Disney's first animated film with an openly gay teen main character. The same-sex crush is presented as normal and aspirational for the target audience of children. This is the most significant LGBT content in Disney's animated catalog. Avoid for Christian families.
Strange World marks a deliberate milestone for Disney: it is the studio's first animated film with an openly gay teen as the main protagonist. Ethan Clade, the teenage son of the main family, has a same-sex crush on a male character that is treated as entirely normal and sweet — the same way any animated film treats a teenage romance. This is not background representation; it is the film's intentional message to its young audience.
This distinction matters. A background gay character in an adult show is different from a gay teen lead in a children's film. When a film presents a same-sex crush to children as aspirational and romantic — the same emotional framing as any other love story — it is teaching children that same-sex romantic attraction is normal and good. This directly contradicts biblical teaching on sexuality (Genesis 2:24, Romans 1:26-27, Matthew 19:4-6) and does so with the emotional power of narrative aimed at children who cannot yet critically evaluate what they are being taught.
Strange World was one of Disney's worst commercial failures in decades, grossing significantly less than its production budget. The film's poor performance followed the controversy around Lightyear's same-sex kiss and reflected a market signal that audiences — including many non-Christian families — were not interested in LGBT-themed animated films for children. See Strange World overview.
22/100 Avoid. Strange World should not be part of a Christian family's viewing. Parents whose children have already seen it through school or friends should be prepared to discuss biblical sexuality in age-appropriate terms. The film's existence is an opportunity for exactly those conversations rather than an occasion for alarm.
Available on Disney+.
Children's media shapes formation in ways adult media does not — children are not yet equipped with the critical distance to evaluate what they're consuming. The question is not just "is this harmful?" but "what is this teaching?" GodlyScore evaluates children's content with heightened sensitivity to family depiction, LGBT normalization, spiritual content, and whether the overall tone encourages virtue or passivity. Score: 22/100 Avoid.
See our Christian TV Reviews hub for similar content evaluated with the same framework. Common Sense Media provides detailed age-by-age content guidance.