Thanks to Disney, a Gay Teen Will Save ‘Strange World’

The latest explosion of technicolor cuteness from Disney comes with a splash of gay in the new film Strange World.

With the first queer character in one of Disney’s movies in many years, a teenage boy learns he comes from a family of explorers, and his help is needed to save the planet.

Jabouki Young-White plays Ethan Clade, described by Variety as “a biracial, openly gay teenager who gets completely tongue-tied when he’s near his crush, Diazo.”

The adventures of the cast of “Strange World” begins when the President of Avalonia (a woman, played by Lucy Liu) lands in his yard in a UFO.

The cast includes Jake Gyllenhall, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, and others.

“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ original action-packed adventure ‘Strange World’ introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog and a slew of ravenous creatures,” the movie’s website explains.

Trouble in Another World

“Have you ever wondered what adventures wait beyond our world?” appears on the screen during the preview.

“Our entire world is in grave danger,” the President says. “I want you to come with me on an expedition.”

“I’m not my father,” the young man says of his dad’s superhero status.

“I know you were just a kid when he went missing,” the President responds, “but now, you’re all we’ve got.”

‘Gayness is One Part of Him’

The President takes Clade and his pals to an underworld where unsavory characters lie, and he runs into his missing father. “I’m loving this family reunion, but come on, we have a world to save,” Clade says.

Co-Director Qui Nguyen says of Young-White, “His gayness is one part of him. He’s also bold and wildly empathetic, which is why he becomes sort of the conservationist in our film. Also, he’s impulsive as teenagers kind of are. So, to us, he was just a flesh-and-blood, well-rounded character, and I think we can’t wait for the world to embrace him like we did.”