Disney Pixar’s latest animated series, “Win or Lose,” has ignited a cultural firestorm with the introduction of its first explicitly Christian character in nearly two decades — a move that starkly contrasts with the studio’s recent decision to drop a transgender storyline from the same project.
“Win or Lose,” which premiered on Disney+ on Feb. 19, after a delay from its planned 2023 debut, is set in the whimsical world of Pixar’s “Inside Out” films. The series follows the Pickles, a middle school softball team, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each of the series’ eight episodes focuses on the thought lives of a different character, similar to the "Inside Out" films.
The series’ premiere episode, “Coach’s Kid,” introduces Laurie, the daughter of the team’s coach, who grapples with insecurity and anxiety. One of the episode’s first scenes depicts Laurie, who, as she prepares for an upcoming game, bows her head and folds her hands in prayer as she asks God for strength.
“Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength … I just want to catch a ball or get a hit," she says. "I promise I'll be good, and I, uh, won't do that thing again." In another scene, Laurie prays, “Please help me be good. I’m gonna train so hard.”
The scene marks the first time a Disney character is portrayed offering an explicitly Christian prayer since 1996’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and its song “God Help the Outcasts,” which includes 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.”
