Yes, Disney is censoring LGBT content in the most recent Pixar films: The rest here. Apologies if this has already been posted.
How's this news? Studios and execs have final say. Directors, writers etc. Don't get to say everything they want to say in a film. In this instance if they hamfisted LGBT+ into there films, the execs know that it wouldn't play well with all audiences. So they clipped.
Thing is, of course, that Disney likes to pretend to be inclusive and pro-diversity. Now, their gay-baiting tactic of making big announcements of "the first gay Disney character" for upcoming movies, only for them to turn out gay in subtext at best, or the character being a one-line unnamed side character that's easily edited out for international distribution (looking at you, Avengers: Endgame), has been known and called out in the past. And, as the quoted article said, it comes in the context of Disney having donated to each and every sponsor of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. These Pixar employees are giving further evidence that Disney isn't as pro-diversity as they sell themselves.
The parent company owns the subsidiary studio. For all legal intents and purposes it's their own film.
You said, "Studios censoring their own films...." I stand by my assertion that that is false. The studio is Pixar. It's not the studio censoring its own film. Rather, it's the parent company censoring its own studio's film, or the parent company censoring its own film, if you like. But the studio in question was not censoring anything. And of course it's news, even if it is the sort of thing that happens when you sell out.
Technically, the subsidiary studio still owns the rights to the film. If the parent company sold the subsidiary studio, the rights to the film would go with it. But that's not the issue, anyway. Nobody is disputing Disney's legal right to alter the Pixar films. The issue is not legal, but ethical, both over Disney's treatment of the LGBT+ community, and the meddling with the Pixar employees' creative work.
Chapek needs to tell the Christian fundies (who I think he's actually scared of, hence said ham-fisted defense and altering of Pixar movies to not have any LGBT content) to go and frak themselves if they don't like LGBT content being in Disney movies; these morons already have a parallel Christian fundie movie industry (Christian movie theaters, Christian movie companies and a streaming service to show said movies)-why don't they go and get these companies to set up an animation studio that makes the so-called 'family' animated movies without the 'troublesome' (to them) LGBT content they hate? That may be so, but the parent studio has no business 'queerbaiting' LGBT audiences with news about LGBT characters, then not really delivering by doing what the employees of the subsidiary studio are accusing it of. At least they've 'delivered' somewhat by standing firm regarding the sexual orientation (bi) of the main character of this TV show that's on the Disney Channel and Disney+. As I just said above, Disney has no right to queerbait LGBT audiences into believing they're going to see LGBT characters in Disney movies, then not actually feature them that much in said movie or TV series.
I'll rephrase if it makes you happy CorporalPedantry: Multinational conglomerates censoring their own subsidiaries' films is stunning? Since when? Disney filmed “Mulan” in a region where China was actively committing the worst human rights abuses imaginable. Should we ever be surprised when we hear negative stories about this company?
If you'd taken the trouble to read the article linked to in the OP, you might have found that you've also misunderstood or presumed incorrectly what exactly is meant by "stunning." From the article: The Disney Company’s tight control over Pixar’s output won’t be a surprise to anyone who understands the inner workings of studio animation, but it is stunning to hear the criticism publicly aired by employees. What you wrote is a straw man, since that's not what the article called "stunning." Since when do employees of a high-profile subsidiary speak out publicly against their higher-profile parent mega-corporation? Not very often. Another aspect making it newsworthy.
Because even the people who watch them know that "Christian Movies" aren't very good. So if they want quality entertainment they need to strongarm the people with actual talent.
Goal post relocation, during noted. Your own thread headline states the "accusation," is "stunning," not the identify of the accusers.
a) It's not my thread. b) The thread title is taken from the headline of the article linked to in the OP. c) If you don't like the grammar, you should take it up with the editor of the article linked to in the OP.
Or, they can do what non-extremist Christians of the past used to do and separate their religion from their entertainment.
If you are expecting Disney (or any mega-corporations) to take actions that are ethically or morally virtuous instead of taking actions that are expected to maximize their profits then you are going to be consistently disappointed.
There are such things as public pressure campaigns. Basically shaming corporations into "doing the right thing". And it is the case that Disney likes the public image of being pro-diversity and inclusive, which makes publicly calling them out when they are found out to act contrary to that image worthwile. They're already trying harm reduction.
I disagree with the decision Disney made, but it is their studio and I imagine they can chop up films any way they chose.
Same thing Star Trek was doing in the 90s. Disney is playing both sides against the middle, opposing anti gay bills while making sure none of their movies rattle bigots enough to stop paying money to see them. It’s not surprising but it’s pretty despicable. Going by the conservative conceit that a gay person just living their lives in public is an inherently political act.