A tweet from the Media Regulatory Office included an image of a Lightyear poster with its main character Buzz Lightyear and a “no” symbol in red.
A tweet from the Media Regulatory Office included an image of a Lightyear poster with its main character Buzz Lightyear and a “no” symbol in red.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday banned the upcoming Pixar animated feature “Lightyear” from appearing in theaters after reports said the film featured a kiss between two female characters.
Emirates, home of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, announced through its media regulatory office of the country’s Ministry of Youth and Culture that the film would not open in the country this Thursday.
“Due to a violation of the country’s media content standards, the film has not been licensed for public display in all cinemas in the UAE,” the office said in a tweet. “The office confirms that all films shown in cinemas nationwide are subject to follow-up and evaluation prior to the date of screening for the public, in order to ensure the safety of broadcast content in accordance with the appropriate age classification.”
The office did not elaborate on the tweet or immediately respond to questions asked of him. The Associated Press, The tweet included an image of the film’s poster, with its main character Buzz Lightyear’s profile image in red with a “no” symbol. Movie theaters in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhs on the Arabian Peninsula, had already advertised showtimes for the film.
In the film, actor Chris Evans voices the inspiration for the Buzz Lightyear action figure from the “Toy Story” films, which reportedly includes a character voiced by actress Uzo Aduba kissing another woman, with whom he is in a relationship. is in.
The United Arab Emirates, like the wider Middle East, is a Muslim-led nation that criminalizes same-sex relationships. The US State Department has warned that Islamic, or Sharia, law could include the death penalty for same-sex conduct, while Dubai could impose a sentence of 10 years in prison and Abu Dhabi allows up to 14 years. .
However, such prosecutions are rarely reported and LGBTQ individuals live in the skyscraper city-state of Dubai, where the long-distance carrier Emirates is.
The $200 million “lightyear” is expected to be a major draw for Disney, with analysts estimating it could make more than $100 million in its first weekend.