Report: Former Pixar Staffers Break Down over Cut Trans Storyline in Kids’ Show — ‘Can’t Tell You How Much I Cried’
Former Pixar staffers are reportedly experiencing emotional meltdowns following Disney’s decision to remove a transgender storyline from the upcoming children’s animated series Win or Lose, with one ex-staffer admitting to breaking down in tears.
Others have accused the Walt Disney Company of making a political calculation and actually putting the lives of so-called transgender children in danger.
Multiple former Pixar staffers expressed sorrow and dismay over Disney’s decision to axe the trans storyline from Win or Lose, which is set to begin streaming on Disney+ in February, according to mostly anonymous accounts given to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The episode in its final form was so beautiful — and beautifully illustrated some of the experiences of being trans — and it was literally going to save lives by showing those who feel alone and unloved, that there are people out there who understand,” said one unnamed ex-Pixar staffer. “It’s just very frustrating that Disney has decided to spend money to not save lives.”
“It’s 100 percent political,” another former Pixar employee who identifies as trans said, adding: “Disney just had the settlement with Trump” — a reference to Disney’s more than $15 million settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in his defamation suit against ABC News.
“It hardly surprised me, but it devastated me,” Sarah Ligatich, a former Pixar assistant editor who consulted on the episode, told the outlet. Ligatich, who also identifies as trans, later added: “I can’t tell you how much I cried yesterday thinking about that conversation” between Win or Lose executive producer David Lally and transgender actor Chanel Stewart.
Win or Lose, which follows the adventures of a middle school softball team, was originally supposed to feature a subplot involving one of its teen characters who was transgender. Pixar even cast Chanel Stewart, who was only 14 at the time, in an open call for transgender teenage actors.
But Disney executives stepped in and ordered the subplot removed, with Stewart’s character now being a girl — though her voice actor is male.
The decision marks a departure for Disney, which in recent years had pushed transgenderism and other forms of gender non-conformity in its entertainment aimed at children.
“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,” a spokesperson for Disney said.
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