grumpyf1

Jack Whitehall - not gay. Problem? A new Disney movie is in production. Not particularly massive news in itself, but the film, called Jungle Cruise, will be the first Disney flick to have a major character who is an openly gay man. The actor taking on this role, and the associated headache of having to deal with the moral arguments that have ensued, is British – namely Jack Whitehall. Whitehall says he’s “honoured to be part of this epic adventure”, along with co-stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Whilst there’s plenty of support for Whitehall on social media, there are also many who aren’t pleased at all about him being cast in the role. That the first significantly gay role in a Disney movie will be played by a straight guy hasn’t gone down well in some quarters, but the arguments for and against this are complicated. One point of view is that there’s no reason to cast a gay man to play the role – gay actors play straight parts, and it’s rare anyone bats ...

I know I’m somewhat late to this particular party, but why is that ‘Let It Go’ song from the “Frozen” animated movie so popular? It’s now over a year since Disney’s “Frozen” was released - just in time for Christmas, of course – so I’m not entirely sure why I’ve suddenly got myself all hot under the collar about it’s feature song. Maybe it’s that my central heating is on the blink, meaning the word “frozen” regularly spreads it’s icy chill through my shivering brain cell. As many parents of young children will willingly attest, it is entirely possible to hear “Let It Go” far, far, too many times. As it’s sung by one of the lead female characters in the film, it resonates powerfully with children of the female persuasion, but also with many of their Mum’s too. Sung so passionately by Idina Menzel it sounds like she might be about to injure herself, the song is an empowering statement of release, escaping the constraints of other people’s expectations of perfection, and setting y...