Latest news with #AdrianMolina
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Pixar staff reportedly 'deeply saddened' LGBTQ elements were cut from studio's latest film, 'Elio'
Multiple Pixar employees are reportedly very unhappy with the theatrical cut of Pixar's latest film, "Elio." According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), staff at the beloved animated film studio, which is owned by Disney, are upset that LGBTQ elements of the film were removed before its final theatrical release. "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," an anonymous artist who worked on the film told the outlet. Several Pixar staff members revealed to the outlet that "Elio" – the latest Pixar offering about a boy who is mistakenly beamed up from earth to interact with an intergalactic body of alien races – was heavily edited to be less overtly LGBTQ. "According to multiple insiders who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, Elio was initially portrayed as a queer-coded character, reflecting original director Adrian Molina's identity as an openly gay filmmaker," the piece stated. After Molina screened his cut of the film for Pixar leadership, the director exited the project. Rumors circulated that his post-screening conversation with Pixar COO Peter Docter "hurt" him. Molina was replaced by co-directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. Elements cut from the film were said to include Elio performing in his own makeshift fashion show, his love for environmentalism, as well as scenes suggesting he had a crush on another boy. As the outlet noted, "this characterization gradually faded away throughout the production process as Elio became more masculine following feedback from leadership." Despite these changes, the movie became the worst box office bomb in Pixar's history, earning only $20.8 million domestically during its opening weekend. The movie cost over $200 million to make and had been delayed for about a year, after it was initially slated for release in March 2024. Sarah Ligatich, a member of Pixar's internal LGTBQ group PixPRIDE, told The Hollywood Reporter that she was "deeply saddened and aggrieved by the changes that were made." She added that there was an "exodus of talent" after staff saw Sharafian and Domee's cut of the film, noting that the exit was "really indicative of how unhappy a lot of people were that they had changed and destroyed this beautiful work." The anonymous artist characterized the changes to the film, telling THR, "Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing. The Elio that is in theaters right now is far worse than Adrian's best version of the original." Reports of "Elio" having its LGBTQ themes sanded down follow Pixar courting controversy for LGBTQ themes in its other films. Pixar's 2022 film "Lightyear" featured a same-sex kiss that was reportedly removed and then reinstated for the film's theatrical version. Pixar's 2020 film "Onward" features a female cyclops character who mentions her girlfriend at one point in the film. The anonymous Pixar artist called out company executives for the cuts to "Elio," saying, "I'd love to ask Pete and the other Disney executives whether they thought the rewrite was worth it. Would they have lost this much money if they simply let Adrian [Molina] tell his story?" Docter, Pixar and Disney did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Report: ‘Elio' Was Pixar's Latest Victim of Cuts to Erase a Queer Storyline
A new report from The Hollywood Reporter alleges that Elio, Pixar's latest movie, has become the latest in a growing line at the studio to face radical cuts and changes from senior management—including, yet again, the erasure of a queer narrative. The report revealed that Elio had a fraught behind-the-scenes production, that saw much of original director Adrian Molina's (Coco) vision undergo significant restructuring to become the film that is in theaters now. The disappointing alterations of the final product were major; insiders who saw original cuts shared that it distanced itself from representing Elio 'as a queer-coded character, reflecting original director Adrian Molina's identity as an openly gay filmmaker.' Molina didn't intend the film to be about Elio coming out, purportedly, but the framing of the character as being queer was slowly cut back in the production process, after feedback from Pixar leadership pushed the Elio team to present the character in a more masculine manner. The erasure went as far as taking away 'direct examples of his passion for environmentalism and fashion,' according to THR, cutting whole sequences in the process—including imagery in Elio's bedroom that would've implied that he harbored male crushes. The topics of environmentalism and LGBTQIA+ representation have been downplayed in media due to the conservative political climate of the Trump administration, where perceived affiliations within these communities and social-change groups have been met with emboldened bigotry and dangerous rhetoric. But this wouldn't be the first time Pixar and Disney have pushed to remove queer elements from the studio's work. During the broad backlash to Disney's initial stance on the 'Don't Say Gay' Florida legislative bill in 2022, Pixar employees lambasted Disney, alleging in a statement that 'Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney's behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.' A same-sex kiss in the then-upcoming Toy Story spinoff Lightyear was restored to the film after being initially cut as part of the backlash. Last year, it was confirmed that Disney asked Pixar to edit a storyline in its Disney+ animated series Win or Lose that would've revolved around a transgender youth participating on the co-ed softball team at the heart of the series. The character remained in the final show, but with all mentions of their gender identity erased. Disney and Pixar bowing to avoid stirring the pot is making things worse for marginalized communities seeking to be represented authentically, and has already caused internal strife at Disney, as the studio openly made moves to comply with the Trump administration's executive orders targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives earlier this year. To make matters more disheartening in Elio's case, the Hollywood Reporter cited a test screening in Arizona, as what could have prompted Molina's initial exit from the film. A source with knowledge about this test screening told the trade that the studio received feedback from the audience that while they had enjoyed what they had seen, they would not be inclined to go out and see the movie in theaters, raising concerns about the film's direction (and not out of line with Pixar's broader struggles to launch new franchises in a post-pandemic and streaming world). Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian were ultimately enlisted to rework the film. Initially Molina stayed on as co-director with Sharafian, but eventually Turning Red's Shi stepped in to replace Molina, entirely, who's stepping back from the project was publicly framed as being related to his commitment to Coco 2 alongside Lee Unkrich. With Molina's departure, America Ferrera, who was set to voice Elio's mother Olga, too, with sources speaking to THR claiming that a combination of frustration at Molina's exit leaving a lack of Latinx representation in the film's creative management, and frequent re-recording of dialogue to accommodate cuts and changes to the film, led to her decision. In the final film, Olga became Elio's aunt rather than his mother, now played by Zoe Saldana. Pixar, once known for approaching deeply moving and often challenging aspects of life with artistic nuance—take, for instance, loss in Up or environmentalism in Wall-E—has seemingly begun to cull its stories of thought-provoking tools that make the medium of animation and its audiences better and more inclusive. Another insider source shared that even the topics of environmentalism and divorce in the upcoming feature Hoppers were points of contention, suggesting that a broader move to conservative appeasement was simply an inevitable aspect of the studio's future. 'A lot of people like to blame Disney, but the call is coming from inside the house,' an anonymous Pixar artist told THR. 'A lot of it is obeying-in-advance behavior, coming from the higher execs at Pixar.' Whether or not this trend will continue beyond the current administration remains to be seen–but it's still a shame that such an ugly course is being taken by Pixar and Disney at all, in a moment in history that will not be forgotten by those most affected or their allies. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Catastrophic': The power struggle behind Disney Pixar's disastrous box office bomb, Elio
A secret battle behind the scenes at Disney Pixar has been revealed for the first time after the company suffered its biggest ever movie bomb following the release of Elio last month. After numerous delays behind the scenes, the animated film hit cinemas in June where it grossed a disastrous $20.8 million in the US, the lowest opening frame at the box office in Pixar's history by a large margin. To make matters worse, the film reportedly cost upwards of $200m to produce. Now it's come to light that the movie released in cinemas is vastly different to the film that was originally screened for Pixar executives by the movie's original director, Adrian Molina. In the original cut of the movie, Elio, 11, was seen to be passionate about fashion and environmentalism, with numerous scenes detailing his flare for hobbies not traditionally seen as masculine. It's reported that there was also a scene in Elio's bedroom with pictures that alluded to him having a male crush. However, all of these were removed after Pixar bosses reportedly pushed for the character to be more 'masculine'. The nightmare began in 2022, when then-director Adrian Molina screened his cut of the movie to test audiences. While many complimented the film's content, Pixar heads became nervous when 'no one' put their hand up when asked if they would see it in cinemas. Molina eventually stepped down and two new directors were hired to change the direction of the then almost entirely complete movie. '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,' an anonymous Pixar employee told Hollywood Reporter. 'I was deeply saddened and aggrieved by the changes that were made,' former Pixar assistant editor Sarah Ligatich, who provided feedback during Elio's production as a member of the company's internal LGBTQ group PixPRIDE, told the publication. Ms Ligatich said that a number of creatives working on the film stepped down after the new directors shared their first revised cut of the movie. 'The exodus of talent after that cut was really indicative of how unhappy a lot of people were that they had changed and destroyed this beautiful work.' 'Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing,' added a former Pixar artist quoted in the same article. 'The Elio that is in theatres right now is far worse than Adrian's best version of the original. '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?' According to Hollywood Reporter, tensions within Pixar have only increased in recent years following a string of disappointing commercial releases. The once bulletproof studio has been forced to rely on sequels to well-known films after their original stories began to loose steam at the box office.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why ‘Elio' sank at the box office — and why it could take a cue from ‘Elemental' and rise again
Alas, poor Elio — we knew you... kind of. Pixar's latest original animated feature failed to soar to galactic box-office heights during its opening weekend, instead falling back to Earth with the lowest bow in the studio's history. The sci-fi family comedy barely cleared the $20 million hurdle, landing at $21 million behind the $30 million posted by Danny Boyle's zombie picture 28 Years Later and the $37 million nabbed by last week's repeat champ, How to Train Your Dragon. More from GoldDerby Inside the music scene at 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon': From breakout discoveries to global superstars 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon' unveils Season 3 trailer, premiere date, and more of today's top stories What you need to remember about 'Ironheart' before the Marvel series premiere Elio's ill fortune wasn't entirely unexpected; the film was originally slated to open last summer, but got the boot to 2025 in favor of Inside Out 2, which became the highest-grossing movie — animated or live-action — of 2024. The delay clearly didn't result in any additional anticipation for the lushly animated feature, which follows the titular space-obsessed orphan (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) on an improbable journey to the stars. Here's what you need to know about what held Elio back — and a reminder of why the film's final chapter may not be written just yet. The idea for Elio originated with Coco co-director Adrian Molina, who modeled the story in part after his own childhood experiences as a military brat. Announced as the project's sole director in 2022, Molina ended up parting ways with his creation two years later, with Turning Red's Domee Shi taking over the director's chair instead alongside Madeline Sharafian. (Molina still receives a separate credit in the closing crawl.) In a 2024 interview with The Wrap, Pixar head Pete Docter alluded to other behind the scenes changes as a result of the change in directors. "[Domee and Madeline] have made some major discoveries on [Elio] that really helped the audience to connect and to move forward with the character into the second act." Docter also said that the studio generally avoids having two directors on one project, generally preferring to employ a main director and a co-director. "It's been tricky in this past films, but in this case, they have both such respect for each other and a great working style," he emphasized. Read: Even though Elio received largely positive reviews, some critics noted that they could see the seams in the production. "Though it took three directors... to bring the formulaic 'Elio' to life, the film plays like a mood board," wrote Robert Daniels. "It's an original concept from a studio that used to be a lot more invested in them than in sequels, and you can feel the pressure on everyone involved to recapture magic that eludes them," added Vulture's Alison Wilmore. Besides late-inning changes behind the scenes, Elio may also have fallen into the sci-fi trap that's impacted both Disney and Pixar of late. Despite successes like Wall-E and — some would argue — the Cars movies, the 2022 Toy Story sidequel Lightyear was a major miss for the latter, while the former saw some of its lowest-ever grosses for the Journey to the Center of the Earth-inspired Strange World, released that same year. It's also worth noting that the competition for family fare proved much stiffer than expected. Elio has to contend with its Mouse House rival, the live action version of Disney's Lilo & Stitch — still drawing in crowds of parents and kids five weeks after its record-setting Memorial Day opening. And then there's Universal's IRL take on How to Train Your Dragon, which is flying high with the young and young at heart. Put alongside those immediately recognizable names, Elio couldn't help but feel like the new kid in school. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection But here's the thing about being the new kid — sometimes they end up being the most popular of them all. Elio's exemplary audience scores already suggest that the moviegoers who did show up liked what they saw. And even though Lilo & Stitch and Dragon have a head start, that also means both films are further along in their theatrical life cycle. As their screen counts shrink and family audiences look for the next indoor weekend activity, Elio will be right there waiting for them. Sound unlikely? It's happened before — to Pixar, in fact. Exactly two years ago, the studio released another original tale, Elemental, into a multiplex marketplace that included The Flash, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and other I.P.-powered fare. Not surprisingly, the film struggled to find its footing and headlines proclaimed its $29.6 million opening weekend to be a "debacle." Instead of slinking out of theaters, though, Elemental hung around while other titles came and went from the marquee. As the summer went on and family fare thinned out, the film ended up with lots of new and repeat business, eventually clearing the $150 million mark in the U.S. The overseas numbers more than doubled that gross, resulting in a final tally just shy of $500 million. And just like that, the headlines went from bemoaning a "debacle" to praising a "hit." Elemental's fire continued burning on into awards season as the film picked up multiple Annie Award nominations, as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nods for Best Animated Feature. While it lost those races, it won the title of 2023's most-streamed movie premiere on Disney+ when it hit the service in the fall. Not surprisingly, rumors of a spin-off streaming series and theatrical sequel are already being discussed within the halls of Pixar. While it's too early to tell whether Elio will experience a second lift-off, the rest of July and August are notably light on animated fare beyond the latest Smurfs movie and The Bad Guys 2. If Disney keeps the film in a healthy number of theaters through September, history could very well repeat itself. It's elemental, our dear Elio. Best of GoldDerby Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') 'It almost killed me': Horror maestro Mike Flanagan looks back at career-making hits from 'Gerald's Game' to 'Hill House' to 'Life of Chuck' Click here to read the full article.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'How to Train Your Dragon' beats '28 Years Later' and 'Elio' to top the US box office on second weekend
Neither Pixar nor zombies were enough to topple "How to Train Your Dragon" from the No. 1 slot at North American box offices over the weekend. The Universal Pictures live-action remake remained the top film, bringing in $37 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, despite the sizeable new releases of "Elio" and "28 Years Later. " , according to studio estimates Sunday. "How To Train Your Dragon" has rapidly amassed $358.2 million worldwide. Six years after its last entry, the Dean DeBlois-directed "How To Train Your Dragon" has proven a potent revival of the DreamWorks Animation franchise. A sequel is already in the works for the $150 million production, which remakes the 2010 animated tale about a Viking boy and his dragon. Pixar's "Elio" had a particularly tough weekend. The Walt Disney Co. animation studio has often launched some of its biggest titles in June, including "Cars," "WALL-E" and "Toy Story 4." But "Elio," a science fiction adventure about a boy who dreams of meeting aliens, notched a modest $21 million, the lowest opening ever for Pixar. "Elio," originally set for release in early 2024, had a bumpy road to the screen. Adrian Molina - co-director of "Coco" - was replaced mid-production by Domee Shi ("Turning Red") and Madeline Sharafian. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Back at Disney's D23 conference in 2022, America Ferrera appeared to announce her role as Elio's mother, but the character doesn't even exist in the revamped film. Disney and Pixar spent at least $150 million making "Elio," which didn't fare any better internationally than it did in North America, bringing in just $14 million from 43 territories. Pixar stumbled coming out of the pandemic before stabilizing performance with 2023's "Elemental" ($496.4 million worldwide) and 2024's "Inside Out 2" ($1.7 billion), which was the company's biggest box office hit. "Elemental" was Pixar's previously lowest earning film, launching with $29.6 million. It rallied in later weeks to collect nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. The company's first movie, "Toy Story," opened with $29.1 million in 1995, or $60 when adjusted for inflation. It remains to be seen whether "Elio's" decent reviews and "A" from CinemaScore audiences can lead it to repeat "Elemental's" trajectory. With most schools on summer break, the competition for family audiences was stiff. Disney's own "Lilo & Stitch," another live-action remake, continued to pull in young moviegoers. It grossed $9.7 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its global tally to $910.3 million. . "28 Years Later" signaled the return of another, far gorier franchise. Director Danny Boyle reunited with screenwriter Alex Garland to resume their pandemic apocalypse thriller 25 years after "28 Days Later" and 18 years after its sequel, "28 Weeks Later." The Sony Pictures release opened with $30 million. That was good enough to give Boyle, the filmmaker of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting," the biggest opening weekend of his career. The film, which cost $60 million to make, jumps ahead nearly three decades from the outbreak of the so-called rage virus for a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old (Alfie Williams) venturing out of his family's protected village. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes co-star. Reviews have been good (90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) for "28 Years Later," though audience reaction (a "B" CinemaScore) is mixed. Boyle has more plans for the zombie franchise, which will next see the release of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" next year from director Nia DaCosta. "28 Years Later" added another $30 million in 59 overseas markets. After its strong start last weekend with $12 million, A24's "Materialists" held well with $5.8 million in its second weekend. The romantic drama by writer-director Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson , Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans has collected $24 million so far. Next weekend should also be a competitive one in movie theaters, with both "F1," from Apple and Warner Bros., and Universal's "Megan 2.0" launching in cinemas. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. "How to Train Your Dragon," $37 million. 2. "28 Years Later," $30 million. 3. "Elio," $21 million. 4. "Lilo & Stitch," $9.7 million. 5. "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," $6.6 million. 6. "Materialists," $5.8 million. 7. "Ballerina," $4.5 million. 8. "Karate Kid: Legends," $2.4 million. 9. "Final Destination: Bloodlines," $1.9 million. 10. "Kuberaa," $1.7 million.
