Pixar’s “Elio”: A Frankenstein Monster Born from Rewrites and Removals – The Behind-the-Scenes Story of an Artistic and Commercial Disaster
According to CinamaDrame News Agency, the animated feature “Elio” appeared to be a quiet failure for Pixar. However, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that behind the scenes, there was constant uproar and chaos, with creators spending months rewriting the script, removing characters, and re-recording sequences. The film opened on June 22, grossing only $22.8 million, marking the worst domestic opening in Pixar Animation Studios’ history.
The report suggests that “Elio” fell victim to producer interference and tonal uncertainties. Following the commercial disappointment of “Lightyear”, the studio reportedly had concerns about depicting LGBTQ+ themes. Adrian Molina, the director of “Coco”, who at one point believed he was creating a personal work, found himself at the center of this turmoil.
Multiple sources close to Disney and Pixar claim that “Elio” initially featured an 11-year-old “queer” character, with subtle references to their identity visible in their room. However, Disney reportedly removed all these references to avoid controversy, similar to “Lightyear” and several other Marvel films. A former Pixar artist involved in “Elio”‘s production stated, “In the first version of the film, it became clear that [studio executives] were constantly softening moments that showed Elio was queer.”
The film “Lightyear” sparked a similar controversy two years prior due to an LGBTQ+ scene, and similar scenes were reportedly removed from the series “Win or Lose”. According to sources close to the project, Disney and Pixar demanded that Molina and his collaborators portray the character of “Elio” as more “masculine,” diverging from the director’s initial vision during early production stages.
In one of “Elio”‘s early test screenings, audiences were asked if they would be willing to see the film in theaters. Not a single person raised their hand. Following this, Molina reportedly left the project after a “difficult” conversation with Pete Docter, the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi replaced him, but the result of these changes was a Frankenstein-like creation that neither resembled Molina’s vision nor satisfied the studio.
A former Pixar employee remarked, “The film that’s out right now is so much worse than Adrian’s best version of ‘Elio’. I’d love to ask Pete [Docter] and other Disney executives if they think the rewrites were worth it. And if they would have suffered as much if they had just let Adrian tell his story?” Disney claims the animated film cost $150 million, but The Hollywood Reporter‘s sources suggest the figure is “well over $200 million.”
