'Beauty And The Beast' Release Date In Malaysia Has Been Postponed Indefinitely

GSC Malaysia made the announcement through a post on their official Facebook page at about 5.30pm today, 21 March.

The post read, "The moment you've been waiting for... BEAUTY AND THE BEAST CONFIRMED for 30 MARCH WITHOUT CUTS!!!".

Walt Disney Company (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. confirmed in an official press release that the much awaited movie will be released with no cuts.

In a report by AFP, Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid has revealed that the four-and-a-half minute "gay moment" that has been cut from 'Beauty and the Beast" is a song sequence featuring LeFou (played by Josh Gad).

"The way he dances is gay and the dialogue and the lyrics of the song are too. In the same scene he also lifts up his shirt and shows a love bite on his tummy," Abdul Halim was quoted as saying.

"Even I wanted to bring my grandchildren to watch it. But there are rules. We don’t support LGBT," he added.

According to the movie soundtrack's track listing, only one song is performed primarily by Josh Gad - the iconic showstopper 'Gaston'.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the studio has tentatively moved the release date to 30 March to allow the censorship board to make a decision on whether or not the release 'Beauty and the Beast' without changes.

However, according to The Star Online, LPF stands by its decision to cut the scene from the film.

"Movie companies cannot impose conditions on LPF. We will not budge," he said.

"As far as I know, Disney has already sent a notice of appeal to the Film Appeal Committee under the Home Ministry, so now the decision of whether to release the film without cuts is up to them."

In an e-mail statement to Bloomberg, Walt Disney Co. in Los Angeles wrote, "The film has not been and will not be cut for Malaysia."

It is highly likely that the segment involves the entire 'Gaston' song sequence, which is the exact length of time at 4 minutes 29 seconds:

You can watch a short clip from the film's 'Gaston' song sequence here:

According to Vulture's Jackson McHenry, who'd attended an advance screening of 'Beauty and the Beast', the "exclusive gay moment" only materialises at the end of the movie. However, several scenes throughout could be considered part of the supposed gay subplot:

[Again, SPOILER ALERT!!!]

"Early in the film, LeFou asks Gaston why he isn’t happy with just the two of them together, which is more of a slightly gay instant. Later, when Gaston asks him why he hasn’t settled down with a women, LeFou jokes that he’s too clingy - a vaguely gay insinuation.

When he sings “Gaston,” he wraps Gaston’s arms around him, before Gaston pushes him aside - a gay-ish split-second.

Then, as the villagers attack the Beast’s castle in the climax, LeFou shares a moment with Mrs. Potts, where she tells him that he deserves better than Gaston - some light gay condescension.

Finally, an enchanted wardrobe attacks a trio of Gaston’s henchman, forcing them into powder, wigs, and dresses. Two are disgusted, but the third smiles — a sort of gender-bending moment," he wrote.

McHenry revealed that the actual "exclusive gay moment" only arrives at the big celebration at the end of the film.

"During a group dance, LeFou starts off dancing with a woman, and then strikes up with the dress-loving henchman. It’s certainly a moment, because it lasts for two seconds at the most. It’s gay, in the sense that two male characters are doing something that expresses affection, though it feels so platonic they might as well be shaking hands. It’s certainly not exclusively gay, however, as other couples are still dancing in the background."

Following the Malaysian Censorship Board's statement that they have already approved the movie "some time ago", global news sites like Mashable, The Guardian, and The Telegraph reported that Disney Malaysia has "shelved" or "pulled" the movie from cinemas despite having gotten approval from LPF.

Unfortunately, despite the aforementioned sites clarifying that the film's release has been "postponed indefinitely", some thought that the movie had been banned and will not be screened in Malaysia.

It is possible that the use of the word "shelved" in the headline might have caused the misunderstanding.

While the word actually means "postponed" or "hold off", "shelved" could also be read as "called off" or to "decide not to proceed with a project or plan, either temporarily or permanently".

According to a report by The Star Online, the minor cut was done on the much-discussed "gay moment" in the movie. Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid also confirmed that the film has been classified as P13, meaning parental guidance is advisable for children below 13 years old.

"However, the date of screening and where the screening takes place is not under LPF's jurisdiction. We only look at the content and give a decision on whether the movie gets approved or not," he said, adding that the movie's opening date is up to its distributor and cinemas.

Originally slated for a 16 March release, the movie's opening date has been postponed indefinitely pending an internal review by the censorship board, according to film distributor The Walt Disney Company (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Disney did not provide any reason to the postponement, nor was there any indication as to what the new opening date will be.

At the time of writing, Malaysia's major cinemas have removed all traces of the movie from their websites and mobile apps. Both TGV and GSC have also urged customers who have bought tickets in advance to get their refunds.

"LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," Condon told Attitude in an exclusive interview.

"He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie."

Speaking to The Music, Gad said, "First of all, I think that the entire conversation has sadly been completely overblown and I attribute that to the age of sensationalism that we live in."

Gad has also told USA Today that his character's sexuality wasn't mentioned in the script.

In fact, [WARNING, SPOILER ALERT! LAST CHANCE TO AVERT YOUR EYES] in the movie, LeFou does not make any statements whatsoever about his sexuality. According to Buzzfeed, many have taken a scene at the end of the movie, where LeFou is seen dancing with another man as a subtle indication that the character is gay. Media previews have also indicated that there is no in-your-face "exclusive gay moment" in the movie.

In Singapore, Anglican Bishop Rennis Ponniah has issued an advisory via St. Andrew's Cathedral's website urging the clergy and deaconesses to alert their congregation about the homosexual content in the film.

"Disney films for children's entertainment are usually associated with wholesome, mainstream values. But times are changing at a foundational level. In this new live-action remake of the classic film, the character LeFou is portrayed as gay and a 'gay moment' is included in the movie by way of a sub-plot," he wrote.

"Parents are therefore strongly advised to provide guidance to their children about this re-make of 'Beauty & the Beast', and indeed to their children's entertainment choices in a rapidly changing age."