Pixar’s ‘Elio’ Was Originally Queer-Coded Before Being Made More Masculine by Studio Leadership Reports Say

Pixar’s latest film, Elio, has had a rocky path to the big screen, especially when it comes to its main character’s identity. Sources who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter reveal that Elio was originally a queer-coded character.

This was tied closely to the film’s first director, Adrian Molina, who is openly gay. But over time, the character was changed to be more traditionally masculine, and much of the queer representation was quietly removed.

Early footage from about two years ago showed scenes that fans and even Pixar employees loved. One memorable moment was Elio making clothes out of trash, what the team jokingly called his “trash-ion show” which included a pink tank top. There was also a scene suggesting Elio had a crush on a boy, hinted at through pictures in his bedroom. But these moments didn’t make it into the final cut.

While some hints like a cape made of trash remain, there’s no explanation or clear queer identity shown on screen.

The change came after Pixar leadership gave feedback, pushing the film away from its original queer coding. A former Pixar artist told THR, “It was pretty clear through the production of the first version of the film that [studio leaders] were constantly sanding down these moments in the film that alluded to Elio’s sexuality of being queer.”

This move frustrated many creatives working on the film. Sarah Ligatich, a former Pixar assistant editor and part of the studio’s LGBTQ group PixPRIDE, said, “I was deeply saddened and aggrieved by the changes that were made.” She also noted that some of the team left after the new directors, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, shared their cut of the movie.

Elio’s original director, Adrian Molina, eventually left the project after leadership changes and rewrites shifted the story away from his vision. Pixar confirmed Molina stepped down to work on another project, which later was revealed to be Coco 2. Sean Gunn, brother of James Gunn, joined the cast as Maxwell Lord, adding to the changes in the film’s direction and tone.

Despite the behind-the-scenes issues, Elio was released in June 2025 and received generally positive reviews. It holds an 81% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an A CinemaScore from younger audiences. Still, the movie flopped at the box office, making only $20.8 million domestically, the worst opening ever for a Pixar film.

Fans and insiders have pointed to the removal of queer themes as part of why the movie feels less special than it could have been. One former Pixar staffer said, “Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing.” Another added, “[The character] Elio was just so cute and so much fun and had so much personality, and now he feels much more generic to me.”

The troubles with Elio reflect a bigger debate inside Pixar and Disney about representation. In 2024, Pixar chief Pete Docter suggested the studio should focus on making the “most relatable films,” which some saw as moving away from stories featuring underrepresented groups. This followed backlash over Disney’s handling of LGBTQ+ themes in other projects, including Lightyear and Win or Lose.

Some insiders say the pressure to tone down queer content isn’t coming from Disney itself but from high-level Pixar executives trying to avoid risks. One artist told THR, “A lot of it is obeying-in-advance behavior, coming from the higher execs at Pixar.” They pointed to other examples where films had to soften themes, like environmentalism or family issues.

The fallout from Elio has left many Pixar creatives wondering if the studio truly supports diverse stories. One former artist expressed the frustration this way: “I’d love to ask Pete and the other Disney executives whether or not they thought the rewrite was worth it. Would they have lost this much money if they simply let Adrian tell his story?”

In the end, Elio serves as a reminder of the challenges queer stories face in big studios. The film had a chance to bring fresh representation to a wide audience but was changed into something safer and less unique. For many who worked on it, that loss still stings.

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