Pixar’s latest film, “Elio,” has faced significant challenges both on and off the screen. The movie, which opened to a disappointing $20.8 million domestically, marks the lowest box office debut in Pixar’s history. Behind the scenes, “Elio” underwent major changes during production.
If you know you know…and if you don't, #Elio is in theaters now! pic.twitter.com/ojUqIiVISB
— Pixar (@Pixar) July 2, 2025
https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1939825625109352507
The original director, Adrian Molina, known for his work on the Oscar-winning “Coco,” intended to portray the main character, Elio, as a queer-coded figure. This creative choice reflected Molina’s own identity as an openly gay filmmaker. However, as production progressed, feedback from Pixar leadership pushed for a more traditionally masculine portrayal of Elio.
Pixar massively changed ‘ELIO’ after the original cut was test screened & not a single person raised their hand when asked if they’d pay to see the film in a movie theater
Elio was also initially a queer-coded character until leadership told them to make him more masculine… pic.twitter.com/3VReaNSSQW
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 30, 2025
Key scenes that hinted at the character’s queerness were removed, including a “trash-ion show” where Elio creatively used trash for fashion and moments suggesting a male crush.
Pixar’s controversial creative direction
These changes reportedly led to Molina’s departure from the project.
cry me a river. I would fire everyone of them and tell them to go get a real job in the real world and see how that works out for them. https://t.co/JFdRx5Zga1
— Dr. James Merritt (@drjamesmerritt) July 2, 2025
America Ferrera, who was initially cast as Elio’s mother, Olga, also left due to the shifts in the story and Molina’s exit. The character of Olga was reimagined as Elio’s aunt and recast with Zoe Saldaña. Former Pixar employees and members of the studio’s LGBTQ group, PixPRIDE, expressed disappointment at the alterations made to “Elio.” They felt the original vision and meaningful elements of the film had been compromised.
An anonymous Pixar artist who worked on the movie commented, “Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and [the story] just becomes about totally nothing.”
The production budget for “Elio” reportedly ballooned to over $200 million, making its poor box office performance even more striking. This financial overshoot added to the sense of a “catastrophic” outcome felt by many former employees who had worked on Molina’s nearly complete version of the film. While the new co-directors, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, are praised for their efforts to salvage the movie under challenging circumstances, the loss of Molina and the significant story changes have left a cloud over the studio.
As Pixar moves forward, the experience with “Elio” highlights the delicate balance needed between maintaining a director’s vision and navigating executive feedback and commercial realities in filmmaking.
