Just before Pixar celebrated their first big win of the year at the box office with “Hoppers,” Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter explained why the company decided to cut the gay storyline in the original film “Elio” last year.
“Hoppers” is being lauded because it doesn’t push any inkling of LGBT themes that have become quite common in animated films recently. “Elio,” meanwhile, flirted with the idea, and it was widely considered to be a box office flop.
The original narrative included tidbits about former director Adrian Molina’s experience growing up gay, as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/pixar-disney-franchises-pete-docter-80c57f9d">reported by</a> The Wall Street Journal. But Docter said the studio opted to change it up because parents weren’t necessarily ready to have those discussions with their young children watching the film.
“We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy,” the Pixar exec said. “As time’s gone on, I realized my job is to make sure the films appeal to everybody.”
The film tells the tale of an 11-year-old boy, Elio, who bonds with aliens. The outlet noted that the original storyline showed Elio raising a child in the future with a same sex partner.
Upon its release, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/elio-pixar-america-ferrera-director-queer-2-1236301860/">described</a> Elio as a “queer-coded character” whose “characterization gradually faded away throughout the production process.”
LGBT activists who worked on the film blamed these edits for its poor performance. “Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing,” one former Pixar artist told THR. “The Elio that is in theaters right now is far worse than Adrian’s best version of the original.” Another said the final character version was “generic.”
Meanwhile, there was speculation that “Elio” never took off because those “queer coded” themes were leaked to the media and parents were avoiding it.
After being understood as a hitmaker for years with beloved projects such as the “Toy Story” franchise beginning in 1995, “Monsters Inc” (2001), “Finding Nemo” (2003), “The Incredibles” (2004), “Up” (2009), “Inside Out,” (2015), and a slew of others, Pixar, which was acquired by Disney in 2006, seemed to lose its way by going too niche. It produced sequels to some of its most popular titles, but also came up with out-of-the-box concepts like the controversial “Turning Red” (2022), a movie about puberty.
Then there was that whole “Lightyear” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gay-kiss-included-woke-toy-story-spinoff-lightyear-struggles-at-box-office">same sex kiss fiasco</a> in 2022, which proved that even Pixar films based on treasured IP weren’t guaranteed to hit, especially if they included topics parents didn’t want their kids to see.

Elio

Pixar Exec Explains Why Studio Killed Gay Storyline In Animated Children’s Film

Animation

Children

Disney

Entertainment

LGBTQ

Movies

Pixar

U.S.

In recent decades, the leftist political ethos has taken over how to tell fairy tales.
My favorite example is the arc Disney has gone through.
I&#8217;m a huge fan of the old Disney films. It makes me really sad how Disney has destroyed its own intellectual property and really screwed itself up as a company in the service of politics.
My favorite example is the difference between the film “Pinocchio” and the film “Frozen.”
In “Pinocchio,” Jiminy Cricket sings, “Always let your conscience be your guide.” The entire story of “Pinocchio” is that the boy who is coming of age refuses to let his conscience be his guide. He has to explore every bad idea, and finally learns that responsibility for protecting his own family and his father is actually how you become a real boy. The way that you actually mature in the world is to take on responsibility and duty and act with conscience, as opposed to going to Pleasure Island.
The theme could not have been more clearly stated.
Contrast that with the immorality of the most popular song in the last 20 years from Disney, “Let It Go,” in which there is literally a lyric that says “No right, no wrong, no rules, I&#8217;m free,” which is about as pagan an ethos as is possible to get.
You can see the arc of American morality in three generations right there.
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If you look back to Shakespeare, he sometimes creates a toned-up version of fairy tales. All of his comedies are essentially a type of fairy tale, and every single one of them ends with a marriage. That’s because life is funny; all these bad things happen, and yet the generations move on. You get married, and you build something.
With the tragedies, everyone dies at the end. In these works, death is a tragedy because the characters have not fulfilled their function of passing it on to the next generation.
Moreover, in the tragedies, it&#8217;s not just an old person dying, it&#8217;s the young person dying that&#8217;s the real tragedy. The tragedy of King Lear isn&#8217;t Lear&#8217;s death; it’s Cordelia&#8217;s death.
That’s true throughout all of the stories of the West: the importance of the deepest things. And because we have become a sterile civilization, I wonder, how much of that is connected to the sterility of rationality?
I really pride myself on rationality. I love reason, reason&#8217;s great; logic is great. But the truth is that the things that people tie themselves to are beyond reason.
I’ve spoken about what I call role theory, which is the idea that all of religion and all of culture is built around particular roles that are universal to human beings.
But we as a society have decided that roles are bad. Roles are impositions from the outside. What we really are is free-floating, authentic desire. And because roles come with rules, they are an imposition on us, and therefore, we have to explode those roles to live a free and full life. In reality, the roles are what make us who we are. And that’s pretty much what every fairy tale is about.
What every great story is about is a person reconciling and making the most of the role that has been laid out for them; the world pre-exists you; you&#8217;re meant for a role the minute you&#8217;re born. That role is laid out for you. You have liberty to live out choices within that role, but the minute that liberty becomes a universal asset that destroys the role, the minute that happens, it&#8217;s no longer liberty.
Then it becomes libertinism, and everything descends into chaos.

Traditional wooden Pinocchio toy.

From Conscience To Chaos: How Modern Storytelling Abandoned Moral Roles

Ben Shapiro

Cartoon

Culture

Morality

Opinion

Social Issues

Woke Culture

After a string of high-profile failures, Disney finally scored a win with the animated sequel “Zootopia 2” over Thanksgiving weekend.
The movie broke records for the House of Mouse. It raked in over $559 million globally since its premiere on Wednesday, earning the highest international earnings ever for an animated film, and the highest international earnings for a sequel. “Zootopia 2” also earned the fourth-highest earnings among all films, according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/11/zootopia-2-box-office-records-1236631348/">Deadline</a>. 
The animated sequel boasted a $156 million estimated gross total domestically over the five-day holiday, putting it second in line behind “Moana 2,” which earned $225 million domestically in 2024. 
“Disney has made it an event that comes virtually every year over the Thanksgiving holiday,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, said of the results, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/30/business/zootopia-sequel-thanksgiving-box-office">CNN</a>. “Families just embraced (‘Zootopia 2’) in such a profound way.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Zootopia 2 | Final Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5AwtptT8X8k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The analyst noted that the second-highest earner, “Wicked: For Good,” also performed strongly for its second week.
“They did not really detract at all from each other … This performance was born out of having a perfectly curated, perfectly strategized release of these two movies,” Dergarabedian added.
The original “Zootopia” was released in 2016. The story follows a bunny cop, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), who must work with sarcastic con artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to solve a mystery in a city full of talking animals. In the follow-up, Nick is Judy’s partner as they take on another case.
While Disney has been pushing the envelope with leftist themes and LGBT storylines, it’s worth noting that “Zootopia 2” didn’t necessarily follow that script. While some viewers pointed out how the plot of both movies could be seen as taking a progressive stance on topics such as racism and colonialism, there are no same-sex kissing scenes or LGBT-identifying characters. 
The film currently has a 91% critic score and 96% audience score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia_2">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. 
“‘Zootopia 2’ is pure delight, every bit as exciting and heartwarming and imaginative as the Oscar-winning original and maybe even funnier,” said film critic Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com.

Zootopia 2

Disney Rebounds With ‘Zootopia 2,’ Breaking Box Office Records

Disney Rebounds With 'Zootopia 2' Bringing In $156M At Box Office

Box Office

Hollywood

Elon Musk confirmed that he would cancel his Netflix subscription after clips of animated shows aimed at children featuring pro-trans content started circulating on X.
Musk posted on X, “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” on Wednesday, which included a cartoon of the “transgender woke agenda” inside a Trojan horse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids <a href="https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp">https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1973292474375479556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The billionaire Tesla founder also <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1973101319222165785">commented</a> “Same” to someone on X who wrote, “Just cancelled my Netflix subscription. If you employ someone who celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk and makes content that pushes pro-trans content on my kids&#8230;you will NEVER get a dime of my money. It&#8217;s as simple as that.”
This was after clips from multiple shows marketed to children ages seven and up were being shared on X. The short-lived series “Dead End Paranormal Park,” a Netflix original that aired 20 episodes across two seasons in 2022, featured a storyline in which the main character claimed to be transgender.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
OMG. Dead End Paranormal Park, a show on Netflix, is pushing pro-transgender on CHILDREN.
This show is advertised for 7-YEAR-OLDS
It’s being promoted on <a href="https://twitter.com/netflix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@netflix</a> kids now.
Parents- BEWARE <a href="https://t.co/gh5UZftKns">pic.twitter.com/gh5UZftKns</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1972756249986126260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Another clip going viral was part of the animated show “Ridley Jones,” which includes Fred, the non-binary cow, fretting over using a “different name and pronouns” for the first time since last seeing his grandmother.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
ANOTHER kids&#8217; show on Netflix is pushing pro-trans propaganda with the use of pronouns
This show, Ridley Jones, is targeted towards 7-YEAR-OLDS
Parents, do you know what your children are watching? <a href="https://t.co/YMFpWf7qwk">pic.twitter.com/YMFpWf7qwk</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1973050371300868281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Chaya Raichik, who runs the popular account Libs of TikTok, has been leading the charge to expose the content of these shows and has been reposting many screenshots of users proving they canceled their Netflix subscriptions, too. 
She also noted that Hamish Steele, the trans-identified creator of the show “Dead End Paranormal Park,” made vulgar comments on Bluesky following the assassination of Charlie Kirk last month.
“Why the f*** are you even commenting on this d***head? You [sic] sympathy for any of the families being slaughtered by your weapons but a random nazi gets shot and its a public statement. You’re such a f***ing evil sh**,” Steele’s alleged message said.
The post has since been deleted, but screenshots allegedly show Steele was replying to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, offering condolences after Kirk’s murder.
Steele has addressed the controversy in a few posts on Bluesky, writing, 
“It&#8217;s all lies and slander! Netflix is NOT promoting [the show] at the moment!” 
A few hours later, the series creator wrote, “I have mostly been very ok today and found it all quite funny, while really appreciating everyone who has reached out, but the extremely nasty weird [homophobic] and antisemitic emails have started rolling in and it is getting a little scary so I apologise if I take longer to respond to stuff.” 
Steele also referenced backlash following the surfacing of the post about Kirk, writing, “My Instagram comments are now flooded with replies saying I AM CHARLIE KIRK and that I celebrated his death (which I never did).”

Elon Musk

Elon Musk Says He Will Cancel Netflix Subscription Over Trans Propaganda Aimed At Children

Elon Musk, Others Say They're Canceling Netflix Over Trans Propaganda Aimed At Children

Libs of Tik Tok

Netflix

Television

Transgender

“South Park” announced that it wouldn’t be airing a new episode on Wednesday night as planned because they “didn’t get it done in time.”
The update came from series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/south-park-delays-episode-1236522027/">Variety</a>.
“Apparently when you do everything at the last minute sometimes you don’t get it done,” they said. “This one’s on us. We didn’t get it done in time. Thanks to Comedy Central and ‘South Park’ fans for being so understanding. Tune in next week!”
This will be the first new episode of “South Park” since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was parodied on the August 6 episode called “Got a Nut.” Cartman appeared as a character meant to mimic Kirk’s method of debate.
At the time, Kirk <a href="https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1953290604365885923">reacted</a> by laughing at the bit, writing, “Not bad, Cartman,” and saying it was “eerily spot on.”
At one point during that episode, a character who wins the “Charlie Kirk Award for Young Master Debaters” says, “You can’t trust Jews, white people are the underprivileged, and women belong at home.”
After Kirk was assassinated while giving a campus talk last week, the episode was removed from Comedy Central reruns, but was still available to watch on Paramount+, the outlet noted.
Andrew Kolvet, an executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” and a friend of Kirk’s, said the Turning Point USA founder would have wanted the episode to stay up. 
“As someone who can speak with some authority on this, Charlie loved that he was featured in ‘South Park,’” Kolvet <a href="https://x.com/andrewksway/status/1968375140280123478?s=46">wrote</a> on X. “He told me many times. He would want the episode back up.”
This season of the series has been going hard with jokes about the Trump administration, including the president, Vice President JD Vance, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The season 27 opener started with a bit about Trump being in a romantic relationship with Satan, and the writers have continued pushing that trope in subsequent episodes.
While President Trump has yet to react to the bit publicly, Vance tweeted, “Well, I’ve finally made it,” after an episode featuring his likeness aired. Noem reacted by telling Glenn Beck, “It never ends, but it’s so lazy to constantly make fun of women for how they look. It’s always the liberals and the extremists who do that. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly, they can’t. They just pick something petty like that.”
Homeland Security used the show to advertise its ICE recruitment currently underway.
“We want to thank ‘South Park’ for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment,” the agency said in a statement just ahead of the “South Park” episode airing. We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country.”
A new episode of “South Park” is slated to debut on Wednesday, September 24.

South Park

‘South Park’ Postpones New Episode Hours Before Airtime

'South Park' Delays New Episode Hours Before Scheduled Airing, Claim They 'Didn't Get It Done'

Charlie Kirk

Donald Trump

Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro reacted with good humor after being referenced on Sunday night’s episode of the adult animated comedy, “Family Guy.”
“Happy to hear I was on Family Guy last night, but bummed the entire scene didn’t make the cut, so watch to the end of the clip,” the conservative commentator shared on X.
He also reacted to one specific line of the bit, writing, “BTW my new book Lions and Scavengers is coming out 9/2 and you’ll be number 3, dumb dog.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Happy to hear I was on Family Guy last night, but bummed the entire scene didn’t make the cut, so watch to the end of the clip. BTW my new book Lions and Scavengers is coming out 9/2 and you’ll be number 3, dumb dog. <a href="https://t.co/cWXqHofdIm">pic.twitter.com/cWXqHofdIm</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1944811032163016974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In the clip, the family dog named Brian Griffin, who is also a staunch liberal on the series, is upset to find out that his previously published book “Faster Than the Speed of Love” has returned to the bestseller list because it’s being promoted by conservatives.
“Hey look, did you see this?” Stewie Griffin asks Brian. “Your book, &#8216;Faster Than the Speed of Love,&#8217; is back on the shelves.”
“Really? Nice!” Brian replies.
“With a new forward by Ann Coulter,” Stewie adds, prompting Brian to respond, “Less nice.”
“And a very forward by Lauren Boebert,” says Stewie.
Brian proceeds to read the foreword. “When I’m not rubbing my hand over a tented khaki, I’m curled up with a copy of Brian Griffin’s excellent book. And does anyone know how ‘Beetlejuice: The Musical’ ends?”
“Ugh, my book is being co-opted by the Right,” Brian complains. “Gross!”
“And it’s selling,” Stewie tells him. “It’s number two on the neo-Nazi best seller list, behind Ben Shapiro’s ‘Tyranny: How the Radical Left Made Me Bad at Sex.’”
The scene next cuts to a cartoon version of Shapiro saying, “Oh God. It’s that kid and his dog again. Never as good as ‘The Simpsons,’ not nearly as smart as ‘South Park.’ I wonder how [show creator Seth MacFarlane] still writes this from inside the closet.”
Most of Shapiro’s followers found the extended version of the clip hilarious, which was reflected in the comments.
“Even when they cut the scene, you still stole the show,” one person <a href="https://x.com/maverick2886/status/1944813207572357493">wrote</a>.
“Iconic,” another <a href="https://x.com/joelxroberts/status/1944812959424761975">agreed</a>.
“‘Family Guy’ or not, I’m just here for the sass and the book drop,” a third person <a href="https://x.com/WholesomeTrad/status/1944812170245783982">replied</a>.
“Lions and Scavengers: The True Story of America (and Her Critics)” is Shapiro’s first book in four years, and he recently called it his “most important book, certainly my most passionate.”
“Lions and Scavengers” will release on September 2, 2025. It is now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lions-Scavengers-Story-America-Critics/dp/1668097885/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Pg18nHlVX2neyh7VlgVdIKje9EBKlWHDPzfz2hz6y3Q3oyWp8Jv4YdfQyesgs3y-.a1CzqX5hmYc9zIJ3x9S3IyReflqRxvFeP5akr1dlPB8&amp;qid=1749148351&amp;sr=1-1">available for pre-order</a>.

Ben Shapiro Reacts To Being Referenced On ‘Family Guy’

Family Guy

Disney and Pixar&#8217;s latest offering is lagging well behind box office expectations — and the animation studio isn&#8217;t taking it sitting down.
“Elio” has earned just $35 million worldwide since its June 20 release, a record-low for Pixar. The film — which addresses themes like childhood and social isolation through the story of &#8220;Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession&#8221; — only brought in $21 million in ticket sales during its first three days in theaters.
In response to the disappointing numbers, Pixar shared a snarky post on its official Instagram account.
In the video, a woman addresses the reaction to &#8220;Elio,&#8221; which isn’t a remake or sequel, saying “Stop complaining that Disney doesn’t make original stories if you don’t show up to movie theaters and support them in the first place.”
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“Who… who said that?” a woman in her car says by way of reaction. “Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one in my car. But anyway, there’s a new original story,” she continued, holding up a photo of the movie poster.
“Look at that, from Disney-Pixar, called Elio,” she <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLaQFO-yad-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went on</a>. “You should go ahead and support it, it comes out this Friday so yeah, you should go to the movie theater, thank you.”
Commenters on the Instagram post noted the lack of marketing for the film, which they indicated may have contributed to the lackluster results.
“Maybe actually market the movie then???” one comment read.
“Some marketing would&#8217;ve helped… but yes it deserves way better; it&#8217;s such a good movie!!” another commenter echoed.
“I think what drove people away from this one was reusing that same animation style. So many people are wanting something different and we’ve now gotten it quite a few times with movies and shorts,” another person wrote.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited to see this new movie! I think it’s just time to switch up the animation again. Also there was barely any marketing for the movie,” a third said.
“Elio” is the latest in a long line of Disney flops, but there have also been several success stories, including the live action remake of “Lilo &amp; Stitch,” which earned over $945 million worldwide.

Pixar Blames Fans For ‘Elio’ Flopping, Says ‘Stop Complaining’ About Lack Of Original Content

Pixar Blames Fans For 'Elio' Flopping, Says 'Stop Complaining' About Lack Of Original Content

Voice actor Jonathan Joss, best known for portraying the voice of John Redcorn on the long-running animated comedy “King of the Hill,” died from a fatal gunshot wound in San Antonio on Sunday night. He was 59 at the time of his death.
According to early reports, Joss died after getting into a fight with his neighbor, who allegedly then pulled out a gun and shot him several times, per <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/06/02/king-of-the-hill-jonathan-joss-dead-shot-san-antonio-texas-voice-actor/">TMZ</a>. The gunman is then reported to have gotten into a vehicle and fled the scene.
San Antonio police confirmed that the suspect was captured a block from the scene of the accident. Officers detained 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Cejam, who has been booked for murder. The investigation is ongoing.
The paramedics responded and tried to revive Joss, but they were ultimately unsuccessful, the outlet noted.
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The actor’s death occurred just two days after he attended the 2025 ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas, with other “King of the Hill” cast members. Joss last shared an Instagram post of himself walking around Austin and noting how the show’s “reboot is up and moving,” as People <a href="https://people.com/king-of-the-hill-voice-actor-jonathan-joss-dies-at-59-after-being-fatally-shot-police-11746467">noted</a>.
Joss took over for the original actor, Victor Arron, for season 3 of the series after Arron died in a car accident in 1996.
The “King of the Hill” reboot is slated to premiere on Hulu in August and had already started recording, the outlet noted.
Joss also appeared in other popular shows such as “Parks and Recreation,” “Tulsa King,” “Ray Donovan,” “True Grit,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and others.

Johnathan Joss

‘King Of The Hill’ Voice Actor Shot, Killed Following Dispute With Neighbor

'King Of The Hill' Voice Actor Shot, Killed Following Dispute With Neighbor

Celebrities

Murder

Texas

The biblical-based film “The King of Kings” was released on Friday, and it’s already expected to break records. The Angel Studios production racked up $14.6 million in ticket pre-sales, per <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/04/king-of-kings-box-office-presales-1236366250/">Deadline</a>, putting it on track to surpass the massively successful DreamWorks film &#8220;The Prince of Egypt&#8221; (1998), which currently holds the title of best opening for a biblical film at $14.5 million. 
The outlet noted that one million tickets were sold in advance, thanks in large part to the studio’s “Kids go Free” campaign, which allows one free kid’s ticket for every adult ticket purchased.
“The King of Kings” debuts in more than 3,200 locations nationwide this weekend. A synopsis <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaylorTheater/photos/a-father-tells-his-son-the-greatest-story-ever-told-and-what-begins-as-a-bedtime/1195472525696747/?_rdr">says</a>, “A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice. The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The King Of Kings | Official Trailer | In theaters April 11 | Angel Studios" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HDhet3EVRac?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Just like the Prince of Egypt drew families to theaters, our Angel Guild has supported this film through presales and strong word-of-mouth since it entered the Angel ecosystem,” Brandon Purdie, Global Head of Theatrical Distribution &amp; Brand Development at Angel told Deadline. “Charles Dickens had a tradition of sharing this story with his family and we hope that The King of Kings will become a part of the Easter tradition for families around the globe.”
The Daily Wire was on the red carpet at the premiere this week to speak with the film’s creators and stars about working on the faith-based film. 
When asked what it’s like bringing the Bible back to the big screen, director Seong-Ho Jang said (via translator), “I felt the duty as a Christian to spread His word,” the director said, expressing surprise that no major studios were willing to take on the task. 
Jang said he considered it a “miracle” that major stars such as Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan signed on for the project. 
Voice actor Jim Cummings, who voices Pharisee Hillel, said he was convinced to do the project when his agent pitched it as “the greatest story ever told.” He also mentioned being an altar boy from way back, which he said made the project even more important to him. Cummings is best known for being the official voice of Winnie the Pooh since 1988. 
“The King of Kings” currently has a 66% critic score and 96% audience rating on review aggregator <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_king_of_kings">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. 
The reviewer from The San Francisco Chronicle noted the film’s “whimsical Dickensian touches,” which relates back to the fact that “The King of Kings” is based on the Charles Dickens book, “The Life of Our Lord.” He also called the movie “amusing and possibly enlightening Easter entertainment for younger children.”
Most moviegoers were effusive with their praise. One reviewer said it was “a visually captivating animated film that brings the story of Jesus to life through the imaginative lens of Charles Dickens narrating to his son.” 
“The film&#8217;s heartfelt message of hope, love, and redemption resonates strongly with faith-based audiences. A great film for all !! Tastefully done,” he added.
Another agreed, writing, “This was so captivating! Entertains adults and kids. It is full of truth and light. I&#8217;d recommend to everyone!”

King of Kings

Animated Biblical Film ‘The King Of Kings’ Poised To Break Box Office Records

Animated Biblical Film 'The King Of Kings' Poised To Break Box Office Records

Angel Studios

Bible

The new animated Disney series “Win or Lose” is making headlines again, only this time it’s for featuring an openly Christian character.
The company has avoided Christian references for years, but that changed with the debut of the show “Win or Lose,” which is described as “[featuring] the intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game — the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire.”
This new animated series includes a character named Laurie who is feeling self-doubt, so she turns to God in prayer for help. There is also a cutout of an angel inside Laurie’s bedroom.
“Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength,” Laurie prays. “I have faith, but sometimes the doubt creeps in.”
Industry publication WDW News Today <a href="https://wdwnt.com/2025/03/win-or-lose-introduces-first-openly-christian-disney-character-after-almost-20-years/">noted</a> that this is the first time in two decades that any Disney show has made such a reference. They said the last time was in the 2007 film “Bridge to Terabithia,” which had children Jesse and Leslie attend church together and discussing religion on their way home.
This inclusion is also significant because Disney opted to cut a transgender storyline that was previously included in the same show. The character remained, but all mention of gender identity questioning was removed.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a rep for the company said at the time.
Chanel Stewart, the trans-identified actor who gave voice to the character, <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/win-or-lose-transgender-actress-speaks-after-disney-cuts-storyline-1236209109/">complained</a> about the edits while speaking with Deadline in December. 
“I was very disheartened,” Stewart said. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
“Win or Lose” co-creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates previously discussed their aim for the show.
“We knew from the beginning we wanted to have all the hallmarks of a Pixar film — humor, heart, and creativity,” they <a href="https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/pixar-win-or-lose/">said</a> in a press release. “We came to the table also knowing we wanted to tell the types of stories we couldn’t tell in a film format. Which included multi-protagonists, nonlinear storytelling, and really just pushing the tone to be more outside of the box.”

Disney Animated Series Has Openly Christian Character For First Time In Almost Two Decades

Christianity

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a>-identifying teenager who voices a character in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disney</a>’s new animated series, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">Win or Lose</a>,” is upset that the studio cut out a trans storyline from the show.
The Pixar series, which will air its first episode on February 19, follows a co-ed middle school softball team preparing for its big championship game. Initially, the series was slated to include a story arc about a player identifying as transgender, but Disney removed those references, a rep <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-pulls-transgender-storyline-from-upcoming-animated-series">confirmed</a> to The Hollywood Reporter.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” the Disney spokesperson said in a statement. 
The outlet noted that the character will still appear in the show, but the lines about gender identity have been removed.
Now, the voiceover artist who is voicing that character is speaking out. 
Chanel Stewart learned about the role while scrolling social media and seeing a casting call for a “14-year-old transgender girl” to voice the part, per <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/win-or-lose-transgender-actress-speaks-after-disney-cuts-storyline-1236209109/">Deadline</a>. 
“I was exactly what they wanted to a T, and that’s why it felt so right. It felt just so right,” Stewart told the outlet. “I immediately asked my mom if I could do it, because I just felt like if I don’t do this, it wouldn’t make sense. You know what I mean?”
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“Oh my God, it was crazy,” Stewart, now 18, said of landing the role. “I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me.”
Stewart’s mom, Keisha, told Deadline that the call from Disney about the storyline being cut was “upsetting.”
“It was upsetting because my daughter is transgender and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact,” she told the outlet. 
“There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers … transgender people, period. Especially when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to grow into your own person.”
“I was very disheartened,” Stewart agreed. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
“It’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” Stewart continued. “So yeah, that’s all they really told me and that I was still a part of the show.”
“I’m definitely one of the first [transgender girls] to do this!” the teen said. “It’s a true honor to be a part of queer history.”
Disney films that include LGBT storylines, such as “Onward” and “Lightyear,” have not performed well with audiences and have inspired negative attention from parents who feel the themes are not appropriate for younger audiences.

Win or Lose

Trans-Identifying Teen Who Voices Animated Character Reacts To Disney Cutting Storyline

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disney</a> is deleting a storyline about a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a>-identified character from an upcoming animated series, with a rep for the company stating that the topic is best left for parents to discuss with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/children">children</a> themselves.
Pixar’s original animated series “Win or Lose” is scheduled to air its first episode on February 19. The series follows a co-ed middle school softball team preparing for their big championship game. Each of the eight episodes follows one character and shows their point of view.
A rep from Disney confirmed with <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/disney-pulls-transgender-storyline-win-or-lose-1236088172/">The Hollywood Reporter</a> that the storyline about a transgender-identified individual from one of the later episodes has been removed. “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” the rep said.
The outlet noted that the character will still be in the show, but the lines about gender identity have been taken out. The Disney rep declined to share any more details about the decision or what exactly was changed.
The topic of LGBT themes in children’s content is nothing new for the company. In June of 2022, Disney released the “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” and got a ton of negative press for the same-sex kiss included in the animated children’s feature. 
The film “Onward&#8221; (2020) also included an openly gay character. That movie, which opened just prior to the COVID pandemic, only brought in $76 million at the global box office, with some more conservative countries refusing to show the movie at all.
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Currently, the issue of transgenderism, especially as it relates to children, is an important topic of conversation. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-supreme-court-is-about-to-hear-a-major-child-gender-transition-case-heres-what-to-know">recently heard oral arguments</a> in a case dealing with Tennessee’s law banning irreversible gender transition procedures for children.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed Senate Bill 1 into law in March 2023. The bill bans doctors or health care providers from performing so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries or hormonal procedures on minors, including surgery, puberty blockers, and hormones.
The bill came about following a September 2022 investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) by Daily Wire host Matt Walsh. He brought attention to the issue by exposing VUMC’s gender transition procedures for children, including the fact that they called these procedures a “big money maker.”

Disney Pulls Transgender Storyline From Upcoming Animated Series

LGBT

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