Disney is Holding Auditions for its First 14-year-old Transgender Female Character in Their Upcoming Movie

By: Samantha Bravo

Disney Pixar’s casting call for a voice actress to play it’s first transgender character in their unnamed animated project. Credit: pixarpost.com

Recently, Disney Pixar Studios made history by featuring more LGBTQ+ characters including a minor lesbian character in the movie “Onward’ and their first gay couple in their short film, “Out.” Disney is now becoming more inclusive and diverse now that they are creating their first transgender female character.

On April 20th, 2021, Trans March, an organization in San Francisco, posted on Twitter that Disney Pixar is looking for a youth voice actress who can authentically play a 14-year-old transgender girl. So, it is very likely that the character will be played by a transgender actress.

The organization later sent a follow-up tweet stating that the casting call is legitimate and encouraged their followers to share their message to everyone they knew. The image has received over 30,000 likes and has been shared by millions of people.

“We talked to the casting director, and they sent us a flyer,” Trans March tweeted. “They’re reaching out to other orgs as well, but we got the sense we’re the first to post about it.”

According to the casting call, the character’s name is Jess, and she is described as a girl who is “compassionate, funny and always has your back.” Additionally, the studio is looking for actresses who are “energetic, funny and outgoing” and who “feel comfortable acting in front of a microphone.”

However, neither Disney studios or the Trans March project tells us whether she will be in a feature-length-movie or one of its shorts. It is also unclear if Jess will be one of the main characters or if she will be a minor character.

The name of the project has also not been confirmed, though many fans suspect that it is for their upcoming movie “Turning Red” which is stated to be released in 2022. There is also a possibility that Jess might be featured in their other upcoming movie, “Lightyear” which will be released in the same year.

Since Disney is one of the largest media companies in the world and is marketed towards children, it is important that they include more representation of more diverse characters including members of the LGBTQ+ Community.

In the past few years, both Disney and Pixar have missed the mark when it comes to properly representing their LGBTQ+ characters. Viewers have complained that most of their characters are not as open about their sexualities as they should and that they are severely underdeveloped.

For example, many people from the LGBTQ+ community campaigned for Elsa to be an openly gay character in “Frozen 2”. While the movie did hint that there was going to be a relationship between her and a side character named Honeymaren, the movie never actually confirmed it.

At the same time, conservative parents have also criticized the company for including any LGBTQ+ representation to begin with, thinking that it was too inappropriate for children. Others have complained that any representation of the community goes against their religious beliefs.

Still, this casting call will hopefully be a step in the right direction. It also makes us confident that Disney Pixar Studios will educate their audiences about the lives of trans people and provide more inclusive characters in the future.

Since most transgender people come out under the age of 18, they can find a character that they can relate to on a personal level. It is especially relevant since we are now at a point where several states in the U.S. are trying to pass anti-trans bills.

Overall, having a transgender character featured in a Pixar movie will not only educate children, but will help transgender children feel loved and accepted.