HIGHLIGHTS
- Disney’s first on-screen gay character in their upcoming film “Strange World” is named Ethan.
- He’s a biracial teenager.
- Twitter has a lot to say about the film.
Ethan’s introduction drew a wide variety of reactions on Twitter. “#StrangeWorld is beautifully done. LGBTQ representation is huge for Disney. Massive. I smiled so much, #RepresentationMatters,” one user posted.
disney is the kind of mf to name a movie “strange world” and add a gay character 😭😭😭😭 t.co/buKbGENAF6
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2022
Am I just not seeing the campaign for Strange World or is Disney doing a shocking marketing campaign for what… t.co/GcEcpgIQDa
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2022
This is absolutely ridiculous, why do people make such a big deal out of gays and lesbians? ! It’s natural for people… t.co/WvzSX8aDNC
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2022
While some welcomed it, others called out the company for not marketing the animated film well. “With Chapek’s point of view on animation, Disney’s little marketing for Strange World makes sense. He clearly sees animation as children’s distractors on Disney+ rather than big theatrical events like Marvel,” said said a Twitter user.
Another asked, “If Strange World is the ‘biggest movie event of the year’ then why aren’t you marketing it, Disney?”
Meanwhile, some users claimed that Ethan wasn’t Disney’s first gay on-screen character. “Glad there’s an openly gay character in Strange World but it’s not Disney’s first, the Owl House is FULL of them,” one user said.
Speaking to Yahoo, Young-White confirmed that the film was not Ethan’s coming out story. “It’s just who he is, and it’s not emphasized or made to be a big deal. It’s an aspect of Ethan and one of the many things that makes him who he is. J thought it was amazing,” he said.
The film will be released in India on November 25.
