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Credit: DisneyDid Disney go too far, or not far enough?
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Disney’s collection of movies now stretches across hundreds upon hundreds of films. Recent releases like Elemental (2023) and Moana 2 (2024) proved to be massive hits, with several exciting projects still on the horizon.
Live-action remakes have become a focus for Disney over the last decade, though not every release is equally loved. Disney famously faced intense backlash over its decision to “remake” its original princess story, Snow White.
In contrast, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2025) remake was a big hit, crossing the coveted $1 billion mark. However, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017) remake continues to be one of its most interesting projects, not so much for what the company chose to do in the film but rather what it didn’t do.
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In a 2022 interview with The Independent, Josh Gad discussed his various roles in Disney’s movie lineup, from Frozen (2013) to Beauty and the Beast. Gad had some things to say about his role as LeFou, who was meant to be one of Disney’s first “openly gay” characters.
“We didn’t go far enough,” said Gad, “We didn’t go far enough to say, ‘Look how brave we are.’ My regret in what happened is that it became ‘Disney’s first explicitly gay moment,’ and it was never intended to be that. It was never intended to be a moment that we should laud ourselves for, because frankly, I don’t think we did justice to what a real gay character in a Disney film should be.” That was not LeFou. If we’re going to pat ourselves on the back, then damn it, we should have gone further with that. Everybody deserves an opportunity to see themselves on screen, and I don’t think we’ve done enough – and I certainly haven’t done enough to do that.”
The film’s big “gay moment” turned out to be nothing more than a two-second dance with another man, who was also not explicitly stated to be gay.
Fans have been critical of Disney’s past attempts at being more “inclusive” when it comes to same-sex relationships. Disney has advertised LGBTQ+ scenes in films ahead of their release, only for said films to come out and practically hide characters and moments in the corner.
Lightyear (2022) faced immense controversy for its brief inclusion of a same-sex kiss, a blink-and-miss-it moment. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) had a similar moment, featuring a same-sex kiss in the background of a crowded scene.
What did you think of Josh Gad’s character in Beauty and the Beast? Let us know in the comments below.