Disney Pixar’s newest animated series, Win or Lose, is making history by introducing the first Christian character in the studio’s history.
Set in the world of Inside Out, the series follows a middle school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode highlights a different player’s inner world, their struggles, and their small but meaningful victories. Episode one, Coach’s Kid, focuses on Laurie, the coach’s daughter, who’s battling some serious self-doubt.
Before a big game, she takes a quiet moment to pray: “Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength. I have faith, but sometimes the doubt creeps in.” And later, a cutout of an angel is spotted in her bedroom, subtly reinforcing that her faith is an actual part of who she is—not just a throwaway detail.
While Disney has played with biblical themes in the past (looking at you, The Lion King), an explicitly Christian character showing up in a Pixar project is new. Win or Lose co-creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates said they wanted to tell deeply personal stories, and for Laurie, that apparently includes faith.
Still, the introduction of a character who openly prays on screen is a rare moment for Disney+, especially at a time when faith representation in mainstream entertainment can feel like an afterthought. It’s unclear if Laurie’s faith will be a recurring theme or if this was a one-off, but for now, Win or Lose is offering something Disney hasn’t in a long time: a Christian character simply being Christian on screen.
