Rapper Snoop Dogg has created new controversy this week after criticizing LGBTQ+ inclusion in children’s films, with the hip-hop star taking particular issue with Pixar’s 2022 animated feature Lightyear.

In an interview with It’s Giving host Sarah Fontenot last week, the veteran rapper explained that he took his grandson to see the new animated film, only to find that he struggled to explain to the child why a same-sex couple is part of the story.

Lightyear is a spinoff of the Toy Story franchise that was met with a lawsuit and backlash when it was first revealed that the family-friendly animated movie would include a character in a same-sex relationship, and that the moment between the characters would include a kiss between two women.

The scene in question was briefly cut after pushback, but Disney restored it following internal criticism from employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups who demanded the same-sex relationship be included and recognized in the film.

Commenting on the scene and his experiences, Snoop Dogg noted that the rap’s confusion about the characters was furthered when his grandson turned to him while watching the film, and began to ask questions about how two women could have a baby together.

“Why, my grandson, in the middle of the movie, like, ‘Papa Snoop, how does she have a baby with a woman? She is a woman,” the rapper said. “Oh s—, I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the g—— movie.”

The rapper added that he had no answer to the child and told him to “sit down and watch the movie.” “They just said she had a baby. They are both women. How does she have a baby? S—. The movie ain’t over with,” he continued. “I’m scared to go to the movies. Like y’all throwing me in the middle of s— that I don’t have an answer for.”

Snoop Dogg then further explained that the parts that most bothered him were the fact that children, when asked such storylines, feel the need to ask questions to people who may not be prepared to answer them. “It threw me for a loop,” he said. “These are kids that we have to show that at this age, like, they’re going to ask questions. They are going to ask. I don’t have an answer. And I was just there to go to sleep and watch the movie. That s— woke me up.”

Outcry And Lightyear’s History Of Representation Backlash

The rapper’s comments were met with outrage on social media, particularly since the rapper is set to perform in Australia at the Australian Football League’s Grand Final later this year. As PinkNews reported, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan defended the rapper’s appearance at the event earlier this week. It was noted that AFL has not made any moves to rescind Snoop Dogg’s invitation.

Lightyear was at the center of debate just a few months ago when the film was released in June 2022. At the time, conservatives pushed back against the LGBTQ+ moment, arguing that such material was not appropriate for children’s films. The incident caused enough of an outcry that Disney made the decision to cut the scene before the film’s release, only to later reverse the decision following internal criticism from Pixar employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

The film’s lead, Chris Evans, also defended the moment while promoting Lightyear at the time, with Evans telling Reuters Television in June that “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said, when asked about the LGBTQ+ moment. “There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward, and embrace the growth that makes us human.”

Lightyear was itself an experiment of a film for Pixar, with the animated feature being a spinoff from the Toy Story universe that, in-universe, is the character “real” Buzz Lightyear, or at least the real space-age sci-fi hero from whom the popular toy character is inspired and based on. The film itself was met with largely underwhelming reviews, and also struggled at the box office, bringing in just over $226 million worldwide despite significant marketing and being attached to one of Pixar’s most popular and well-known properties.