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Disney and Pixar’s upcoming movie Lightyear has been banned from cinemas in the United Arab Emirates. The animated science fiction action-adventure film is all set to be released on the forthcoming Friday, June 17th 2022.
The film was banned for its “violation of the country’s media content standards,” the office said on Twitter, sharing a picture of the main character Buzz Lightyear covered by a “No” symbol.
The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards. pic.twitter.com/f3iYwXqs1D
— مكتب تنظيم الإعلام (@uaemro) June 13, 2022
The department just said the film was banned for its “violation of the country’s media content standards”. Although the exact reason wasn’t provided, it has been reported that the film includes a character kissing another woman with whom she’s in a relationship. The UAE criminalizes same-sex relationships. Some social media users said depicting same-sex relationships was against the religion and culture of the UAE while others said children should not be exposed to such imagery.
The movie, with actor Chris Evans voicing the inspiration for the Buzz Lightyear action figure from the “Toy Story” films tells the story of young astronaut Buzz Lightyear, who, after being marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew, tries to find a way back home through space and time, while also confronting a threat to the universe’s safety.
United Arab Emirates bans Pixar’s "Lightyear" from showing https://t.co/c6y4eRI7cu pic.twitter.com/jWJAjYuibt
— The Hill (@thehill) June 13, 2022
This is not the first time when a Hollywood movie has faced a ban over LGBTQ content. In April, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ was banned and last year Chloé Zhao’s ‘Eternals’ and ‘West Side Story’ missed its date in Saudi Arabia for similar reasons.