Disney Cuts Transgender Storyline From Pixar Series 'Win Or Lose'
Disney has reportedly removed a storyline about a transgender character from the upcoming Pixar series “Win or Lose.”
In a Tuesday article, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the studio had cut the subplot from the animated sports show, which is set to debut on Disney+ on Feb. 19, 2025.
A statement from a Disney spokesperson said, “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”
“Win or Lose” is about a coed middle-school softball team preparing for its little league championship game. Each 20-minute episode explores a different character’s life, including “the insecure kids, their helicopter parents” and “even a lovesick umpire,” according to the show’s official logline.
According to Variety, “Win or Lose” did not include a full episode about the series’ transgender character, who will remain part of the show. Some dialogue referencing gender identity was removed from later episodes of the series, however.
Though the content change is only now coming to light, a source close to the project told THR that Disney had decided to tweak “Win or Lose” “several months ago.”
Disney did not immediately reply to HuffPost regarding the change.
Disney and Pixar have already faced backlash for both including and removing LGBTQ characters and story arcs in recent releases.
In 2022, Pixar staff protested after a same-sex kiss was cut from the “Toy Story” prequel, “Lightyear,” shortly before its release. The studio ended up backtracking on the edit before “Lightyear’s” debut.
This year, the company reportedly shelved an episode of the Disney Channel animated series “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” that focused on a transgender character. A source at Disney told Polygon that the episode had not been “banned” from airing but was being “held.”
