Ferdinand the Bull is a classic queer-coded character from Disney’s early days, featured in the 1938 animated short of the same name and based on Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book “The Story of Ferdinand.” Today’s post was selected/written by film historian and author Lee Gambin and features an excerpt from his Diabolique Magazine article, “Such Interesting Lives: Celebrating the Cartoon Queer–Part One.” “In FERDINAND THE BULL, young calf Ferdinand is not at all interested in roughhousing with h

The animated film Ferdinand tells the heartwarming story of a giant Spanish bull who, despite his imposing size and strength, is a gentle pacifist who prefers smelling flowers to fighting in the bullring, unlike the other bulls at Casa del Toro. After escaping the ranch as a calf when his fighting bull father doesn't return, Ferdinand finds happiness living with a young girl named Nina and her family on a flower farm. However, an unfortunate incident at a flower festival leads to him being mista