5 LGBT Disney+ shows to stream – from Marvel to High School Musical, and the Gaston and LeFou Beauty and the Beast reunion we’ve all been waiting for
Since being called out by GLAAD for ‘curtailed or downsized’ LGBT content, Disney has pledged to represent its audience better – ahead of international streaming platform Disney+’s roll-out to Asia and beyond later this year, STYLE clocks 5 shows and shorts, old and new, telling LGBT stories
Last year, Disney hit its highest-ever earnings, totting up a total of US$70 billion across all business segments – in no small part thanks to its powerhouse Marvel and Star Wars franchises. However, the multibillion-dollar company still faces criticism for its lack of LGBTQ+ content in films that, if featured at all, are often “curtailed or downsized”, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) which ranked the company low in its annual media monitoring last year.
However, Disney may not be a lost cause. Recently, CEO Bob Chapek announced the studio’s future commitment to “represent its audience” in more films.
While it may take time for positive gay representations to appear in major films, Disney’s efforts are becoming increasingly evident on the small screen. With this in mind, here are five shows both old and new with LGBTQ+ themes, that are available for streaming on the international Disney+ subscription service, slated to roll out across Asian countries by the end of 2020 and early 2021.
Out
It may only be a short film, but Disney made history when it featured its first animated gay character in Out.
As part of its SparkShorts program, the nine-minute flick revolves around Greg’s moving day with his boyfriend, Manuel. The short explores closeted identity and parent-child relationships, as well as man’s best friend, as quoted from its official tagline, “With some help from his precocious pup, and a little bit of magic, Greg might learn that he has nothing to hide.”
Andi Mack
In 2017, Andi Mack broke boundaries by featuring Disney’s first gay television character, Cyrus Goodman, played by actor Joshua Rush. Known for its honest and realistic portrayal of modern teenagers, GLAAD’s CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, praised the show and emphasised the need for television to include LGBTQ+ youth “who deserve to see their lives depicted on their favourite shows”.
Marvel’s Hero Project