DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates on Monday banned the public screening of the Walt Disney-Pixar animated feature film “Lightyear” in cinemas ahead of its release this week, a government body said.
The Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Media Regulatory Office wrote on Twitter that the film violated the country’s media content standards, without specifying the supposed violation.
The film, centred around the Buzz Lightyear action figure character from the popular Toy Story franchise series, had already been advertised for release in the UAE on June 16.
The movie reportedly includes a same-sex kiss between two women who are in a relationship. Like many other Middle East nations, same sex relationships are criminalised in the UAE.
An Arabic hashtag “Lightyear banned in the Emirates” was trending on Twitter calling for the film not to be shown ahead of the announcement by the government body.
The UAE’s government media office and Disney did not immediately respond to emailed Reuters questions on the ban.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
