"Buzz Lightyear" is banned in the Middle East because of same-sex kissing

"Buzz Lightyear" is banned in the Middle East because of same-sex kissing
Photo by Silvana Carlos / Unsplash

Pixar's full-length animated film Buzz Lightyear was banned from showing in a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This happened due to the presence of obvious signs of non-traditional sexual relationships between individual characters.
It is alleged that the main reason was a same-sex kiss involving Hawthorne's character (voiced by Uzo Aduba) and her lover. Notably, this scene was originally cut from "Buzz Lightyear" precisely to avoid bans, but was later reinstated after the hype surrounding the Pixar staff claiming that Disney was censoring "explicit homosexual affection."
Buzz Lightyear has now become another film project on Disney's growing list of major releases that have been banned in the Gulf because of scenes mentioning LGBTQ characters and other issues, which often come under censorship because homosexuality is officially banned throughout the region.
In April, the comic book adaptation of Dr. Strange 2: Into the Multiverse of Madness did not receive a theatrical license because of the character America Chavez, who, according to her portrayal in the original comics, is gay.