Inside Out 2 includes one massive disappointment that could harm Elsa’s potential storyline in Frozen 3. Pixar’s newest sequel relays powerful messages about mental health, emotional repression, and perfectionism. The film will undoubtedly provide a better vocabulary and understanding for children when it comes to mental health. However, Inside Out 2‘s positive reviews and strengths don’t prevent the movie from criticism. One of the biggest disappointments related to the preview, the marketing, and the movie is the fact that Pixar engaged in queerbaiting with Inside Out 2.

Queerbaiting in the context of TV and movies is the act of media companies hinting at LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or stories to draw in queer audience members while leaving them ambiguous enough to appease queerphobic audience members. Unfortunately, Inside Out 2 is an example of Pixar, the Disney subsidiary, queerbaiting audiences. This could have negative implications for the confirmed Disney sequel Frozen 3.

I’m Disappointed In Inside Out 2’s Queerbaiting

Inside Out 2 Teases Riley As LGBTQ+ While Leaving It Ambiguous

To understand my concerns for Elsa’s story in Frozen 3, we need to dissect why Inside Out 2 is queerbaiting and how it’s damaging. For starters, the theory about Riley being LGBTQ+ in the Inside Out movies has existed since the first movie because of the rainbow symbolism and Riley being the only character with mixed-gender emotions. Due to the popularity of this theory, I would be upset if Pixar claimed they weren’t aware of this theory. This would make them entirely out of touch with their LGBTQ+ fanbase.

The Inside Out 2 trailer is also heavily queer-coded. Riley’s basically tripping over herself to come up with the right things to say and do to impress Val without letting her know how excited and anxious she feels to talk to her. This is also how she acts towards Jordan in the short Riley’s First Date. Riley’s emotions also look at Val like she’s the sun and the moon. These aspects make it seem like Riley is experiencing her first girl crush. Riley also plays a sport with a long LGBTQ+ history (via The Ice Garden). Lastly, Riley does finger guns at Val, one of the most popular bisexual stereotypes – to the point that Pride merch is made every year with bisexual finger guns.

All these things hint that Riley furthered the idea that the character would be the first openly LGBTQ+ protagonist in a feature-length Disney/Pixar movie. Sadly, the queerbaiting doesn’t stop there. Inside Out 2 includes evidence that Riley could be LGBTQ+ besides the aforementioned hints. These include the queer-coded appearances and casting of Riley’s new emotions, the theme of acceptance, and boy band island getting destroyed. Additionally, Riley’s crush, Lance Slashblade, looks eerily similar in facial shape and hairstyle to her Val. Plus, Joy acts disgusted by boys but gets excited about Val.

The list of hints that Riley is LGBTQ+ in the Inside Out movies is long, making the queerbaiting appear intentional. These elements seem to be a way to gain the attention of LGBTQ+ viewers without representing them. As a queer and trans person who loves Disney and Pixar, I’m tired of seeing LGBTQ+ characters relegated to the sidelines or blind-and-you’ll-miss-it moments. It’d be easier if Disney and Pixar just said they wouldn’t make an LGBTQ+ main character rather than leading audiences on. Queerbaiting is harmful because it reinforces stigma, invalidates LGBTQ+ identities, and perpetuates the message that LGBTQ+ people don’t matter (via Health).

Elsa’s Frozen And Frozen 2 Story Also Contains LGBTQ+ Undertones

Frozen And Frozen 2 Are A Long Form LGBTQ+ Allegory

Like Riley’s Inside Out 2 story, Elsa’s character arcs in Frozen and Frozen 2 have strong LGBTQ+ undertones. When Elsa’s narrative arc in Frozen is plotted, it looks like this:

• Elsa realizes she’s different.
• She is forced to suppress her secret by her parents, who label it dangerous.
• This creates intense fear and self-hatred in Elsa.
• Elsa accidentally reveals her secret in public, forcing her to flee.
• Elsa finally realizes the beauty in what makes her different and decides to say, “Let It Go” to the damaging expectations.
• Elsa transforms her appearance to embrace her identity.
• Elsa finds acceptance and love from someone supportive (Anna);

This is an obvious allegory to being LGBTQ+. A young person often realizes their identity and tells someone they trust. LGBTQ+ folks are frequently told their identity is dangerous or wrong, with others encouraging them to suppress it. The suppression can cause significant mental health issues like fear and self-hatred. Ideally, these people eventually accept their identity, become their most authentic self, and find people who support them. This story is beautifully queer, and I can understand why my community has embraced Elsa as an LGBTQ+ icon.

The LGBTQ+ allegory continues in Frozen 2, which starts with Elsa and Anna settling into normalcy with people who aren’t like Elsa. She eventually recognizes her longing to go “Into the Unknown” to find a place where she belongs and understand herself better. The lyrics even directly state that she isn’t where she’s meant to be. Eventually, she finds people who are just like her. She embraces Ahtohallan, asking the magic to “Show Yourself,” recognizing it as what she’s been looking for. The latter anthem even includes the lighting using the colors of the bisexual and trans flags.

If the first Frozen is about accepting what makes you different, then Frozen 2 is about the strength and importance of finding your community. This is driven home when Elsa decides to stay in the magic forest with the people who understand her. I love this message, as it’s important for everyone – but especially LGBTQ+ people – to hear. We might face discrimination and marginalization, but we are stronger together than we are apart. While the allegory is powerful throughout both these movies, I’m concerned about what’s to come with Frozen 3.

Pixar Historically Includes More Progressive Storytelling Than Disney

If Disney, as an entertainment company, were going to test out audience reactions to an LGBTQ+ main character in an animated feature-length movie, I think Pixar would be the ideal place to do so. The animation studio has historically been more progressive and inclusive than its parent company. The stories tend to tackle more complex and mature themes and messages. In the past, they’ve explored morality, otherness, death, grief, and mental health. The SparkShorts have included autistic characters, LGBTQ+ characters, and people of all ages.

Pixar Animation Studios has also worked to diversify its characters’ gender, ethnicity, body type, age, and ability level. It uses the program Character Linker to help eliminate unconscious biases that can pop up in the creation process and track the statistics about characters it creates (via 3DVF). They also make an active effort to reflect this diversity behind the camera through their Diversity Inclusion Belonging and Outreach program.

Meanwhile, Disney is slower and more problematic in telling diverse stories. They have a problem with turning BIPOC characters into animals, which happened in Brother Bear, The Emperor’s New Groove, and The Princess and The Frog. The company has been known to engage in stereotypes when writing minority characters. The only intentionally LGBTQ+ scenes in theatrically-released Disney movies are Lafou dancing with a man for five seconds and a supporting character in Strange World.

Things are heading in the right direction when it comes to representation in Disney, but at a much slower pace than Pixar. While Pixar has a long way to go with representation and has certainly engaged in queerbaiting before, I would sooner expect to see an LGBTQ+ main character come out of Pixar Animation than Disney Animation.

I Doubt Frozen 3 Will Confirm Elsa As LGBTQ+ After Inside Out 2

Seeing the queerbaiting in Inside Out 2 and knowing that Pixar is essentially the more progressive sibling of Disney, I have no confidence that Disney will make the LGBTQ+ subtext explicit in Frozen 3. It seems increasingly unlikely that they will confirm Elsa as someone who is a sexual or romantic minority. It doesn’t matter that Elsa and Honeymaren had a bonding scene in Frozen 2 mirroring that of Kristoff and Anna in the original movie. Disney will probably never have the pair kiss or be in an official relationship – things that the straight Disney couples get to do. At the same time, I highly doubt the writers will establish Elsa as asexual or aromantic even if they decide she doesn’t feel those kinds of attraction.

Pixar will probably take the step to include an LGBTQ+ lead long before Disney, and that’s only if the parent company even allows that. Based on their dismal track record, I don’t feel confident that Disney plans to move in the direction of LGBTQ+ representation with their animated movies. Instead, I’m convinced that Disney will try to have their cake and eat it too by pretending to be an LGBTQ+ ally but being too afraid of backlash to take a stance, especially with Frozen 3. However, Disney is welcome to prove me wrong.

Sources: The Ice Garden, Health, 3DVF, and Diversity Inclusion Belonging and Outreach program