Pixar Exec Pete Doctor Says They Cut 'Elio' LGBTQ Storyline Because It's a Movie 'Not Hundreds of Millions of Dollars of Therapy'
Pixar’s chief creative officerand director of films like Up, Inside Out, and Monsters, Inc., Pete Docter, has shared the real reason behind the removal of the LGBTQ storyline from the 2025 film Elio.
In a recent Pixar profile published by Wall Street Journal, the CCO said that the company didn’t want to expose younger viewers to subject matter their parents hadn’t discussed with them.
According to the outlet, Docter stated, “We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.”
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The movie followed a young boy who turns to the stars in search of friends after being rejected by the kids his own age. It reportedly did not do well during test screenings, leading to a complete overhaul and the departure of the movie’s original director Adrian Molina.
America Ferrara was originally set to voice one of the lead characters, but dropped out, allegedly because Molina exited.
Here’s what The Hollywood Reporter previously said about the film’s story, based on what they heard from insiders: “Elio was initially portrayed as a queer-coded character, reflecting original director Adrian Molina’s identity as an openly gay filmmaker. Other sources say that Molina did not intend the film to be a coming out story, as the character is 11. But either way, this characterization gradually faded away throughout the production process as Elio became more masculine following feedback from leadership.”
Zoe Saldaña eventually took over America‘s role of Elio’s Aunt Olga.
When Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi took over, they reportedly made significant changes, such as removing any indication that Elio might have been gay, including a scene that showed him with a pink bike and envisioning a life with his male crush.
During the same profile, Pixar leadership also announced planned sequels in development along with some original stories and their first-ever musical film.