Disney and Pixar’s latest animated film, Lightyear, has been banned from theaters in the United Arab Emirates, officials said on Monday.
The film features a same-sex kiss, but the UAE’s Media Regulatory Office has not specifically justified its decision.
The department only said the film was banned for its “violation of the country’s media content standards.”
The film focuses on the character Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series.
The UAE’s Media Regulatory Office released a tweet with an image of Buzz crossed out with a red line.
The BBC has reached out to both the UAE government and Disney for comment.
The Lightyear ban comes just six months after the UAE said it would stop censoring theatrical releases and announced an age rating of over 21 for films it classifies for older audiences.
The United Arab Emirates, a Sunni Muslim-ruled country, criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults.
Last year, Pixar’s Onward was reportedly banned by several Middle Eastern countries over a reference to lesbian parents.
- Pixar’s Onward ‘banned by four countries’
- Disney apologizes for ‘silence’ on new sex education law
- Elton John film Rocketman banned in Samoa
In April, Saudi Arabia requested cuts to “LGBTQ references” in Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which ended up not showing in the country.
Other films with gay storylines that have fallen victim to censorship around the world include the Elton John biopic Rocketman. It was banned outright in Samoa and sex scenes from the hit 2019 film were cut by a Russian distributor.
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