Disney and Pixar’s latest animated movie Lightyear has been banned from theaters in the United Arab Emirates, functionaries stated today.
The film contains a same- lovemaking kiss, but the UAE’s Media Regulatory Office didn’t give a specific reason for its decision.
The department just said the film was banned for its “violation of the country’s media content standards”.
The movie centres on the character Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story franchise.
The UAE’s Media Regulatory Office posted a tweet featuring an image of Buzz, crossed out with a red line.
The Lightyear ban comes just six months after the UAE said it would stop red-penciling cinematic releases and enunciated a 21- plus age rating for movies it classifies for aged audiences.
The United Arab Emirates, a Sunni Muslim- ruled country, criminalizes consensual same-intercourse, sexual exertion between grown-ups.
Last time, Pixar’s Onward was reported to have been banned by several Middle Eastern countries because of a reference to lesbian parents.
In April, Saudi Arabia requested cuts to” LGBTQ references” in Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was eventually not screened in the country.
Other flicks featuring gay stories to have fallen foul of suppression around the world include Elton John’s biopic Rocketman. It was banned outright in Samoa and coitus scenes from the megahit 2019 movie were cut by a Russian distributor.
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