Gay Characters? Disney Channel Needs a Lesson from Buster Baxter

AfterElton has a fascinating interview with Disney Channel President Gary Marsh, on the topic of gay characters on Disney Channel shows. The topic is introduced by this quote from Marsh, from 2008:

“Well, just to speak sort of in the 30,000-foot level first, we don’t deal with sexuality on the Disney Channel in general. That’s just sort of not where our audience’s head’s at. They’re really a pre-sexual audience, for the most part, and so sexuality is not how we look to tell any kind of stories.”

I’ll echo AfterElton’s sentiment: It’s not meaningful to talk this way about same-sex couples. For example: How is it not sexual for a kid to know he has parents of opposite sexes, but somehow sexual for him to know that some other kid has parents of the same sex? And hey, why isn’t it sexual when Zack and Cody are ogling all those girls?

The article goes on to make it clear that Marsh is okay with characters on the Disney Channel being widely interpreted as gay, but that those characters won’t ever be coming out in any way.

We leave it up to our audience to interpret who these characters are and how they relate to them. It’s great that this child has interpreted [Shake It Up! character] Gunther [as gay] and that it speaks to him in a way that makes sense for his life. And that’s what we’re trying to do — create a diverse cross section of characters on television that kids can have different access points and entry points to connect with.

It’s like the Hays Production Code all over again: You can have gay characters, they just can’t be identified openly. (Of course, Disney’s moved quite a bit forward from Hays, in that gay characters don’t have to die horribly at the end of the story, or suffer in silence — they can go on to Julliard instead.)

I can’t imagine the Disney Channel budging on this issue anytime soon, due to what I’m sure they perceive as market pressure. So, is it better to have coded gay characters like Ryan Evans, who’s widely interpreted as gay but may convey the message that it’s not okay to be out? Or is it better to only have clearly heteronormative characters on kids shows? I’m not satisfied with either option.

When my home state began recognizing same-sex marriage, many people felt that the world would fall apart somehow. But as the years have rolled by, it seems like less and less of a big deal (except, of course, for those whose marriages are now recognized, for whom it is enormously important). If mainstream television networks like the Disney Channel had an openly gay character now and then, perhaps the social order wouldn’t really be rocked for all that long? After all, glee‘s been pretty darn successful (in some part because of a fabulous openly gay character), and many parents already shun Disney Channel for being a bad influence on their kids, and ban it from the living room (just look at these google search results).

Yeah, an openly gay character on the Disney Channel would probably make executives and stockholders a little nervous. But I can’t help but wonder if people were nervous when my grandfather was lobbying for Bill Cosby to be cast in a leading role in I Spy. Sometimes change makes you nervous. Too bad.

And hey, if you’re looking for an example of an excellent (and thoroughly non-sexual) portrayal of lesbians in a children’s television show, this clip from Postcards from Buster is for you:

“Boy, that’s a lot of Moms!”

NYT on Enchanted: The Line Between Homage and Parody

Interesting article in this weekend’s Sunday New York Times, about Bob Iger’s willingness to let Disney poke fun of itself in “Enchanted:”

DreamWorks Animation, run by Jeffrey Katzenberg, has built an entire business around taking potshots at Disney movies, but Disney’s brand turns on consumers viewing these classic characters as pristine. Poking fun, however gently, could dilute the franchises, experts say.

On the other hand, Princess Aurora and her pals risk irrelevance if they stay frozen in amber. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinocchio” were landmark films, but next to the computer-generated behemoths of today, they start to look a little geriatric. (Relax. I said a little.)

Projects like “Enchanted” indicate that Mr. Iger’s team is trying to take a route down the middle: resisting adding modern touches but referencing them in fresh settings and winking at their old-fashioned charismas.

“It’s a very smart approach,” said Robert K. Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a customer-loyalty and brand consultant in New York. “Losing a bit of the preciousness keeps these franchises relevant and alive.”

“The Pixar Story” Documentary Tours 14 US Cities

From Upcoming Pixar:

The Pixar Story [documentary] takes audiences behind the scenes of the groundbreaking company that pioneered a new generation of animation and forever changed the face of filmmaking. Using never-before-seen footage from the Pixar library, along with historic archival animation and first hand accounts by animators, studio executives, directors, producers and voice performers, Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks tells the riveting story of the Bay Area start-up that revolutionized Hollywood.

You recognize the name Iwerks? Yes, Leslie’s grandfather was the great and well-loved Ub Iwerks of Disney fame.

See Upcoming Pixar for the full press release, including cities and dates.

WALL-E Teaser Poster and Sneak Peek Trailer

From Upcoming Pixar, another blog that should absolutely be in your reader. (Not that I’m opinionated or anything, you know I’m not like that.)

They’ve also got info about the new WALL-E sneak peek trailer, due October 2.

Mash-up: The Lion King/Crank Dat Soulja Boy

I don’t keep up with the New York Times the way I probably should . . . but my Dad does (thanks, Dad!), and he sent me a link to an article earlier this week, “Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?” (subscription required for link).

Disney’s view is starkly different [from Nickelodeon’s]: any unauthorized use of Disney property is stealing. Still, the company picks its battles carefully. While it closely monitors the Web for infractions, Disney will not discuss how it evaluates potential cases of copyright infringement and declined to comment on the “Crank That” videos.

A few YouTube searches found me several versions of mash-up “Crank Dat” videos . . . the Lion King version was my favorite. Kudos, Inusha01!

Star Wars Episode III: At Worlds End

Kudos, SparkleXmotion!

Coming to Boston: Doodlebops, Choo Choo Soul, Johnny and the Sprites

I opened today’s morning paper to find an ad for The Boston Globe’s Children’s Book Festival, September 15, 11am – 5pm, and featuring such stellar acts as the Doodlebops and Choo Choo Soul.

Attention Nathan Rose: If you’re booking a flight out, drop me a note! I promise not to shame you for your love of the Doodlebops. Those of us who make clothes for our Pal Mickeys can hardly afford to throw stones.

Tokyo Dancing Storm Trooper

This is why I need to move to Tokyo. Akihabara, to be more specific. Now.

Hat tip to Silent Kimbly, yay!

All In This Together: Goths, High School Musical 2, and Growing Up Gay

applescruff’s blog at Progressive U comments on being a Disneyland Cast Member during Bat’s Day at the Fun Park (aka Goth Day):

At first, I didn’t realize that some of my fellow cast members were frightened of these guests. Something about their black makeup and reputation made the Bats crowd intimidating, I suppose. I really didn’t notice. In high school, I had stepped out of my comfort zone and made friends with a few goths, to discover that, more often than not, they were far nicer than the “normal” people. It might have been because I was a misfit myself, but I believe they would have opened up the same way to anyone. As for the Disneyland guests, they came to have fun, same as anyone else. It was annoying to me that I had to initiate contact with “scary people” because…well, they were scary. Even after one of them managed to talk with one of the goths to discover that yes, I was right, they can be very nice, the cast members seemed very nervous about them.

Apparently, despite having it drilled into our heads from the time we are old enough to watch our first episode of Sesame Street, most people do not remember not to “judge a book by it’s cover.” It doesn’t matter that this particular event took place at Disneyland, because I see it all the time. I’ve been a victim of this kind of thing for as long as I can remember. I come from Long Beach, so I’m automatically into drugs, rap, and because of the high school I attended, I’m possibly mentally unstable, part of a gang, and prone to violence. It doesn’t matter that people get these ideas from poorly researched television programs and films, it must be true because that’s what they know. I’m also preppy because I’m intelligent, and therefore I must have good grades (niether of which is entirely true). I am supposedly a hippy, therefore (again) a druggie, because I like to listen to sixties and seventies music. The list goes on and on. Worse, because I have an uncommon and not-very-phoenetic name, people tend to think I’m weird anyway without even learning more than my name.

And while we’re being asked not to judge books by their covers . . . I’m reminded of a post I saw earlier today on the QueerSighted Gay Blog, discussing whether High School Musical 2 is “chock full of gay:”

Perhaps disturbed by the gay subtext [in High School Musical] that was pointed out to them by homosexuals with agendas, Disney attempts to butch up High School Musical 2, removing all traces of queer allegory and metaphor and amping up the heterosexual love triangle. Even so, this sequel (which exists in a parallel universe where the high school experience is so watered down that it might as well be clear) is perhaps even gayer than the first movie.

I must say, it did occur to me that the “I Don’t Dance” scene was as laden with coded references and knowing glances as any Hays Code-era Hollywood blockbuster. Ryan’s the pitcher, eh? Not surprising at all, to those of us who’ve spent a good bit of time wearing the pink hats ourselves. And did anyone else think it was odd that Troy could even pretend to be jealous when Ryan slung his arm, with platonic affection, around Gabriella’s shoulders?

It would seem we’re confronted with a post-modern dilemma: Do we choose to view Ryan’s fabulous, fey mannerisms as thinly-veiled references to his homosexuality, or do we embrace the notion that hetero men should also be free to love show tunes and camp it up? Either way, Ryan saves the day, so does it matter? Not to me. I’m a big fan of both gay rights and gender aberration, so either way I’m all for it.

But more to the point . . . maybe Ryan’s sexual orientation does matter if you’re a gay teen growing up today, watching High School Musical 2 and thinking maybe, just maybe, it’s okay to be who you are. Could it be possible that we really are all in this together?

High School Musical 2: All About the Shoes, Baby

I watched the premiere of High School Musical 2 last night, along with my son and two of my adorable nieces. There was, predictably, much support for the right side of the blatant class warfare, and much swooning over the clean-cut, sharply-pressed teen stars.

If you watched it, you don’t need me to summarize; if you didn’t watch it, I’m sure you don’t care to hear the basic plot details anyway. But here are the crucial stats and highlights, from the point of view of my living room television audience:

• Ryan wore a total of 12 hats. One could be fairly certain of his emotional sea-change when he slipped on Chad’s baseball cap, and then actually wore one multi-color hat for an entire day. It would seem that his constantly-changing fabulous headgear was a side-effect of chasing rainbows with his drama-queen sister.
• Chad’s t-shirts are the must-have fashion accessory of the summer. Everybody needs a t-shirt reading “Warning: Do Not Read This Shirt” or “He Did It.” Or, one viewer’s favorite, “I majored in vacation” (which, conveniently enough, is in fact available from DisneyShopping.com). But most elusive was the final t-shirt, which appeared to have text inside the silhouette of a television. Multiple, exhaustive attempts to freeze-frame at just the right moment were foiled; it would seem that the shirt never appeared close enough to the camera, and unobstructed enough, to read the text.
• Based on the comments of various characters in the movie in talking to Troy, the entire movie can easily be boiled down into a parable of how well-made, expensive Italian shoes can disrupt one’s personal relationships and spiritual development.
• Nobody should ever rhyme “beef” with “teeth,” even in a song about dental floss.

Having learned these important lessons, we now await patiently for the next installment: High School Musical 3: Gradu-Dancin’ (formerly titled Haunted High School Musical). My hope? That the under appreciated Kelsi will finally get some serious screen time and a little more emphasis in the plot. Ryan’s just had his well-deserved day in the sun . . . so c’mon people, let the geeky girl save the day next time!