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5h ago

Pixar Criticized for Removing Queer and Latinx Representation After Elio’s Record-Low Debut

Staff disclosures of content cuts for queer and Latinx themes follow the film’s $20.8 million debut, raising questions about Pixar’s creative direction.

Elio, voiced by Yonas Kibreab, in a scene from “Elio.”
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Overview

  • Multiple Pixar employees reported that leadership excised queer-coded scenes, including an intergalactic fashion show and a same-sex crush subplot, from Elio’s final cut.
  • Original director Adrian Molina left the project after screening his version and was replaced by Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, and actress America Ferrera exited over reduced Latinx leadership representation.
  • Elio’s $20.8 million domestic opening weekend stands as the weakest in Pixar’s history, prompting intensified scrutiny of studio decision-making.
  • Sarah Ligatich and other members of Pixar’s internal LGBTQ group PixPRIDE said they were deeply saddened and aggrieved by the removal of LGBTQ elements.
  • The backlash follows similar controversies over queer content edits in Lightyear and Onward and may drive reevaluation of Pixar’s future storytelling strategies.