SBG 163: Charming

Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that hopes you find your queerest happily ever after. 

This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out and talk about why the animated fairytale, Charming, Should’ve Been Gay.

One thing Charming does have going for it is a wildly stacked cast. We’re talking Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne, John Cleese and Sia all in one place. Unfortunately, even a big name cast couldn’t save this film from receiving a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. We’re pretty sure the only way to save Charming from a fate worse than choking on a poison apple is to make it gay. And judging by the amount of reviews that say things like, “Does anyone else think Prince Charming is aro/ace?”, we’re all on the same page. 

Charming is a queer story from the jump, starting with the Prince’s curse. This man is cursed to have every woman he meets fall in love with him. We’re pretty sure that if you, a man, view hot women constantly throwing themselves at you as a curse, you might be at least a little bit (very) gay. Charming laments being unable to find his one true love while juggling simultaneous engagements to Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. He appears doomed to be a player, unable to find his true love amongst a sea of unlimited suitors. That is until Lenore, who is mysteriously immune to the Prince’s charms, takes a page out of Mulan’s book and disguises herself as a man. While the movie doesn’t explain why the curse does not work on her, we think there’s two simple explanations; 1. Lenore is a lesbian and/or 2. Lenore is trans/nonbinary. Since the curse is predictably heteronormative in scope, Lenore being gay and/or trans creates a loophole that we think could explain her immunity. 

We know one thing for sure, Charming Should’ve Been Gay.

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