Disney has decided not to distribute the animated film Strange World – A Mysterious World in 20 territories.
The reason is related to the presence of LGBTQ+ themes in the film.
Specifically, one of the protagonists of the film, Ethan (voiced in the original version by Jeboukie Young-White), is homosexual. A fundamental element for the plot, which cannot be removed to meet the favor of the censorship of countries that do not approve of certain topics in the media. Precisely for this reason, Disney has decided not to distribute the film in territories such as the Middle East, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya), West Africa (Nigeria , Ghana), the Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh.
As reported in a press release:
Our intention is to share stories in their original form, as conceived by us and our artists. The changes we make for legal and other considerations are minimal. We never make changes that have a material impact on the story. In that case, we prefer not to distribute content in a particular country.
The story takes us to the discovery of an uncharted and dangerous land where fantastic creatures await the legendary Clade, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to derail their last and, by far, most important mission.
The Italian voice cast
In the Italian version of Strange World – Un Mondo Misterioso , Marco Bocci and Francesco Pannofino lend their voices respectively to Searcher Clade , a family man who finds himself outside his environment on an unpredictable mission, and to the incredible explorer and father of Searcher , Jaeger .
The voice cast of the Italian version of the film also includes Lorenzo Crisci as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure (played by Jaboukie Young-White in the original version); Lucy Campeti as Meridian Clade, an expert pilot and Searcher’s companion through and through (played by Gabrielle Union in the original version), and Valentina Stredini as Callisto Mal, brave leader of Avalonia who leads the exploration of the strange world (played by Lucy Liu in the original version).
The film is directed by Don Hall (Academy Award-winning film Big Hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon ), co-directed and written by Qui Nguyen (co-writer of Raya and the Last Dragon ), and produced by Roy Conli (Academy Award-winning Big Hero 6, Tangled ).
The release in Italian theaters is scheduled for November 23rd.