Disney+ Middle East, the exclusive MENA streaming service that debuted at the beginning of June, will not be hosting the premiere of Lightyear, the most recent Disney and Pixar film featuring Chris Evans as the legendary space traveler initially featured in 1995’s Toy Story and “Baymax” will not be also made available on Disney+ Middle East’s platform.
The decision was made as a result of the platform’s refusal to release Pixar’s “Lightyear” in the area since the movie included a same-sex kiss and “Baymax” a Disney+ series, won’t also air because it features LGBTQ characters.
The two films have been banned in markets in over 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
It’s unlikely also that the movie will be allowed to play in Chinese theaters if the scene is not cut or removed, despite the fact that none of these countries are very big markets for American tentpoles.
The move comes despite Disney criticizing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida over his decision to sign parental-rights legislation this year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the choice was made following a string of disputes the media giant had with Middle Eastern censors for three films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake.
“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have been passed and should never have been signed into law,” the company said on Twitter in March. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
Marvel’s Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, West Side Story, Lightyear, and Thor: Love and Thunder are just a few of the Disney films that have encountered some controversy in the Middle East over the past year.
These films either were not released or were banned from release because Disney and the regulatory bodies in various Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, could not come to an agreement.’ Disney chose not to release in those markets rather than cutting culturally sensitive content from the already finished films, no matter how briefly it appears on the screen.
Each film has been deemed unsuitable for local audiences in the countries where it has not seen release due to not meeting certain standards regarding cultural sensitivities.
“The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards,” the UAE’s body was announced on Twitter in June when originally banning the release of Thor.
The move came after the hashtag ‘منععرضلايتييرفيالامارات#’ which translates to ‘BanLightyearinUAE‘ was garnering attention on Twitter the previous day.
Sources: Washingtonexaminer, Hollywoodreporter, Slashfilm