New Disney+ series for children Win or Lose has an openly Christian character in it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete cause for celebration

The magic of Disney? 

I’ve always loved Disney. I love the music, the predictability and the comfort of the familiar hero storyline. I marvel at the ability for its message to speak to 5-year-old me whilst still speaking to 45-year-old me, that’s meant that Disney has become a timeless classic in my life. There have however been some recent controversies, for example around Disney’s latest move to introduce characters who are gay (Strange World (2022) and Buzz Lightyear (2022)). This led some Christians to unsubscribe from Disney+. As a family we chose to keep our subscription. My children are now 21, 19 and 17, so Christian discussions around the cultural topics that Disney are highlighting are much easier. However, for many others, the way in which Disney portrayed gay characters accompanied by price hikes saw them choosing to cancel their subscriptions. 

Enter ‘Win or Lose’ 

Disney’s latest shorts series is called Win or Lose. Set across eight episodes, the series follows a softball team ‘Pickles,’ in the week leading up to the championships. Each episode covers the same time period but focuses on a different character, whether it be a player, parent or referee. 

As a writer and lover of on-screen characters, and people in general, I was fascinated by the plot line and the way in which it demonstrates complex character development. My children thought that it was a little weird and didn’t really understand how this would appeal to the younger generation that it is intended for, though to be fair they are a lot older than the target audience.