Ex-Pixar Employees Mourn Cut Trans Storyline From ‘Win Or Lose’
Image: Source: Pixar Animation Studios
Previous employees at Pixar have publicly expressed their disappointment that a character originally meant to be trans in the upcoming series Win or Lose was changed to be cisgender.
News broke last week that the trans storyline in the softball series Win or Lose had been axed, which sparked a petition to reinstate it that’s garnered over 7,000 signatures since it opened.
Now, a number of people who previously worked at Pixar have spoken to The Hollywood Reporter about the cut storyline, with many openly criticising Disney for their removal of the storyline.
Sarah Ligatich, a trans woman and former Pixar assistant who consulted on the episode with the trans storyline, didn’t mince words at all: “It hardly surprised me, but it devastated me. For a long time, Disney has not been in the business of making great content. They have been in the business of making great profits.
“Even as far back as two years ago when I was at Pixar, we had a meeting with [then-CEO] Bob Chapek, and they were clear with us that they see animation as a conservative medium,” she continued.
Ligatich also talked about the effect the decision had on young trans actress Chanel Stewart, who had played the character in Win or Lose and was extremely disheartened by the decision: ““Not only are you asking someone to play someone they’re not, but to also get them to wrap their mind around a political conversation that is just so beyond them. They had this story in the can for two years, so they could have released it in a Biden presidency, and they chose not to.”
Other Pixar employees frustrated with Disney cutting trans storyline
A number of other ex-Pixar employees spoke to THR anonymously and felt that it was deeply ironic that Disney refused to incorporate the storyline given that many of their most iconic films include adult themes.
One particular point of contention for these workers was that the episode was fully finished before it was cut, forcing the creative team to readjust the episode ahead of its February 2025 at heavy expense.
An anonymous ex-Pixar worker who didn’t work on the show but had seen the episode said the following. “The episode in its final form was so beautiful – and beautifully illustrated some of the experiences of being trans – and it was literally going to save lives by showing those who feel alone and unloved that there are people out there who understand. So it’s just very frustrating that Disney has decided to spend money to not save lives.”
Another trans ex-employee claimed the decision was “100 percent political”, owing to a recent settlement the Disney-owned ABC paid to President-elect Donald Trump and a recent decision to not air an episode of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur with a trans character either.
It’s far from the first time that Disney has gotten into hot water over their treatment of LGBTQI+ characters and communities – and not even the first time this year. Deadpool & Wolverine was criticised for lazy homophobic jokes in July, and smash hit Inside Out 2 cut planned queer content during production.
