Pixar’s upcoming animated film Lightyear banned by the United Arab Emirates over a scene featuring two female characters kissing. Emirati authorities announced that the latest Toy Story spin-off won’t be hitting the country’s big screens anytime soon.
Lightyear is an animated movie based on the character that inspired the Buzz lightyear toy in the Toy Story franchise. The upcoming Disney/Pixar collaboration had a $200 million budget and is expected to gross over $100 in its first weekend.
Cinemas in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the nation aren’t allowed to show the movie. This “due to its violation of the country’s media content standards,” the Media Regulatory Office of the country’s Ministry of Youth and Culture announced via twitter.
The Media Regulatory Office’s tweet shows the movie poster with a red “no” symbol over it. This comes after Emirati cinemas already announced showtimes for the film that was set to premiere on June 16.
It has been reported that the upcoming Lightyear film includes a scene with an Uzo Aduba voiced character kissing a female partner. Same-sex relationships are criminalized in the Emirates and arrests can lead to up to 14 years in prison. Although convictions are rare, LGBTQ+ people living in cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai stil don’t enjoy the same freedoms their peers in the west do.