The disappointing revelation that Disney had backed the Florida representatives who voted for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill- read more about its viciousness here-and initially chose not to condemn it surfaced a slew of upsetting news and facts about the company.

So how then to square this with everything else going on? After all, it’s not that long ago that it was rumored the company shuffled Love, Victor to Hulu from Disney+ over concerns that its themes weren’t going to fly with all Disney-loving families. That Better Nate Than Ever is targeted at a youth demographic should make this a watershed moment for Disney. I have never felt more represented on screen. He auditions with a monologue that Dixie Carter delivers in an episode of Designing Women. It turns out, those things he used to quiet are exactly what make him great. In spite of the odds, Nate’s auditions actually go well, and for one clear reason: He finally feels free to be himself and embrace all the parts of him that make him special. They run into Nate’s aunt, a struggling actress played by Lisa Kudrow who has been ostracized by her family because of her pursuit of a career on stage. In this case, many of them are daydream sequences involving large-scale musical production numbers. Hijinks ensue, as they do when 13-year-olds with no chaperones run loose through New York. To cheer him up, his best friend, Aria Brooks’ Libby, plans a runaway bus trip for the two of them to New York City, where an open call audition is happening for a new Lilo & Stitch production. He is devastated when he doesn’t land the lead role in his school’s production of Lincoln: The Unauthorized Rock Musical.

Better nate than ever novel