Disney 'Win or Lose' features explicitly Christian character—first time for company in nearly 30 years

With Disney Pixar's latest animated series, "Win or Lose," the media giant has crafted its first explicitly Christian content since 1996. This comes as the company has gotten backlash over the last few years as well as its decision to drop a transgender character from the same series.  

According to the Christian Post, the series, which launched on February 19, is set in the world of "Inside Out," another animated program from Disney. A movie description from IMDb said the series "follows a middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game, and each episode is told from the perspective of a different character."

In one episode, the daughter of the coach, Laurie, struggles with anxiety as well as feeling insecure. At one point in the series, she is depicted on screen, bowing her head and folding her arms to pray.

"Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength. I have faith, but sometimes the doubt creeps in. I promise I'll be good, and I uh, won't do that thing again. I'm not sure where you stand on it, but I WON'T do it. I just want to catch a ball. Or get a hit. For my team, of course," Laurie says in prayer. 

The last time there was explicitly Christian content weaved into a Disney film was in 1996, when during the Hunchback of Notre Dame, a song included the lyrics, “God help the outcasts/ Hungry from birth/ Show them the mercy/ They don’t find on earth/ God help my people/ We look to You/ still God help the outcasts/ Or nobody will." 

Laurie's character follows the company's decision to drop a transgender character in the storyline. The series was originally set to be released in February 2023, but was delayed.