Disney is promoting it as a “heartwarming tale,” but the new Pixar short film “Out” might leave unsuspecting parents of young children with more heartbreak than heart warmth.

The new Pixar short film aims to normalize and indoctrinate viewers, especially children, with the message that pursuing homosexual relationships is a noble path. Its main character, Greg, is a young gay man struggling to “come out” to his parents. His lovable dog is there to encourage him and plays a key role in the story as Greg’s parents learn that their son is gay and is planning to move to another city with his boyfriend, Manuel. In one scene, Greg and Manuel briefly kiss.

The nine-minute animation, complete with the fluffy dog and sympathetic characters, plays on emotions, based on social media responses to the film, and intentionally aims at a young audience. It is airing on Disney+, the company’s foray into the streaming television market.

Early social media responses were heavily positive, but not everyone is applauding.

Michael Brown, a Christian apologist and broadcaster who has written extensively on the LGBTQ movement, told Decision: “On the one hand, this is deeply disturbing, as little children are being indoctrinated with the ‘gay is good’ mantra. On the other hand, this is not surprising at all, since LGBT activists and their allies have been targeting children for years—meaning, targeting them for indoctrination.”

Carl Van Vliet of Fathers Legacy Ministries tweeted: “In a continuing spiral into the abyss of deviant worldviews, Disney-owned Pixar’s new short film ‘Out’ features the first gay main character. … Parents using Disney+ need to be very aware of the agenda being pushed onto their children.”

Jeremy Blacklow, director of entertainment media at GLAAD, a gay activist organization, told the New York Times, “By centering on a young gay man, ‘Out’ just raised the bar for inclusion in kids and family programming.”

In recent years, gay themes and homosexual characters have been popping up in children’s entertainment. But “Out” is the first family animation film featuring a homosexual main character.

This year’s release of “Onward” features a secondary character who’s a lesbian. Last year, “Toy Story 4” included a lesbian couple picking up children from daycare. Marvel’s 2019 blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame” briefly included a gay character. Also in 2019, the PBS cartoon “Arthur”—which is geared for preschoolers and younger elementary students—made waves when Arthur’s third-grade teacher, “Mr. Ratburn,” married his male partner in an episode.

“The good news,” Brown says, “is that we have a free society and families can choose to skip this movie. At the same time, they can send a message to Pixar: If you want our business, stay out of the culture wars and stop offending our sensibilities.”

Photo: David Peperkamp/Alamy Stock Photo