Disney is still receiving backlash over Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill and even restoring the same-sex kiss in Lightyear hasn’t managed to fully put the company back in people’s good graces. The movie will nevertheless include an intimate scene of that nature, and its producer Galyn Susman has now revealed that it won’t be there just for the sake of it, with Pixar instead opting to have it serve a meaningful purpose for the narrative and Buzz’s character development.
“We have a kiss. We’ve always had the lesbian couple,” She tells Digital Spy. “They’ve always been a part of the film [and] being able to put back the kiss was important to us. It’s a touching moment. It helps Buzz to see the life that’s being lived in front of him by his best friend that he’s not having. He doesn’t have those kinds of relationships. He doesn’t have a child; he doesn’t have what she has. And so it was important for us to get that back in there and we’re really excited about that.”
The best friend in question is Alisha Hawthorne, portrayed by Uzo Aduba, who appears to be a close acquaintance of Buzz in Star Command. Alisha returns later in the film as an older version of herself when the titular protagonist accidentally jumps 60 years forward in time. Hawthorne is survived through his granddaughter, Izzy, who’s another character in the film, and who will be portrayed by Keke Palmer.
Starring Chris Evans as Buzz, Lightyear will chronicle the origin story of everyone’s favorite space ranger when it comes out in theaters on June 17. Joining Evans on this journey will be a richly diverse cast including Palmer, Aduba, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, and James Brolin, in a movie written and helmed by Finding Dory co-director Angus MacLane.