Elio reportedly featured queer undertones before being cut from its final release.
On 20 June, summer moviegoers were treated to Pixar’s latest animated feature.
The adorable film follows 11-year-old Elio, a “space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession.”
The official synopsis reads: “So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organisation with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking.
“Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.”
Since its release, Elio has received rave reviews from critics and viewers, with many praising the film for its heartwarming and endearing story, comedic moments, animation and cast performances.
The movie also earned an 83% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the animated feature has captivated audiences, it has been labelled a box office bomb for grossing only $20.8 million during its opening weekend, marking the lowest opening frame for Pixar ever.
In light of Elio’s unfortunate box office performance, a handful of Pixar creatives opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about some of the roadblocks production faced – including the removal of queer themes in the final product.
According to the news outlet, Elio was initially portrayed as being a queer-coded character in early test screenings, which reflected the gay identity of the film’s original director, Adrian Molina.
Pixar
While sources confirmed that Molina had no intention of including a full-fledged coming-out story, the character’s underlying queerness was slowly erased throughout the creative process in favour of more “masculine” characteristics.
One of the cuts initially featured in 2023 test screens included Elio giving a hermit crab a “trash-ion show,” which saw him wearing outfits made from trash he found on the beach, including a makeshift pink tank top.
Another form of queer content removed was a scene of Elio’s bedroom, which was adorned with pictures that seemingly hinted at him having a male crush.
The report goes on to claim that things started to look bleak after Molina held a test screening in Arizona. Despite attendees enjoying Elio and its content, none of them said that they would pay money to see it in theatres.
Pixar
After the discouraging audience screener, the Coco director was apparently dealt another blow when he showed Pixar executives his cut of the film. While the details of the exact interaction are limited, the news outlet claimed that Molina felt “hurt” by the feedback he received from Pixar boss, Peter Docter.
In August 2024, Molina left the project and was replaced by co-directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, who reworked the film.
According to one former Pixar artist, the changes to Elio were night and day, claiming that the studio’s leadership made it a point to request changes that eliminated the film’s queer undertones.
Pixar
“It was pretty clear throught the production of the first version of the film that [studio leaders] were constantly sanding down these moments in the film that alluded to Elios sexuality of being queer,” they explained.
“Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing.”
Another former Pixar worker echoed similar sentiments, claiming that the original portrayal of Elio was “so cute” and he had “so much personality” before adding that the final version of the character felt “generic.”
Pixar
Elio isn’t the first time LGBTQIA+ inclusive content has been removed from Pixar content.
In December 2024, it was revealed that a trans led storyline was removed from the studio’s first-ever long-form series, Win or Lose.
While the character – named Kai – was still featured in the show, dialogue related to their gender identity was removed from the final cut.
Elio is now playing in cinemas. Check out the trailer below.
The post Elio: Queer themes were reportedly cut from new Pixar film appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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