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Disney-Pixar's Animated Film, 'Onward' Will Feature First LGBTQ Character
Disney-Pixar will feature the first self-identified LGBTQ character in an animated film.
"Onward," will premiere on March 6 and features the voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland as elf brothers.
Also, the film introduces the first "self-identified" gay character into the Disney-Pixar universe. Officer Specter - a Cyclops cop - is voiced by openly gay screenwriter and actress Lena Waithe.
Waithe's character makes a brief appearance in one scene, in which she tells a driver, "My girlfriend's daughter got me pulling my hair out," Slate reports.
It is unclear if Officer Specter represents the lesbian or bisexual communities, but it is a clear match with the LGBTQ community as a whole.
Disney introduces first LGBT character in their history, Officer Specter played by Lena Waithe from the upcoming movie. pic.twitter.com/XhWNbywqMb
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 22, 2020
News of Waithe's LGBTQ character comes just one month after Marvel president Kevin Feige confirmed his company's plans to add LGBTQ characters to the Marvel Universe.
Feige said, "Yes, absolutely. Yes. Very soon. In a movie, we're shooting right now," according to NBC News.
"Onward" producer, Kori Rae said, "It just kind of happened. It was kind of fitting and it opens up the world a little bit, and that's what we wanted," Yahoo reports.
"It's a modern fantasy world and we want to represent the modern world," Director Dan Scanlon said about the film.
Disney is expected to release "The Eternals" later this year, introducing a same-sex couple into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film, scheduled to be released November 6, is set to feature Haaz Sleiman and Bryan Tyree Henry as a same-sex couple with a child.