Finding Dory came out 10 years ago, continuing the story of one of the most popular Pixar franchises. Released in 2016 and starring the same voice actors from in the original film, including Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks, the story centers on Dory, and explores both her childhood and her short term memory loss. It was a highly anticipated movie, a sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo that had been rumored and in development for years. But for some reason, a two-second scene featuring a lesbian couple became one of the most controversial parts of the project — and one of the first entries in Pixar’s queer history.
Pixar and Disney’s track record with queer characters has been a topic of heated discussion for years. At the time, online conversation began during the release of Finding Dory’s trailer, which had a two-second clip of the women walking alongside a baby stroller. Fans and viewers began speculating, with many believing Pixar was featuring its first queer storyline.
While the scene remains in the film, showing the women and the baby stroller struck by an octopus in one of the movie’s biggest action set pieces, not much more context is provided. Even so, the conversation around the topic grew so heated the film’s makers had to address it in interviews.
“They can be whatever you want them to be,” said co-director Andrew Stanton to USA Today. “There’s no right or wrong answer.”
“We never asked them,” added producer Lindsay Collins.
“We have not asked that of any of the couples in any of our shots in any of our movies,” Stanton concluded.
Around that time, there were various online campaigns advocating for more diversity in Disney storytelling. Some of the most memorable of these movements include Give Elsa a Girlfriend, which began around the release of Frozen 2. The speculation also extended to Marvel characters, with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes developing a large fan base that remains strong to this date. It’s worth noting that gay marriage was legalized in the US in 2015, making it a more prevalent topic of discussion than it is today, when queer characters are featured in more films and TV shows.
While their sexualities were never confirmed, fans consider the Finding Dory aquarium moms as some of Disney’s first queer characters. That year, a gay couple was also featured in Zootopia. In the film they’re simply protagonist Judy Hopps’ loud neighbors, but the credits reveal that their names are Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson.
In 2019, Marvel began edging towards the inclusion of queer characters. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie was introduced as bisexual in Thor: Ragnarok, even though this information was shared offscreen. In Avengers: Endgame, Joe Russo, one of the film’s directors, is featured in a cameo playing the role of a grieving man who lost his husband in the Snap, and has just started dating again.
In 2022, Lightyear ignited controversy once more, featuring Pixar’s most prominent queer character to date. Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Uduba) had Pixar’s first on-screen lesbian kiss, with her character being married and the relationship playing an important part in her story. Despite the pressure Pixar faced, the studio kept the storyline in the film’s final cut, resulting in it being banned in numerous markets, including China, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Pixar also released Strange World, which features its first gay teen romance between Ethan Clade and his crush, Diazo. Both are part of a larger story involving a family of explorers on a mission to save their planet.
As for Finding Dory, the film was praised by fans and critics upon its release, although it never reached the heights of its predecessor. And while we still think about the aquarium moms, a decade later, the film might be best remembered by DeGeneres’ charming performance and its layered depiction of disability.
