Disney Middle East has announced that it will not release Lightyear or Baymax on its platform.
The platform hasn't released Pixar s Lightyear in the region, due to the film featuring a same-sex kiss. The Disney series will not be released because it includes LGBTQ characters.
Lightyear stars Chris Evans as the infamous space traveler that fans grew to love in Disney's animated film Toy Story, which was released in 1995.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Middle East content will align with local regulatory requirements, and the platform will change its content to avoid regional sensitivities.
The platform will include films such as Doctor Strange and the Multitude of Madness, which were banned from theaters in select Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait despite Disney Middle East not showing kid-focused content with LGBTQ references.
Over the past year, Disney has censored several movies across the Gulf, as films including Thor: Love and Thunder, West Side Story, and Eternals did not release in theaters due to their features of LGBTQ scenes and topics.
The release strategy for the platform has been released with the standards of the United Arab Emirates.
Although Lightyear, Baymax and Doctor Strange and the Multitude of Madness did not reach cinemas in the region, UAE culturally sensitive content for adult audiences played in theaters.
According to reports, the Doctor Strange sequel and Eternals were released in UAE cinemas, but with modifications as Chlo Zhao's movie was edited to remove all public displays of affections. Content offerings vary across the Disney markets based on a number of factors. A Disney spokeswoman told the outlet that the content available should align with local regulatory requirements.
Disney allows families to decide what children and other family members watch.