The effort to integrate LGBT advocacy with popular culture, especially by appealing to children, has not gone unnoticed by religious leaders. Other entertainment outlets known for family-friendly and children’s programming that have promoted LGBT activism and characters include the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. The collection includes rainbow-colored depictions of beloved Disney characters emblazoned on clothing and rainbow-colored figures of Disney characters. Last week, Disney unveiled a new line of merchandise called the Rainbow Disney Collection to celebrate the “countdown to Pride Month,” which begins June 1 and celebrates the LGBT movement. In addition to introducing LGBT characters in its films and TV series, Disney has introduced apparel specifically designed for children celebrating Pride Month.
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The inclusion of a “gay moment” in the 2017 live-action Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast” led to calls for a boycott from Christian leaders.
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In 2017, the Disney Channel series “Andi Mack” featured a same-sex teen romance. Additionally, the creator of the Disney Channel cartoon “Owl House” revealed last summer that the lead character in the series is bisexual.ĭisney began introducing LGBT characters in its live-action programming several years ago.
Last year, Disney and its animation studio Pixar produced the feature film “Onward,” featuring a lesbian character as well as the short film “Out,” which became the studio’s first production to feature a gay main character.
The inclusion of a same-sex couple on a forthcoming reboot of an animated series is not Disney’s first attempt to include LGBT characters and activism in its children’s programming. Her quest to balance her home, school and social lives are further complicated by friends like the sassy Dijonay, Penny’s nemesis LaCienega Boulevardez, her loving, yet overprotective, parents and her hip-to-the-groove-granny, Suga Mama.” Throughout the series, the summary explained, “Penny’s every encounter inevitably spirals into bigger-than-life situations filled with hi-jinks, hilarity and heart. We’ll also see the return of Penny’s loyal crew Dijonay Jones (Karen Malina White), LaCienega Boulevardez (Alisa Reyes), and Zoey Howzer (Soleil Moon Frye), among others.”ĭisney Plus note that the original installment of “The Proud Family” focused on “the adventures and misadventures of Penny, a typical African American girl who’s doing her best to navigate through the early years of teen-dom.” will pick up the story of its central character Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) and also include her madcap family: parents Oscar (Tommy Davidson) and Trudy (Paula Jai Parker), twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (JoMarie Payton).
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The announcement of the same-sex parents’ inclusion in the reboot comes after Disney Plus previously announced that actress Keke Palmer would be joining the relaunched series, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” as a new character, “14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins.”Įntertainment Weekly reported that the series ". Original Series coming soon to #DisneyPlus. New crew coming through to #TheProudFamily: #LouderAndProuder! Meet Maya’s parents, Barry & Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, voiced by & Plus, Penny’s best guy friend Michael Collins, voiced by EJ Johnson.