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What Really Happened With Elio and Why Pixar Fans Are Disappointed
Elio, the animated Pixar movie that hit theaters on June 22, was loaded with expectations… and walked out the back door. Grossing just 20.8 million dollars in its opening weekend in the United States, it marked the worst debut in the studio’s history.
But behind the box office failure lies a story of creative tensions, reduced representation, and corporate decisions that have sparked a wave of criticism and speculation, particularly concerning the role of the original director, Adrián Molina.
Molina, of Mexican descent and openly gay, was the co-director of Coco and the original creator of Elio. In his vision, the story aimed to reflect aspects of his own identity: that of an introverted, creative, and different Latino boy who found his voice in the world. Although it wasn’t explicitly a coming out story, according to close sources, Elio contained several elements that subtly spoke of sexual and gender diversity. Those elements, however, were systematically removed.
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Among the deleted scenes was a ‘trash-ion show’ on the beach featuring pink T-shirts and clothing made from recycled materials, as well as images in Elio’s room that hinted at an attraction to another boy. Aspects that showed his concern for the environment or his interest in fashion were also cut, in an attempt to ‘masculinize’ the character and make him more ‘neutral’ according to studio executives’ criteria, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Molina’s departure after a conversation with Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, marked a turning point. Despite being offered the opportunity to continue as co-director alongside Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, the filmmaker chose to leave the project because he did not share the new creative direction.
Molina’s replacement also had repercussions in the casting world: America Ferrera, initially announced as the voice of Olga, Elio’s mother, also left the project. Instead, Zoe Saldaña now plays Olga, who is now his aunt. Anonymous sources suggest that Ferrera felt disappointed by the loss of Latin representation among the film’s creators and by the constant script changes that required her to re-record her lines.
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The final version of Elio is presented as a space adventure: an 11-year-old boy who is accidentally mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to an intergalactic community. While it retains a nod to diversity through the character of Glordon, his alien best friend, many consider that Elio’s original character was watered down to become generic.
The repercussions were not long in coming. Former employees of the studio have stated that the film “stopped making sense” after losing its “identity” heart. “Elio was a fun character with a lot of personality; now he seems much more generic,” remarked another former employee who also participated in the project.
Although Pixar and Disney have not made any official statements on the matter, the controversy surrounding Elio reignites an ongoing conversation in Hollywood: how willing is the industry to truly showcase diversity when it comes to children, queer, or people of color protagonists?
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In a time where more inclusive stories are demanded, the case of Adrián Molina and Elio serves as a reminder that even within the most progressive studios, creative decisions are still bound by a system hesitant to unsettle the “mainstream.”
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