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'Not a Single Person Raised Their Hand': Pixar's 'Queer-Coded' Cut of 'Elio' Had One of the Most Disastrous Test-Screenings in Disney History
- Pixar released the animated film Elio in theaters on June 20, 2024, after director Adrian Molina exited the project earlier that year.
- Molina left the project after receiving input from Pixar’s top creative leader, prompting the studio to revise the film’s initial queer-coded concept and make Elio’s characterization more traditionally masculine.
- Following a change in leadership during production, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi revised Elio by eliminating explicit references to the protagonist’s queerness, including alterations to his clothing style and bedroom decor.
- A former Pixar artist revealed that a crucial aspect of Elio’s identity related to his queer sexuality was significantly diminished during production, leaving the character feeling empty, and the film subsequently opened to a record-low $20.8 million at the domestic box office.
- The film’s altered content and poor box office performance suggest internal studio choices affected Elio’s reception and may reflect broader hesitancy around LGBTQ+ narratives at Pixar.
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The Advocate
Out MagazineQueer subtext in Disney's 'Elio' was reportedly cut by Pixar
Elio, the adorable new film from Pixar and Disney, is the latest film to have its LGBTQ+ content cut ahead of debuting on the big screen. The first screening of the Elio, viewed in 2023, had an alleged queer subtext to the titular character. However, that storyline is no longer in the movie's final cut according to a story from The Hollywood Reporter.The reports explain that director Adrian Molina originally crafted Elio in a way that was never …
Pixar film bombs badly, and staffers blame execs for erasing woke themes after disastrous audience test
A damning report says that Pixar executives drastically changed the lead character in their newest animated film offering because audiences said in pre-release testing that they would not go watch the film."Elio" tells the tale of an 11-year-old boy who is taken into space and accidentally becomes Earth's ambassador to an interstellar organization of alien communities. The film was not well received and has bombed at the box office.'The exodus o…
Disney Pixar's latest big box-office bomb, 'Elio,' was first 'queer-coded' · American Wire News
Yet another Disney/Pixar film has bombed at the box office, but the first cut would have played even worse with audiences. Recently-released animated film “Elio” only managed to rake in $20.8 million domestically, which is “the lowest opening frame at the box office in Pixar’s history,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. But the version seen by audiences was not what was originally intended. “Multiple insiders” who spoke to the outlet revealed…
Elio Was Supposed to be a "Queer-Coded" Child Character Until Test Audiences Rejected Disney Pixar Film
Disney Pixar’s Elio was supposed to be the studio’s next original hit. Instead, it’s gone down as the worst box office opening in Pixar’s history. But while the numbers are bad, the story behind Elio’s implosion might be even worse. The post Elio Was Supposed to be a “Queer-Coded” Child Character Until Test Audiences Rejected Disney Pixar Film appeared first on That Park Place.
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