Former Pixar Employee Claims Deleted ‘Win or Lose’ Transgender Episode Could Have Been Life-Saving: “Disney has decided to spend money to not save lives”
Pixar’s ‘Win or Lose’ is an animated series debuting on Disney+ on February 19, 2025. It tells the story of a middle school softball team, the Pickles, leading up to their championship game, with each episode showing a different character’s perspective in unique animation styles.
Created by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, the eight-episode series explores themes like love, rivalry, and life’s challenges, featuring a voice cast that includes Will Forte and Ian Chen.
Originally, the series was set to include a transgender-themed story, but reports say this part was removed before the show’s release.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed the story arc was removed and shared a statement:
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.
The character will stay in the show, but lines about gender identity have been removed, a decision made months ago. Now THR has reached out to multiple former Pixar employees who expressed frustration that Disney went out of their way to remove the storyline considering it was already finished and a part of the show.
One anonymous former Pixar employee praised the deleted episode for its beauty and its powerful depiction of transgender experiences. They believed it could have saved lives by offering hope and showing understanding to those feeling alone or unloved.
The employee expressed frustration with Disney’s decision to spend money removing the episode, especially after it had evolved from earlier footage showing the character struggling with which bathroom to use.
The episode in its final form was so beautiful — and beautifully illustrated some of the experiences of being trans — and it was literally going to save lives by showing those who feel alone and unloved, that there are people out there who understand.
So it’s just very frustrating that Disney has decided to spend money to not save lives
Source
Disney has faced backlash before over LGBTQ+ storylines in its animated content. For example, the same-sex relationship in ‘Lightyear’ sparked controversy and the movie flopped. Similarly, animators reportedly had to make ‘Inside Out 2’ “less gay” after the backlash to ‘Lightyear’s’ same-sex kiss.
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