Why was the transgender storyline removed from Pixar’s Win or Lose? Disney+'s controversial decision explained

Modified Dec 18, 2024 03:50 GMT

The series is directed by Carrie Hobson and Micheal Yates (Image via Pixar)

Win or Lose is an upcoming animated series created, written, and directed by Carrie Hobson and Micheal Yates. The series is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on February 19, 2025.

The series tells the story of a middle school softball team named Pickles, who strive to win the upcoming championship under the guidance of coach Dan, voiced by Will Forte. The series consisting of eight episodes will focus on different storylines and characters in each episode. The line-up also included a transgender storyline which was removed from the story to make it more appealing for parents who would prefer to discuss the subject in their own terms.

Apart from Will Forte, the voice cast of the series includes Ian Chen, Izaac Wang, Jo Firestone, Milan Ray, Josh Thomson, Erin Keif, and Rosie Foss. Win or Lose is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and includes the musical score by Ramin Djwadi.

The transgender storyline was removed from Win or Lose to make it more appealing for the parents

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for Disney confirmed that the transgender storyline was removed from the upcoming animated series. He 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."

The report further informed that the character is still part of the series but a few dialogues and references of gender identity have been removed.

The studio has been under scrutiny for presenting LGBTQ+ storylines in its animated content such as Lightyear and Strange World. Both the films featured same-gender relationships and they failed to perform at the box office. Strange World could only gather $73.6 million at the global box office. It can be assumed that these setbacks also played a part in the decision.

Another aspect that can be taken under consideration is that referencing gender identity or presenting queen relationships limits the expansion of content in certain territories.

However, despite a few setbacks Disney and Pixar are currently celebrating the success of their films Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, respectively. Inside Out 2 has already become one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, while Moana 2 is slowly gearing towards a $billion global box office.

About Win or Lose

Win or Lose will be streaming on Disney+ exclusively. Here's how the platform describes the plot:

"Directed, written and executive produced by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, and produced by David Lally, the new series reveals what it feels like to be in the shoes of eight different characters—the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire—as they prepare for a championship softball game. Will Forte lends his voice to the coach."