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Disney made a splash by portraying LeFou as a gay character in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, but Zootopia beat it to the punch.
Contrary to popular belief, the Beauty and the Beast remake that stars the combined talents of Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans, wasn’t the first Disney film to include a gay couple. It was actually Zootopia, which was released in 2016.
Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923, so it took almost a hundred years for Disney to openly include a gay relationship, but progress is still progress — no matter how late it is. As times are changing, cinema has become much more inclusive; whether it be the LGBTQ+ community, different ethnicities, disabilities or ages, everyone is slowly but surely getting their fair share of representation.
Beauty and the Beast Reimagined LeFou as Gay
In 2017, the 1991 classic, Beauty and the Beast, was reimagined for a modern audience under the direction of Bill Condon. Its retelling stayed true to the original material, seeing as the over 25-year-old original stole the hearts of 90s kids everywhere, but it did make a few notable changes. For those who remember, Gaston, the main antagonist of Beauty and the Beast, had a bumbling sidekick named LeFou. In the animated film, he was voiced by Jesse Corti, but Josh Gad breathed new life into LeFou in the 2017 remake.
In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that received ample controversy, LeFou (along with the rest of the cast) attends a ball to celebrate the marriage of Belle and her Beast-turned-Prince. When the dancers change partners, LeFou is embraced by another man and immediately seems flustered but intrigued. Audiences expressed both appreciation and aversion towards the split-second scene.
There are oblique references to LeFou’s sexuality throughout the film, especially in his admiration toward Gaston. Ever since then, Beauty and the Beast was considered to be the first depiction of a gay couple in Disney history, but another movie did it first — and only a year earlier.
Zootopia Quietly Introduced Disney’s First Gay Couple
Zootopia was released in 2016 and gained as much praise and recognition as successful hits like Disney’s Frozen in 2013. It stars the dynamic duo of Ginnifer Goodwin as a bunny cop, Judy Hopps, and Jason Bateman as an amateur con artist, Nick Wilde. The comedy-adventure resonated with children and adults alike for its feel-good elements and powerful message of banishing prejudice. However, its most significant achievement comes in its subtle inclusion.
When Judy Hopps moves into her shabby Zootopia apartment, she briefly meets a pair of antelopes who inform her that they intend to make a lot of noise and never plan to apologize for it. It takes some deducing, but presumptions led to the conclusion that the antelopes were dating or possibly even married. Furthermore, Zootopia‘s credits listed the antelopes as Bucky Oryx-Antlerson and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, which confirms that they share the same surname. If that wasn’t clear enough, one of the movie’s screenwriters confirmed that the two were married on Twitter.
This moment was a step in the right direction for Disney, which continues to branch out in terms of ethnicities, cultures and sexualities. As Disney enthusiasts remain hopeful for future projects, it would be reassuring to see more positive and more obvious representation for minority groups.
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