What happens in Disney’s Strange World gay character reveal scene? – HITC – Football, Gaming, Movies, TV, Music
Strange World is Disney’s 61st animated film and follows a rich tradition of movies to be cherished by adults and children alike. The Mickey Mouse house has offered families some of the most iconic movies ever made and the studio continues to innovate and fire out exciting new stories.
Directed by Don Hall, Strange World was released on Wednesday, November 23rd 2022, and serves as an animated sci-fi adventure with an all-star cast.
Paying homage to pulp magazines of old, the film follows the Clade family, who are legendary explorers embarking upon a new and dangerous mission. Ethan Clade (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) is the son of Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) and as the narrative progresses we get to learn more about Ethan.
Since the movie’s release, there has been some emphasis on Disney’s Strange World having a gay character, so let’s focus a lens on the scene in question.
WARNING: LIGHT SPOILERS
Disney’s Strange World gay reveal scene explored
The Clade characters are all distinguished and different from one another, with it being well established that Ethan has other aspirations beyond what his father had in mind for him.
We soon learn that Ethan is the gay character that has been alluded to in comments about the film and reviews. His crush is named Diazo and it’s made overtly clear that he’s romantically interested in him when he visits the family farm.
However, his sexuality is more explicitly addressed during a scene with Ethan and his grandfather Jaeger (Dennis Quaid).
Jaeger asks his grandson if he has a sweetheart and Ethan responds by blushing, to which Jaeger asks “who is it?” Ethan explains that it’s Diazo and it’s clear that Jaeger isn’t surprised to hear of his grandson’s sexuality and it isn’t made a spectacle, as some audiences may have anticipated.
Instead, Ethan’s sexuality is treated similarly to heterosexuality and heterosexual love interests in other Disney projects.
‘His gayness is one part of him’
The Strange World director previously discussed the project with Variety and opened up about having an overtly gay character:
“It never got broken down like that. It was more organic… His gayness is one part of him. He’s also bold and widely empathetic, which is why he becomes sort of the conservationist in our film.”
Don continued: “Also, he’s impulsive as teenagers kind of are. So to us, he was just a flesh-and-blood, well-rounded character, and I think we can’t wait for the world to embrace him like we did.”
Strange World fans celebrate gay character
A number of viewers have taken to Twitter to praise the film for its approach to representation.
Check out a selection of tweets:
Strange World is now in theaters.
In other news, What happens in Disney’s Strange World gay character reveal scene?