Moviegoers have slammed a local movie theatre after it promised to “fast forward” Lightyear’s same-sex kiss.
On 17 June, Pixar finally released the highly-anticipated origin story of everyone’s favourite space cadet.
The movie explores the exciting adventures of the famed Toy Story doll Buzz Lightyear – who is voiced by Chris Evans.
The new film also introduced an array of new characters, including Buzz’s openly queer best friend and commanding officer, Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba).
But what has set the project apart from other Disney films is the inclusion of Pixar’s first same-sex kiss.
The brief moment, which was cut but later restored, occurred between Aduba’s character and her partner.
Although the film has been praised for its LGBTQ+ moment, it has also faced significant pushback from conservative critics.
On 22 June, NBC News reported that a movie theatre in Kingfisher, Oklahoma posted a warning sign regarding the aforementioned same-sex kiss.
“Attention Parents: The management of this theatre discovered after booking ‘Lightyear’ that there is a same-sex kissing scene within the first 30 minutes of the Pixar movie,” the sign said. “We will do all we can to fast-forward through that scene, but it might not be exact.”
Shortly after the sign was posted, the theatre faced immediate backlash on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: “Do I expect more from Oklahoma? No, not really. Instilling children with this kind of homophobia and (misplaced) outrage is how we end up with a suicide rate among LGBTQ+ youth that is so high.”
Do I expect more from Oklahoma? No, not really. Instilling children with this kind of homophobia and (misplaced) outrage is how we end up with a suicide rate among LGBTQ+ youth that is so high. #Pride #Lightyear pic.twitter.com/qCX6nMMY9f
— Aaron Schekorra (@AaronSchekorra) June 23, 2022
Another user tweeted: “Just imagine a world without ignorance and hate!!! I urge everyone to “fast forward” right past this vile establishment, the 89er Theatre In Oklahoma.”
After receiving pushback from social media and local moviegoers, the theatre removed its sign and intention of fast-forwarding over the scene.
In a statement to CNN, 89er Theatre co-owner Barry Reid said the sign was an “internal mistake, and it’s been corrected”.
The recent attempt at censoring Lightyear comes a week after the film was banned in multiple countries.
On 14 June, Reuters reported that the film was blocked in over 14 territories, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Lebanon.
At the time, the UAE Regulatory Office tweeted that the film “violated the country’s media content standards”.
Even with the recent pushback over the film’s brief interaction, Lightyear producer Galyn Susman revealed that the film would not undergo any last-minute changes.
“We’re not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he’s missing by the choices that he’s making, so that’s not getting cut,” she told Reuters during the premiere.
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