'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[LittleBuford]

Pleakly— though that’s not really played up until the animated series.

I didn't realise! Haven't watched the series.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Pleakly— though that’s not really played up until the animated series.

When I saw Lilo and Stitch as a kid (saw it at Michael Jackson’s Never Land Ranch, fun fact), I picked up that Pleakley was not only gay, but a cross-dresser immediately. Pretty sure the other kids in the theater did, too. That was 20+ years ago.

 

[LittleBuford]

Huh. Then how come in the HTTYD TV series, Gobber says that his first love was a woman named Greta?

I haven’t watched the films or the series. I’m just relaying what the actor and director have said.

 

[Rich T]

Huh. Then how come in the HTTYD TV series, Gobber says that his first love was a woman named Greta?

The series was kind of its own thing, not written or directed by Dean DeBlois, and done between the first two films. Many things mentioned in the series had to be later retro-adjusted in later seasons (such as the breed of dragon Chief Stoick winds up bonding with). Also, Gobber is known for spinning tales of questionable accuracy. But Gobber is definitely a gay character in the movies.

 

[Magenta Panther]

The series was kind of its own thing, not written or directed by Chris Sanders, and done between the first two films. Many things mentioned in the series had to be later retro-adjusted in later seasons (such as the breed of dragon Chief Stoick winds up bonding with). Also, Gobber is known for spinning tales of questionable accuracy. But Gobber is definitely a gay character in the movies.

In other words, there are 2 versions of Gobber, so it's up to the viewer which one they prefer (if they have a preference). Also, the producers of the films used hints, not out-and-out proclamations. Might be significant...

And as for the assertions about Pleakley, you could place those same assertions on Bugs Bunny. Which would be false, in his case.

 

[Heppenheimer]

To be fair, I only have a hazy memory of Disco Duck from 1978, and only sat through about 20 minutes of the trashy X Games show in that dusty amphitheater where Mater's Junkyard Jamboree now sits.

But I know they were a failure in the marketplace.

I don't think Disco Duck was Disney, although they included a rip-off song called "Macho Duck" on that overall ghastly Mickey Mouse Disco album from the late disco era. But that cringe-worthy album probably illustrates your overall point.

 

[BrianLo]

I do think much of this boils down to a lack of understanding/comfort of how to frame things in a developmentally appropriate manner for children. Aka how to talk to children. Or internal bias from a social era one grew up in.

The good news is we’re 10 years out from the majority of 6 year olds being born to generation Z parents. Of whom 20% identify as LGBTQ+. So a lot of this discussion will officially be moot.

 

[Rich T]

In other words, there are 2 versions of Gobber, so it's up to the viewer which one they prefer (if they have a preference). Also, the producers of the films used hints, not out-and-out proclamations. Might be significant...

And as for the assertions about Pleakley, you could place those same assertions on Bugs Bunny. Which would be false, in his case.

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Agree about Bugs. Also agree that Gobber’s gay orientation can be easily ignored by viewers. That’s part of the message about the character: It doesn’t matter. That doesn’t define who he is. It’s not important to the story. It’s more of a neat detail about the village of Berk itself; that these Vikings couldn’t care less about whether or not Gobber’s gay. They love and respect him because he’s a great person, period. In a remote village in the age of Vikings where every day’s work is vital to their survival, they stick together. They even tolerate the main character, Hiccup, even though he’s (at the saga’s beginning) a walking disaster area (although him being the Chief’s son is probably the main reason Hiccup hasn’t been set adrift on an ice slab).

 

[Californian Elitist]

Bugs Bunny and Pleakley are not comparable at all.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The fact that you have never heard of my favorite movie of all time (live or animated) breaks my heart.

The first HTTYD is a masterpiece, and word of mouth turned it into Dreamworks’ most successful film. Looks like it’s going to be an entire land in Epic Universe. In the first movie, there is no obvious mention that Gobber the blacksmith (one of the main characters) is gay. In the second film, he reveals it through a casual line that’s charming and perfectly in character, and in the final movie he openly voices his attraction to another single Viking. So, director Chris Sanders (who is gay) did wait until after the first film’s success to make Gobber’s orientation an official part of an already much-loved (thanks to great writing and Craig Ferguson’s wonderful voice acting) character.

Audiences kept going, reviewers usually casually mentioned the new character factoid, and I never heard anyone, in or out of the media, object to anything.

What I love about the situation is how casual it is, in and out the the film’s world. Gobber is not defined by his orientation. And the way it’s handled, it’s clear that in this Viking village everyone knows Gobber’s gay, and it’s every bit a non-issue as it is in the universe of Strange World. What matters is that he’s an incredible blacksmith, a great teacher, a fierce warrior who’s lost two limbs defending the island, and a great friend to most of the village. He’s the mentor to the film’s young main character, and the best friend of the Chief.

The things that fans and reviewers DID occasionally object to or point out were:

1) The adult Vikings have Scottish accents and the teenage Vikings have American accents. Somehow it works.

2) The Dragon who gets trained kind of resembles Stitch from Lilo and Stitch (also a Chris Sanders film… which also features a major gay character no one objected to).

I think the thing to be learned from Chris Sanders movies is that it’s the quality of the movie that matters most in box office races, not whether or not a major character happens to be gay.

When I saw Lilo and Stitch as a kid (saw it at Michael Jackson’s Never Land Ranch, fun fact), I picked up that Pleakley was not only gay, but a cross-dresser immediately. Pretty sure the other kids in the theater did, too. That was 20+ years ago.

I love both of those movies and can honestly say I never noticed they were gay characters (or could be, still not sold on Pleakley but ), just goes to show when it’s done well it becomes such a natural part of the story it’s unnoticeable.

Makes me wonder if the gay characters in Lightyear and Strange World would have simply slipped under the radar too if we didn’t live in a social media world. For all the controversy both were pretty innocent inclusions.

 

[Rich T]

Bugs Bunny and Pleakley are not comparable at all.

Exactly. Bugs dresses in drag only to fool his foes. Pleakly wears women’s clothes every chance he gets, just because he loves it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Exactly. Bugs dresses in drag only to fool his foes. Pleakly wears women’s clothes every chance he gets, just because he loves it.

Yes. I was going to say this in my post, but I didn’t feel like it lol. Bugs is a trickster and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants/trick folks, including dressing like a woman. Pleakley actually likes dressing in women’s clothing and therefore does so to express himself.

No comparison.

 

[TP2000]

The fact that you have never heard of my favorite movie of all time (live or animated) breaks my heart.

Don't worry, it's not you, it's me. I had never seen any Harry Potter movies at all. About a year after Potter World (or whatever it's called) opened at Universal Studios Hollywood, I went with the family. We went on their big E Ticket which was visually impressive, but I had absolutely no idea what was happening or why I should care.

The biggest head scratcher for me was that small and rather theme-killing roller coaster, where a giant chicken is flapping its wings at you as you ascend the lift hill. The kids got a big kick out of me asking what the giant chicken's name was.

The Dragon movies sound genuinely lovely and fun. It also sounds like they included the gay Viking very organically and naturally and tastefully fun, as a character should be included. Bravo to the Dragon movies for that!

 

[LittleBuford]

The Dragon movies sound genuinely lovely and fun. It also sounds like they included the gay Viking very organically and naturally and tastefully fun, as a character should be included. Bravo to the Dragon movies for that!

It’s interesting that you consider a Viking checking out another man’s behind more tasteful than an innocent teenage crush. Those Midwestern Moms you keep going on about seem to be strangely selective in what they feel they need to protect their children from.

 

[TP2000]

I don't think Disco Duck was Disney, although they included a rip-off song called "Macho Duck" on that overall ghastly Mickey Mouse Disco album from the late disco era. But that cringe-worthy album probably illustrates your overall point.

Oh, you're right! It was Macho Duck that I was thinking of. Disco Duck came before that by a couple years, when Disco was genuinely booming with young people and very hip.

Disney, as per usual, was late to the pop-culture party by several years and the results were predictably cringey.

 

[TP2000]

It’s interesting that you consider a Viking checking out another man’s behind more tasteful than an innocent teenage crush. I Those Midwestern Moms you keep going on about seem to be strangely selective in what they feel they need to protect their children from.

Maybe it was just the way he described the scene, but I thought it sounded kind of funny.

I bet a few Midwest Moms have checked out a Viking's rear before themselves, and may have giggled at the scene also.

What I have learned definitively however, is that there were gay characters in family animation a decade ago, and it was handled well enough that it went right on by without ruffled feathers. I wonder if the DreamWorks PR team made a big deal about the "First Gay Character!" or if they just let it exist organically within the storyline of characters? It sounds like they didn't do much PR about it.

I also do think a studio like DreamWorks is allowed the luxury of pushing boundaries a bit more than films branded Walt Disney Animation. Even Pixar gets more leeway than Walt Disney Animation. That may not be fair, but it's the commercial reality.

 

[LittleBuford]

Maybe it was just the way he described the scene, but I thought it sounded kind of funny.

I bet a few Midwest Moms have checked out a Viking's rear before themselves, and may have giggled at the scene also.

What I have learned definitively however, is that there were gay characters in family animation a decade ago, and it was handled well enough that it went right on by without ruffled feathers. I wonder if the DreamWorks PR team made a big deal about the "First Gay Character!" or if they just let it exist organically within the storyline of characters? It sounds like they didn't do much PR about it.

I also do think a studio like DreamWorks is allowed the luxury of pushing boundaries a bit more than films branded Walt Disney Animation. Even Pixar gets more leeway than Walt Disney Animation. That may not be fair, but it's the commercial reality.

Ah, so it’s no longer about gay content being inherently unsuitable for under-12s, which was your position yesterday in post after post. The goalposts shift once again.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It’s interesting that you consider a Viking checking out another man’s behind more tasteful than an innocent teenage crush. Those Midwestern Moms you keep going on about seem to be strangely selective in what they feel they need to protect their children from.

Oh these Midwesterner’s pick and choose what to be angry about every other day. Usually based off of what new outrage machine certain… groups are pushing.

 

[TP2000]

Ah, so it’s longer about gay content being inherently unsuitable for under-12s, which was your position yesterday in post after post. The goalposts shift once again.

The goalposts for Walt Disney Animation didn't shift with me.

But the goalposts for other studios like DreamWorks, that has a more modern and edgier brand in the marketplace, are placed at a different spot than the goalposts for product branded Walt Disney Animation.

Apparently audiences felt the same way, as I don't remember any big social commentary a decade ago about a gay Viking. Was there such a social commentary and I just missed it?

 

[LittleBuford]

The goalposts for Walt Disney Animation didn't shift with me.

But the goalposts for other studios like DreamWorks, that has a more modern and edgier brand in the marketplace, are placed at a different spot than the goalposts for product branded Walt Disney Animation.

Apparently audiences felt the same way, as I don't remember any big social commentary a decade ago about a gay Viking. Was there such a social commentary and I just missed it?

So, to be clear, you don’t consider such content inherently inappropriate for children unless the company producing the film is Disney?