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In an unprecedented move, Pixar racist It featured the animation studio’s first non-binary character in what is considered a win for the LGBTQIA+ community in terms of representation. racist It is the latest animated film from Pixar, which will be released in theaters on June 16. The film follows the living incarnations of the four elements fire, water, earth and air as they attempt to coexist together.
The fact that the movie includes the first non-binary character created by the studio isn’t Pixar’s only first. racist It also marked Pixar’s return to theaters after the previous films were Disney+ exclusives during the pandemic. Notably, this implication remains true to the film’s emotional message about coexistence and tolerance towards one another.
While many people celebrated the news, others weren’t as excited about it due to Disney’s past history of underrepresentation of LGBTQ+. This is justified in how the company only includes LGBTQIA+ characters as secondary characters which has caused many to see this inclusion as insufficient. Even in Disney’s recent offerings, there has been this criticism of the lack of screen time the characters have been given. However, such a move is still worth celebrating.
Pixar’s first non-binary character
Pixar’s first non-binary character quickly made headlines as the LGBTQIA+ community and allies shared the news all over social media. However, the character does not play a major role in racist Since the film has focused on the story of Ember Lumen, the “fiery young man,” voiced by Leah Lewis and Wade Ripple, who is voiced by Mamoudou Athie.
The audience first meets the lead character when he introduces Wade Ember to his family. We quickly learn that his younger brother is a water elemental named Lake Ripple, and they use their own pronouns. Lake is usually seen with their friend, whom they met at art school; Fans have pointed out that this is a great Pixar detail because the LGBTQIA+ community is famous for their love of art.
Aside from some criticism, Pixar has been praised for hiring a non-binary actor to play Lake. Lake is voiced by non-binary actor Ava Kay Hauser, who shared his excitement on Twitter.
This isn’t the first time Hauser has voiced an animated character. They also played several roles in other works including Return to Monkey IslandAnd Our lifevideo game Cleo – A Pirate’s Taleand animated series on YouTube Nervous month. So it’s definitely a special moment for Hauser while they’re starring in the Pixar movie.
While it’s not explicitly stated in the movie that Lake is a non-binary character, we get our confirmation from Hauser and the book of the novel and the tie-in titled Unlikely friends.
What does this mean for representation in animation
Introducing Lake as Pixar’s first non-binary character is no small feat because it means a lot to the animation world and the LGBTQIA+ community, too. There is little representation of non-binary characters in Hollywood and the animated world in general, so people have been celebrating the news since it was confirmed.
This will certainly be the beginning of more inclusivity and representation for the LGBTQIA+ community, who feel they can finally relate to Disney and Pixar films. There was also another example of acting when Disney guaranteed a kiss in Lightyear between Kiko and Hawthorne. However, initially, the kiss was cut from the movie before Disney faced some backlash which led to Pixar adding the kiss back.
Another example where animated films included representations of the LGBTQIA+ community was in Disney’s animated film strange world. The film includes a gay character named Ethan Clyde who is played by openly gay comedian Jabuki Young-White. This was the first time that a Disney animated film had a gay male lead. Another example of LGBTQIA+ representation was in Disney onwards who was the studio’s first openly gay character. Also worth noting are recent representations of non-binary characters in other media and not just animation. We’ve seen Bella Ramsey in The last of us in which they played Ellie. Many hope that Disney and other Hollywood companies will continue to serve the LGBTQIA+ community by including more queer main characters.
Elemental is directed by Peter Sohn, who also directed The good dinosaurThe screenplay was written by John Hoberg, Brenda Hsueh, and Kat Liquel. The cast includes Hauser, Mamodu Athe, Lea Lewis, Wendy McClendon-Covey, Kathryn O’Hara, Joe Berra, and Mason Wertheimer.
racist Now playing in theatres.
