Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
In a significant shift for family entertainment, Disney’s new animated series includes their first openly Christian character in two decades. The groundbreaking series appears on Disney+ with their latest show “Win or Lose.”
“Win or Lose” is described as “the intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game — the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire,” according to “The Daily Wire.” A character named Laurie is feeling self-doubt, so she turns to God in prayer for help. There is also a cutout of an angel inside Laurie’s bedroom. “Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength,” Laurie prays. “I have faith, but sometimes the doubt creeps in.”
The unique representation marks the first time in two decades that any Disney show has made such a reference, with the last instance being the 2007 film “Bridge to Terabithia,” which had children Jesse and Leslie attend church together and discuss religion on their way home.
This inclusion is also significant because Disney opted to cut a transgender storyline that previously was included in the same show. The character remained, but all mention of gender identity questioning was removed.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” the company said at the time.
The innovative series comes from co-creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who previously discussed their aim for the show.
“We knew from the beginning we wanted to have all the hallmarks of a Pixar film — humor, heart and creativity,” they said. “We came to the table also knowing we wanted to tell the types of stories we couldn’t tell in a film format. Which included multi-protagonists, nonlinear storytelling and really just pushing the tone to be more outside of the box.”
This development could signal a broader shift in Disney’s approach to religious representation in their content.
