The new animated Disney series “Win or Lose” is making headlines again, only this time it’s for featuring an openly Christian character.
The company has avoided Christian references for years, but that changed with the debut of the show “Win or Lose,” which is described as “[featuring] 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.”
This new animated series includes a character named Laurie who 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.”
Industry publication WDW News Today noted that this is the first time in two decades that any Disney show has made such a reference. They said the last time was in the 2007 film “Bridge to Terabithia,” which had children Jesse and Leslie attend church together and discussing religion on their way home.
This inclusion is also significant because Disney opted to cut a transgender storyline that was previously 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,” a rep for the company said at the time.
Chanel Stewart, the trans-identified actor who gave voice to the character, complained about the edits while speaking with Deadline in December.
“I was very disheartened,” Stewart said. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
“Win or Lose” co-creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates 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 in a press release. “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.”
