Tag Archives: Walt Disney

Malaysia Officially Bans Thor: Love and Thunder!

Malaysia just officially banned the release of Thor : Love and Thunder, likely over censorship requirements!

Earlier : Thor : Love and Thunder Postponed!

Thor : Love and Thunder was scheduled to be launched in Malaysia on July 7, in line with the global release (July 8 in the United States).

Cinemas had already opened up booking for the tickets, with many Malaysians purchasing them in advance.

However, on 1 July 2022 came the shocking announcement – the release date for Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia has been postponed for two weeks, to 21 July 2022!

Then, on 13 July 2022, Disney postponed the release of Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia indefinitely.

Now : Thor : Love and Thunder Officially Cancelled

Unfortunately, on 28 July 2022, Disney announced that Thor : Love and Thunder would not be released in Malaysia.

This was announced by Malaysian cinema chain, GSC :

THOR: Love and Takde. Officially. ⚡️💔

Dear Valued Customers,

Please be informed that Disney has updated us that Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder will not be releasing in Malaysia after all.

We appreciate your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Please buy our merchandise ok.

We Malaysians all saw this coming, didn’t we?

Thor : Love and Thunder Faced Censorship Hurdles

It is currently unknown why the release date for Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia was banned from its cinematic release.

But Malaysians have long expected the film to be censored, especially the scene of Thor’s naked butt. As director Taika Waititi shared, the movie will showcase Chris Hemsworth’s mighty cheeks in their full glory.

So it was possible that the earlier delay was to allow certain cuts or mosaicking to be made to the film to allay the delicate sensitivities of the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia. Unlike the brief LGBT kiss that got Lightyear banned in Malaysia and 14 other countries, it seems that Disney may be open to at least blurring Thor’s ass.

There is also the “sensitive” issue of LGBTQ+ themes that have already gotten the movie banned in China. There are several short LGBTQ+ scenes in the movie.

But censoring them is likely a line too far for Disney / Marvel to cross.

Bisexual Asgardian King Valkyrie (Tessa Thomson) kisses a maiden’s hand
At two other scenes, characters reference and discuss King Valkyrie’s late girlfriend.
Korg (Taika Waititi) is shown to be gay.
Korg references having two dads.
Korg settles down with a fellow Korean named Dwayne.

It is likely that Malaysian film censors could not accept those short LGBTQ+ scenes either, and so Thor: Love and Thunder ended up banned from being shown in the cinemas, like in China.

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The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

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Take a look at the scene that got the Disney-Pixar movie, Lightyear, banned in 14 countries, and likely China too!

Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

Lightyear – the long-awaited Toy Story prequel from Disney-Pixar – has been banned in 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and quite likely China too!

The ban started in the UAE, whose Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture announced on 13 June 2022 that Lightyear was banned from screening in all cinemas for “its violation of the country’s media content standards“.

A Variety report claimed that the UAE initially approved Lightyear for release, but revoked the licence after social media posts accused the movie of insulting Muslims and Islam.

That ban was then followed by other countries. The current list includes, but is not limited to :

United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain

Although not confirmed yet, it is very likely that Lightyear will also not be allowed to screen in China.

Lightyear producer, Galyn Susman, said that Chinese authorities “asked for cuts”, which Disney declined to make. So she assumed that the movie would not be allowed to screen there either.

I’m assuming it will not make it to China. I know we’ve gotten requests for things to cut, Disney isn’t going to modify the material.

We’re not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he’s missing by the choices that he’s making, so that’s not getting cut

The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

The reasons why Lightyear has been banned in at least 14 countries, and possibly China too, is over a brief kissing scene.

In the first 30 minutes of Lightyear, Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) – a female space ranger and a close friend of Buzz Lightyear – shares a brief kiss with her same-sex partner.

That kiss was part of a scene showing milestones in the couple’s relationship. It also shows the couple’s son, although it is not known if he was adopted or conceived through assisted reproduction.

But it was the brief kiss between two fictional characters that broke the camel’s back for censors in those countries. They demanded that the scene be cut from the film.

Normally, Disney would quietly cut such a controversial scene from the movie to comply with “local sensibilities”, since it doesn’t affect the plot.

However, Pixar employees had earlier penned a letter complaining that Disney corporate executives were censoring “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their projects.

We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.

Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

Disney caved to the pressure, and decided not to censor the kiss from Lightyear. And so, all those countries refused to grant a licence to screen the movie in theatres.

Lightyear Stars On Why Lightyear Was Banned…

Chris Evans, who voiced Buzz Lightyear in this prequel, labelled such objections as “frustrating”.

It’s great that we are a part of something that’s making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity.

But it’s frustrating that there are still places that aren’t where they should be.

He also told Variety magazine that he was frustrated that news coverage of the movie would be focused on such an issue :

It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion. That it is this kind of ‘news.’

The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is.

Taika Waititi, who voices the character of Mo Morrison in the film, added :

We’re hoping for a time when we don’t even have to have this conversation. We can watch a movie and we don’t even have to bat an eyelid.

We don’t have to think ‘Oh wow, weird’. It’s not weird, it’s normal and it should be normalised.

Whenever you have these small steps that studios are making – sometimes they may feel small but also, they are steps – and it’s steps towards normalising humanity and love. I really feel sorry for countries who don’t want this film because of a tiny, weird little thing like that

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

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The Disney-Pixar movie, Lightyear, has been banned in 14 countries, and quite possibly China too!

Here is what we know so far…

Lightyear Movie Banned In 14 Countries + Maybe China Too!

Lightyear – the long-awaited animated feature film from Disney-Pixar – has reportedly been banned in 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

The ban started in the UAE, whose Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture announced on 13 June 2022 that :

The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards.

A Variety report claimed that the UAE initially approved Lightyear for release, but revoked the licence after social media posts accused the movie of insulting Muslims and Islam.

That ban was then followed by other countries. The current list includes, but is not limited to :

United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain

Although not confirmed yet, it is very likely that Lightyear will also not be allowed to screen in China.

Lightyear producer, Galyn Susman, said that Chinese authorities “asked for cuts”, which Disney declined to make. So she assumed that the movie would not be allowed to screen there either.

I’m assuming it will not make it to China. I know we’ve gotten requests for things to cut, Disney isn’t going to modify the material.

Why Lightyear Was Banned In Those Countries…

In Lightyear, the character of Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) shares a brief kiss with her same-sex partner.

That’s it – a little kiss between two fictional characters. Unfortunately, it was a kiss too far for those countries.

Normally, Disney would quietly cut such a “controversial” scene from the movie to comply with “local sensibilities”, since it doesn’t affect the plot.

However, Pixar employees had earlier penned a letter complaining that Disney corporate executives were censoring “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their projects.

We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.

Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

Disney caved to the pressure, and decided not to censor the kiss from Lightyear. And so, all those countries refused to grant a licence to screen the movie in theatres.

Lightyear Stars On The Movie Ban By 14+ Countries