTQ-inclusive films

38%

Percent of LGBTQ-inclusive films of studio total releases

9

Number of films that pass the Vito Russo Test

theatrical

18

Total theatrical films released in 2023 under studio and official imprints

8

Total number of theatrical LGBTQ inclusive films

44%

Percent of theatrical LGBTQ-inclusive films of studio theatrical releases

4

Number of theatrical films that pass the Vito Russo Test

streaming

19

Total streaming only films released in 2022 under studio and official imprints

6

Total number of streaming LGBTQ inclusive films

32%

Percent of LGBTQ-inclusive of studio total streaming releases

5

Number of streaming films that pass the Vito Russo Test

STUDIO RATING OVER TIME

2023

INSUFFICIENT

2022

GOOD

2021

INSUFFICIENT

2020

N/A

2019

POOR

2018

FAILING

2017

POOR

2016

FAILING

2015

FAILING

2014

FAILING

2013

ADEQUATE

2012

FAILING

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