Pixar boss explains why Elio’s queer part was cut
“We don’t make a movie so it costs hundreds of millions in therapy.”
Nominated for the 2026 Oscars for best animated film, Elio depicts the adventures of a little orphan boy with a boundless imagination who, rejected by his comrades, finds refuge in the extraterrestrial universe. Except… in the original version, Elio was not only distinguished by his creative spirit but also his homosexuality…
A plot that would not have pleased producer Pete Docter, the artistic director and director behind Monster and Company, Up there or even Vice versa.
In the original version, a scene showed Elio on his pink bike imagining his future with his crush, another little boy.
But after several test screenings, which showed that most spectators would not pay to see this story in the cinema, the boss of Pixar finally decided to completely exclude this dimension of the character, even if part of the animation was completed.
In the Wall Street JournalDocter explains that he did not want to expose young audiences to such a subject which they would then have to discuss with their parents: “We don’t make a movie so it costs hundreds of millions in therapy.”
This turnaround caused the director behind the project, Adrian Molina, to flee, replaced by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. We will nevertheless find him at the helm of Coco 2 alongside Lee Unkrich.
The rest of the team responded negatively to this change which echoes another decision. Disney had indeed chosen to remove a transgender character in the Pixar animated series, Win or Lose.
Elio has accumulated more than a million admissions in France and almost 73 million dollars in revenue in the United States. It was a commercial failure with $150 million at the worldwide box office, the same sum put on the table by the animation studio to produce it.
In the meantime, another animated feature film with Pete Docter as executive producer, Jumpershas just appeared in France with Mallory Wanecque and Artus in the French voices. This time, we follow the story of Mabel, a young woman ready to do anything to save a clearing, a little corner of paradise far from the urban jungle in the face of destruction, until… transferring her mind into that of a beaver.
Jumpers: finally a Pixar original which is a hit at the US box office
Synopsis: “Humanity has always looked up to the stars in search of answers… and this time, the universe has answered! Elio, an 11-year-old dreamer and space enthusiast, struggles to find his place on Earth. But his life changes when he is mysteriously teleported into the Communiverse – an intergalactic organization bringing together representatives (as strange as they are fascinating) from distant galaxies. Mistaken for the official ambassador of Earth, he finds himself thrust into the heart of a mission as perilous as it is extraordinary. Fortunately, he will be able to count on Glordon, an alien as crazy as he is endearing, and on his aunt Olga, who watches over him from Earth. During this extraordinary adventure, Elio will have to prove that he is the worthy representative of humans while discovering who he really is and where his place is..”
Elio was released on June 18, 2025 in French theaters.
