Pixar: Lightyear - June 17-2022

You folks realize that the "gay content" in this movie takes up roughly 20 seconds of the running time, right?

And it couldn't be much more understated if it tried.

If the "gay content" in "Lightyear" is what some folks want to call "lecturing"...

 

For all the claims that "Lightyear" became a "flop" because it's some progressive wet dream, I think this post more accurately reflects the truth.

It's a movie with a confusing premise, and one that no one actually appears to have wanted.

We now know it's the movie that Andy from "Toy Story" saw and made him want the Buzz action figure.

Over the last 27 years, has anyone clamored for a feature film that re-enacts the origins of the Buzz doll?

If so... I missed that.

And that assumes people understand this premise, which I don't think most do.

The ads don't make it clear. Only the fact the actual movie offers text at the start explains this - and I'll bet Pixar added that blurb last minute because the concept confused so many people!

 

Most flops are perfect storms.

This one:

Middling to bad film
Heated competitive space
Covid remnants
Bad/noisy political PR
Confusing marketing

And with their stock doing what it's doing this is certanly not the kick to the gonads that Disney needed right now.

 

That is known, yes. And yes, it's lecturing when it's thrown in gratuitously. None of this in kids movies, thanks.

You tend to go back & forth with people ad nauseum, something I'm wholly uninterested in. You know my opinion, I know yours, we'll never agree, and that's fine. The end.

 

I still think that last one is the biggest problem.

I mean, I follow movies closely. I saw the "Lightyear" trailer a good 6-8 times - maybe more.

And I had no idea what the movie was supposed to be until I saw it.

Admittedly, I didn't read anything about it, but neither would the average member of the target audience.

It's like people who say that Movie X makes a lot more sense if you read a tie-in story. I shouldn't have to do research for a damned movie to make sense!

The political stuff didn't help, especially since it was so radically misleading. "Lightyear" pushes no agenda. The infamous same-sex kiss lasts a good half a second and could pass for someone kissing her mother hello.

Certain factions make "Lightyear" out to be some "We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used to It" in-yer-face screed, but that's not even vaguely true.

Nonetheless, that fiction persists and almost certainly keeps some from seeing the movie.

"Lightyear" isn't a bad movie by any stretch, though "middling" seems fair. It's moderately entertaining but nothing special.

I maintain the movie's biggest issue is that no one actually wanted it. It's a spinoff with little to no demand.

 

Except I have the feeling only one of us has an informed opinion.

I strongly suspect you've not actually seen the movie, so your view of this as "lecturing" comes from what you've heard others tell you.

You assume it's gratuitous. Why is it "gratuitous" to have a same-sex couple?

Are only hetero couples "non-gratuitous"?

What about mixed race couples? Are those gratuitous as well?

What if this had been a hetero Muslim couple? Also gratuitous?

If you think the same sex couple is "gratuitous", then you should think all those others are "gratuitous" as well.

There's nothing "gratuitous" about depicting a same-sex couple. They exist and there's no reason they shouldn't be featured in movies.

"Kids movies" shouldn't be left solely for white Christian hetero couples.

 

Well. Because 1% of couples are same sex. (I'd think even that number is bloated.) But if true, that means if they make 100 movies about Buzz Lightyear, one of them should feature a same-sex couple if they're being true to their viewers and not trying to cram homosexuality down everyone's throat. Of course, they've made only one movie it's grooming kids to think same-sex couples are normal.

It depends on the viewership and the market you're going for. Mixed-race couples make up about 15% of all marriages in the US, including my marriage, which was also interfaith. If you're trying to appeal to kids you could be diplomatic and not have any couple, like the mom from Toy Story I, II and III. Never saw a significant other.

Again, it depends on the viewership and the market you're going for. I will say, in the words of Spock, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

It's a kid's movie. Not a lecture at a university about political correctness FFS.

Not even kids' movies? Fine. I won't be taking my kid. Enjoy your same sex couple movie. Hope it does really well for you and Disney.

 

Sticking with Pixar I had no desire to see Finding Dory, I found her character tolerable in small doses in Finding Nemo. Why Pixar decided that Dory deserved a full length movie remains a puzzle to me. I tried to watch it once and lasted maybe 20 minutes before bailing. It made $1.028 Billion at the box office.

 

I thought it was good and funny. But I can definitely see where you're coming from. It's a high-energy character.

For me, the absolute worst I've ever seen was Magadascar. Jumpcuts every 1.5 secs and 4 characters who talk like they're on speed, nothing funny happening, and the only respite is when the penguins are onscreen because their tempo is much slower. How that movie made $556M and gave way to 3 sequels, a spin-off movie, 4 short films, a TV special, and a 3 TV shows, I'll never understand.

 

It's a reality on the ground today, kids have friends that may or may not come from what is considered a traditional family. It's not a bid deal imo, if kids have questions the parents should answer them honestly, more than likely they discuss amongst themselves.

 

I was gonna respond to the individual points, but this whole post is so misguided and narrow-minded and downright bigoted that it's not worth the effort.

Will just say this: if you think that 20 seconds of "gay content" - including the world's most non-sexual kiss - will turn kids gay, then there's no hope here.

Including a gay couple - a gay couple who barely appear in the film, BTW - isn't "cramming homosexuality down everyone's throat".

Thanks for showing all of us who you are, though. Very helpful!

 

Yeah, "Lightyear" clearly violates prior "canon" - I guess.

Has anyone involved discussed these inconsistencies? Maybe this will be a topic during the Blu-ray's bonus materials...

 

I hear ya, but at least "FD" acted as a true sequel to "Nemo".

Same with "Cars 2". Probably no one wanted a full-length Mater movie, but at least it continued from the original - in a weird way, that is, since it offered a bizarre spy story.

"Lightyear" includes none of the actual "TS" characters - not even Buzz, since this isn't Buzz the toy.

It's an interesting premise, but not really something that seemed to enjoy any real demand.

 

I'm not wild about the 1st 2 "Madagascar" movies but they're okay.

The third one's actually pretty good. It's weird and inventive.

It also features indie darling Noah Baumbach as a co-writer, which is a major surprise!

 

I guess we should be upset that Andy's in a single-parent household.

Only "traditional hetero nuclear families" allowed in "kids movies"!

Honestly, kids seem likely to barely notice the gay couple in "Lightyear".

As I've mentioned, that situation hardly plays a part. It's a supporting character who's gay, and her spouse is onscreen for an intensely brief period of time.

Their "traumatic kiss" is a peck hello.

It perplexes me that some feel so threatened by this and view it as "grooming" or brainwashing.

 

Once again Sesame Street is leading the way in children's education...

 

Why are you saying the opposite of what's in kid's movies and then trying to use it to attack anyone who is concerned about what's right for kids movies?

Kids are not stupid. They notice everything and I'm not sure who you think appointed you a child cognition expert but you may want to get off your high horse and entertain the possibility you don't know exactly what influences children. Nor do you seem to know the objectives of certain powerful Disney employees who may or may not have pernicious or insidious intent.

Ok, but this is just one movie. Children watch a lot of Disney content with moments like this input into the shows and movies with increasing regularity. If some parents see an agenda and you don't, that's fine. No one is judging you. Why do you need to judge other parents?

Because as I noted it's not in line with social norms where a disproportionate number of couples are portrayed as same sex. The movie is for children. Disney notables are on record patting themselves on the back for shoehorning such content into kids' movies. It's not about feeling threatened. It's about facing it and understanding what's going on so you and your kid can be realistic about it.

What's bigoted about giving real numbers of couples and saying presentations in kids' movies are purposefully not representing the real numbers? Disney staff themselves say more controversial things. Obviously you can't respond to individual points I made because it doesn't support you being so judgmental of me.

Why make a judgmental boor of yourself? Kids are very impressionable. This year, two of my kid's classmates came out as gay (at age 9-10), started dressing in drag and coloring their hair, showering their effections on other boys in the class who were not inviting it, and harassing my kid about what she thought of their "coming out". If straight kids behaved this way, they'd be disciplined and probably expelled. This is just what I am seeing as part of a much bigger picture that I don't think I or you or anyone else fully understands.

I never imagined I'd have to help my child deal with these issues in 3rd-4th grade and that her school and Disney would adopt curricula to groom kids about these things. I don't think the school or Disney are being responsible about this, but if you do that's fine for you. My kid has a very strong personality and is in a situation where she can't say what she thinks. That is not good for anyone. You shouldn't be so confident that it's all groovy and everyone who questions it is bigoted.

 

This thread is derailing into the forbidden zone - the second time for Lightyear.

Can we maintain discussion to the movie only? w/o discussing you know what?

 

I'd love that. I didn't start the discussion of the Horrible Lesbian Love Scene - but I also didn't want to let the bigotry of others go unanswered.

Seems to me people who discuss the quality of the movie should only be those of us who've actually seen the movie.

 

I don't even know where to start, so I won't...

 

With one post you’ve made me want to see it. Not for the “pushing down your throat” content which sounds like it’s basically non-existent. But, rather to simply refute you, and the dog-whistle claptrap masquerading as opinion foisted by someone who didn’t even see it.

 

Hope you and your kid enjoy it! My kid and I won't be seeing it.

 

And I won’t be seeing your posts anymore. Sadly, you are training your child in such a way as you have told us. Grooming?

 

Yup, might turn them gay…which, by the way, is not how it works.

JohnK