A petition targeted towards the President of Pixar Jim Morris and the CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Chapek is demanding Disney and Pixar remove the Pixar SparkShorts ‘Out’ from their platforms.
Disney released a first look at the Pixar SparkShorts ‘Out’ back in May on Twitter.
The latest heartwarming tale from @Pixar’s #SparkShorts. Start streaming Out tomorrow on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/gRvBEdK1Iw
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) May 21, 2020
Related: Disney’s DuckTales Season Three Introduces Gay Couple
The 30 second clip shows a man named Greg contemplating telling his parents that he is in a gay relationship with another man named Manuel. The clip shows Greg practicing how he is going to tell his parents about the relationship. However, his parents arrive at the door with a baked dish.
As his parents enter his home, Greg’s dog attempts to hide a picture showing Greg with Manuel. Greg’s mom catches the dog hiding the picture and discovers it. The clip ends before she turns the picture frame over and sees Greg and Manuel.
The petition was launched on the Tradition Family Property Student Action website just days after the first look.
Along with the petition it includes a call to action. It begins by chiding Disney saying, “The days of Pinocchio are gone. Now Disney wants children to accept homosexuality.”
It continues, “Pixar Animation Studios, a subsidiary of Disney, released an animated short film called OUT. The production promotes homosexual behavior and threatens the innocence of our children. Shame on Disney! Shame on Pixar! Sign your peaceful protest today.”
The call to sign the petition continues, “If we don’t speak up, who will? Sign your peaceful protest today. Share this page with your friends. Fight the good fight.”
The petition itself reads, “I object to the promotion of homosexual sin in your films, especially those directed at impressionable children such as Pixar’s new short film called OUT featured on Disney+.”
It continues, “This animated film is a serious danger to youth because it makes unnatural vice appear normal and acceptable.”
“Shame on Disney!” it adds.
The petition concludes, “God and the sacred and natural institution of marriage and family must be respected, not mocked. Therefore, I urge you to remove OUT from your platform, end the promotion of homosexual ideology in your films, and cease attacking the innocence of our children.”
The petition has currently been signed by 27,990 supporters.
Out is directed by Steven Clay Hunter who previously worked on other Pixar projects WALL-E and Toy Story 2. The short will be a first for Pixar and Disney to feature a gay lead character in one of their films.
Earlier this March, Disney introduced its first gay character in an animated film in Onward, which also sparked a boycott campaign against it.
The company also featured a lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Related: Brief Same-Sex Kiss Scene in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Cut from Singapore Screenings
In 2017, Disney launched the live-action series Andi Mack that follows Andi Mack, Cyrus Goodman, and Buffy Driscoll as they attend middle school. The show was the first Disney Channel series to feature a gay main character in Cyrus Goodman. Goodman came out in the final season of the show in the episode titled “One in a Minyan.” It debuted on February 8, 2019.
https://youtu.be/gNOWn8iiLow
Disney also introduced a gay couple as the parents of Violet in the third season of the new DuckTales show.
The petition more than likely will not affect Disney’s decisions. Newly appointed CEO Bob Chapek responded to a question from Disney shareholder Caroline Farrow regarding gay prides in Disneyland parks.
Chapek stated, “Well, thank you for your question. At Disney we strongly believe we should reflect in our creative content the diversity that we find in our fanbase and our audience.”
He added, “And I believe that will continue with an increased commitment as we move forward. We want to represent our audience. We believe we want to tell stories that our audience wants to hear that reflects their lives.”
What do you make of this petition? Do you plan on signing it?