It was a long time coming for Disney but the filmmaker will have its first gay character in the upcoming remake of Beauty and the Beast.

The film will premiere in Malta on March 17 and features actor Josh Gad as LeFou dealing with feelings for the film’s main antagonist Gaston.

This aspect of the movie is a side-plot to the main story and according to Disney will culminate in an “exclusively gay moment” for the character towards the end of the film.

Film critic Mario Azzopardi said this was a significant moment for Disney, which is renowned for its all-family films.

“Walt Disney was one of the last in Hollywood to not have featured a gay character and this development further confirms the wider acceptability of the LGBTIQ community,” Mr Azzopardi said.

But with LeFou’s character being associated with the ‘baddies’ in the film, not everyone agrees it was the ideal choice.

Gabi Calleja, coordinator at MGRM, a gay rights group, said characters that challenged heteronormative perceptions and that raised the visibility of same-sex love were generally a good thing.

However, given the sparsity of LGBTIQ characters in Disney movies and children’s cinema in general, she was not sure LeFou’s selection was ideal.

“While heterosexual characters include good and bad, heroes and villains this is not so for LGBTIQ characters so it is important that they are affirmative portrayals of LGBTIQ identities if they are to have a positive effect,” Ms Calleja said.

Beauty and the Beast features Emma Watson as Belle, the young girl who falls in love with a beast, who holds a dark secret. The Beast and Gaston are played by Dan Stevens and Luke Evans.

The film’s opening night at the Embassy Cinema will be in aid of the Marigold Foundation. The tie-up was announced yesterday and tickets, which include an after-film party at Każin Malti, are selling at €40 for adults and €20 for children.

KRS Releasing, the distributors, said Beauty and the Beast was rated PG.