“It was pretty clear through the production of the first version of the film that [studio leaders] were constantly sanding down these moments in the film that alluded to Elio’s sexuality of being queer,” an anonymous artist who worked on the film told THR.
One of the scenes in question included a shot of Elio’s bedroom that displayed pictures of potential male crushes. Another was a scene of Elio performing a “trash-ion show” for a hermit crab, showing off a pink tank top he made out of recyclable materials. While the current version shows Elio wearing various handmade outfits, it’s no longer explicitly clear that he made them.
Then there were two test screenings of the original cut: one in which not a single person raised their hand when asked if they would see Elio in theaters, and another with Pixar head Pete Docter, whose feedback apparently “hurt” Molina. He left the movie shortly after.
Ferrera followed a few days later, reportedly because she was “upset that there was no longer Latinx representation in the leadership.” Neither Ferrera nor Molina has commented on their exits.
This isn’t the first time Pixar has cautioned, or even acted, against certain storylines in its films. In December, Pixar scrapped a transgender storyline in its Win or Lose series out of consideration for parents? Whatever that means. The artist who spoke to THR also shared that the director of Hoppers, out next year, was told to tone down the environmentalism. (Seems like Wall-E wouldn’t have made the cut today—sad, considering it’s definitely better than whatever Pixar has been churning out lately.) Another director for a film that’s currently in early development was told it “could not have divorce.” I didn’t even know that was a thing that was still up for debate. When did Pixar become The Church circa the 1600s???
In 2024, Docter told Bloomberg that the studio would be focusing on more “relatable” projects, hinting at a shift away from underrepresented stories.”I don’t think we can ever let ourselves off the hook of making sure that we deliver the best possible and most relatable films,” Docter said. Hm. I could’ve sworn the point of representation in media was to make sure people were… represented??? And could therefore find things relatable???
“A lot of people like to blame Disney, but the call is coming from inside the house,” the artist further told THR. “A lot of it is obeying-in-advance behavior, coming from the higher execs at Pixar.”
That’s fair, but I think it’s fair to also partially blame Disney, which acquired Pixar in 2006. The company has donated to multiple anti-LGBTQ legislators in Florida, and though they eventually opposed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2022, it took them a little too long.
The real kicker? Elio opened on June 20 and earned itself the title of worst-performing film at the box office in the company’s history. How’s the boot taste?
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