Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter has said that LGBTQ+ plot elements were removed from the 2025 film Elio because the studio is “not [making] therapy”. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Docter addressed internal dissent over deleted scenes that implied the lead character was gay.
The comments follow a 2022 letter from Pixar’s LGBTQIA+ employees and allies, which claimed studio executives had “barred” moments of gay affection from films. The letter stated that “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest”. It came after Disney’s muted response to Florida’s “don’t say gay” legislation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Elio’s deleted scenes – inspired by co-director Adrian Molina’s childhood – included a pink bicycle and a scene where Elio “imagined raising a child with his male crush”. They were removed after test screenings suggested audiences were not excited enough to pay to see it. Molina left the film and was replaced by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. Elio went on to become Pixar’s worst ever box office flop, losing more than $100m.
Docter, who directed Monsters Inc, Up and Inside Out, said Pixar would focus on more commercially appealing films after a series of “autobiographical” failures. He noted: “As time’s gone on, I realised my job is to make sure the films appeal to everybody.”
