After the premiere of Inside Out at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in France, Disney-Pixar's Oscar-winning producer, John Lasseter, was asked if the animation studio would consider having a black leading character in an upcoming film. According to TheMarySue.com, he seems very open to it, but wouldn't give any specifics.
"It's very important to us — both at Pixar and at Disney — to have female and ethnic characters. It's grown in importance over time. As you'll see in future films, we're really paying attention to that… We have been seeing more and more women, and more and more people from all over the world starting to work with it. That's exciting. I think it will get reflected in the characters.
"Animation, when we got started, by and large was mostly guys. But we have seen more and more women and more people from all over the world starting to work in it, which is very exciting," said Lasseter.
This is great news! And we think we can already see the diversity coming down the pipeline in the following examples.
1. Bonnie in Toy Story 4
With a screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormick, it seems the movie's protagonist will be Bonnie (Emily Hahn), the sweet little girl who adopted Andy's toys at the end of Toy Story 3. We are just thrilled that Pixar is handing off the torch to a girl this time.
More: Disney movies from princesses to single moms in new movie
2. Sanjay's Super Team
Although this is an animated short, it's inspired by the childhood of Indian-American animator Sanjay Patel and his experience growing up in a Hindu home and discovering the power of meditation.
3. Moana
This story is about a young polynesian teen who comes from a long line of sea navigators. The story will be inspired by actual Polynesian mythology. Dwayne Johnson will be the voice of demigod, Maui.
4. Finding Dory
We loved Nemo, but we're also excited to see the story of a female blue tang fish (Ellen DeGeneres) and get her take on life beneath the sea.
More: Rumble in the jungle! Chimpanzee movie review
5. Inside Out
This is the story of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), a girl who is uprooted from a small town and force to live in the big city where her emotions soon turn chaotic. I think a lot of us can relate to Riley's struggles. The screenplay was also written by a woman, Meg LeFauve.
More: 15 Strongest, most jaw-dropping and fearless female performances of 2014
Images: Disney-Pixar
