Last Updated on March 9, 2020
The highly anticipated Disney Pixar animated film, Onwards, which was praised by fans after an awaited inclusion of an explicitly LGBT character, now has said character censored for Russian audiences, as Russia battles Western condemnation for their treatment of LGBT people.
Onwards–which incidentally reported Disney Pixar’s worst opening weekend for any film, adjusted for inflation–was dubbed a “revolutionary” film for their inclusion of a LGBT character in a lesbian relationship.
However, Russia has seemingly scrubbed scenes which could depict the character’s sexuality.
According to Screengeek, Russian film magazine reported that a scene where lesbian character Specter, a cyclops police officer, makes reference to her girlfriend, has been cut for Russian audiences.
Life Site News reported on the Kinopoisk article, which reportedly wrote: “Disney and Pixar have presented (in their film) a new LGBT-character, an officer of local police, a cyclops named Specter. Her orientation is mentioned in a short line of dialogue in the scene where she stops two main protagonists, brothers Ian and Barley, for traffic violations.”
The article continued: “With the help of magic, they disguise themselves as the centaur Bronco, who is Specter’s police buddy and their mother’s boyfriend, with whom she (Specter) discusses her relationship with her girlfriend and daughter.
“According to the reports of the viewers who have already watched the cartoon, in the Russian dubbed version, the more neutral word ‘partner’ appeared here, not specifying the sex of the character being discussed.”
Officer Specter was voiced by Lena Waithe who, according to Life Site News, identifies with her same-sex attraction.
Finding Dory left fans speculating, but hungry for more, when an implied same-sex couple was featured.
In recent years, calls for more LGBT inclusion and representation in films have intensified.
Spiderman will reported feature a bisexual protagonist in an upcoming representation of the legendary comic.
