Latest news with #Elio
CBC
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Did 'bean mouth' really kill Pixar's Elio at the box office?
Social Sharing Why did Pixar's Elio put up the worst numbers in the studio's history in its opening weekend? The reasons professionals give for the sci-fi family movie's paltry $35 million US global box-office earning vary. But if you ask the internet, there's a far simpler issue at play. "Nobody wants the bean mouth style of character design," wrote one reader when commenting on a post-mortem of Elio 's bombing by the website Cartoon Brew. "It feels lazy, overused, and unoriginal." "The 3D CalArts 'bean mouth' style also just put a lot of people off," read a post on a Reddit thread about Elio 's failure. "Doesn't matter how good the story is, many people hate that animation style." The bean-mouth criticism is an opinion about Elio that's echoed across virtually every platform that allows comments: a one-to-one connection between character design and the audience's decision to stay home. More than that, it's become synonymous with an almost vitriolic hatred for a particular and supposedly ubiquitous art style. Animation journalist John Maher calls it a "pejorative and insult" that far outstrips the style's reach and misunderstands its origin. "It is a reflexive internet criticism," said Maher, the news director for Publishers Weekly. "People found a term that was snappy and catchy and easy to use. And so they hung onto it." Where bean mouth began The terms "CalArts style," "bean mouth" and "thin-line animation," all have different origins and meanings, but they all generally refer to a drawing technique exemplified by thin line-work, simplified features and bean-shaped mouths and heads. When it comes to how the "CalArts style" name came to be — Maher and others often point to Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi. Starting in the early 2000s, Kricfalusi wrote blog posts criticizing a particular style of art and derivative mentality he believed came out of the California Institute of the Arts — an influential arts and animation school founded by Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, in 1961. His criticisms were pointedly about the style championed by Disney, then copied to diminishing returns — including in movies like Treasure Planet and The Iron Giant. Though the animation in those movies looks nothing like what most people today think of as the CalArts style, the name stuck. And as many graduates of the school became associated with shows and movies that shared a similar bean-mouth design — including Elio, which has a pair of CalArts alumni listed as directors — the two names came to describe a common gripe. "That phrase has become a shorthand for a more fair criticism. Which frankly is: 'Animation as innovation rather than animation as imitation,' " Maher said. "But to call it all CalArts is just so silly and reductive and inaccurate — just fundamentally inaccurate." When asked if CalArts teaches the style, or even observes it in common use among students, Maija Burnett, the school's director of the Character Animation Program, says that's not the case. "Luckily, I can definitely dispel that," she said. "The results of the work from our program is extremely diverse. And so I do not think it typifies what comes from our programs at all." She also says it's unlikely that Pixar chose that animation style because it's cheaper, noting that the studio does most of its animation in-house, developed over years through huge teams, so they wouldn't need to default to any particular style an outside studio would find easier to work with. It's hard to say how pervasive the style is among Pixar movies. Typically only Luca, Turning Red and Elio have received the "bean-mouth" criticism. But Burnett says what people are likely identifying is an intentional technique studios employ. "Often, we can kind of tell like, 'Oh, yeah that seems like it's coming from Sony,' " she said, noting it's natural that Pixar would have a recognizable style because it's important to them both as a brand and as a studio. She says there's also likely a reason certain elements of the style are more widely used today. TV series, for example, often rely on animation techniques that work with contemporary technologies — such as the 1920s "rubber-hose" style of Felix the Cat, the "flash" animation of the early 2000s seen in Canada's 6teen, or the simplified "limited animation" style of Hanna-Barbera, the studio behind The Flintstones that essentially birthed a movement of low-budget animation in the '60s and '70s. As animation techniques progress, Burnett says they'll likely change again to fall in line with new technologies. She also notes that every art form and industry has eras where the output shares similar characteristics: from cubist paintings, to art deco architecture, to postmodern literature. The idea that the bean-mouth style is somehow more pervasive today might be related to nostalgia, she says, noting that the CalArts style was first identified around the time that social media became popular, making it one of the first animation trends to be subject to wider internet scrutiny. Finding like minds to discuss the art you grew up with gives people something to bond over, she says, and so does being able to name and shame the style that seemingly replaced it. Other issues plaguing Elio But box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian says the look of animated movies is rarely the most important factor in ticket sales, making it unlikely that's what sank Elio. "To me, that's a non-starter," he said, pointing to the Oscar-winning film Flow — animated with the free, open-source software Blender — as an example of how story trumps animation techniques. "That, to me, is like grasping at straws to find a reason that the movie didn't do it." The more likely culprits, he says, include the movie's minimal marketing, its PG rating and a lack of franchise tie-ins. And the more competitive landscape for original stories makes the market for animated movies vastly more challenging than when Pixar's Monsters Inc. or the first three Toy Story movies premiered. Maher agrees, and says the idea that fans suddenly abandoned Pixar over an animation technique is more depressing than believable. "That has nothing to do with thinking that it's like, a lesser work of art because of the shape of the character's mouth. Give me a break," he said. "If that's really what we are condemning art for at this point — we don't like the style so we're not even going to bother to understand the substance — we're in trouble."
The Star
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'
Pixar knew that Elio (pic), an original space adventure, would most likely struggle in its first weekend at the box office. Animated movies based on original stories have become harder sells in theatres, even for the once-unstoppable Pixar. At a time when streaming services have proliferated and the broader economy is unsettled, families want assurance that spending the money for tickets will be worth it. But the turnout for Elio was worse – much worse – than even Pixar had expected. The film cost at least US$250mil to make and market. It collected an estimated US$21mil from the evening of June 19 to June 22 at theatres in North America, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data. It was Pixar's worst opening-weekend result. The previous bottom was Elemental , which arrived to US$30mil in 2023. In May, when the Elio marketing campaign began to hit high gear, Pixar and its corporate owner, Disney, had hoped that it would, in the worst-case scenario, match the Elemental number. Instead, it fell 30% short. In wide release overseas, Elio collected an additional US$14mil, on a par with the initial international results for Elemental . Quality did not appear to be a factor. Reviews for Elio were mostly positive, and ticket buyers gave the movie an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 91% positive on June 22. On June 22, Disney said it hoped a broader audience would find Elio over the coming weeks. The company pointed to Elemental , which overcame weak initial sales to ultimately collect nearly US$500mil worldwide. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Pixar's Elio Deserves More Than Its Box Office Debut
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 08: Jonas Rivera, Pixar producer, speaks onstage during Day 1 of the ... More D23 Brazil: A Disney Experience at Transamerica Expo Center on November 08, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo byfor Disney) After its release on June 20, 2025, Pixar's latest original film, Elio, opened to a modest amount at the box office. After the news broke, fans and critics alike have raised concerns about what this means for the future of Pixar, whose films have always been regarded as unique in their ability to connect with and tug at the heartstrings of their viewers. While these conversations continue off social media, it's essential to note that judging a film's profitability solely based on its opening weekend box office isn't always the most accurate formula. Scoring 84% at Rotten Tomatoes, and with Pixar being no stranger to its films experiencing a sort of slow burn at the box office, it wouldn't be outlandish to say that Elio could still be on the path to success. Stiff Competition at the Box Office ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MAY 20: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched.) (L-R) Gerard Butler, Nico ... More Parker and Mason Thames of Universal Pictures' live-action How to Train Your Dragon cast at Universal Epic Universe on May 20, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo byfor Universal Pictures) Elio, while having the luxury of being a Pixar film in its corner, debuted alongside the long-awaited live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon and the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later, which was a sequel to an already successful horror film. Pixar, as a brand, has several franchises under its belt. Still, Elio, being an original concept and not a sequel like Toy Story or The Incredibles franchises, had to compete with two films that already have built-in fan bases. Franchises offer familiarity, as people want to see what happens to the characters and story they're already familiar with, which creates a sense of longing that will otherwise guarantee sales and influence their performance at the box office. How to Train Your Dragon also benefited from concentrated campaigns across multimedia platforms. With the original film debuting nearly 15 years ago, nostalgia played a huge role in its success. On the other hand, Elio, although it had its campaigns, adopted a more subdued approach, with some fans stating that they had never even seen a trailer for it until after it had already been FRANCE - MAY 26: Vincent Lacoste, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie attend ... More the Disney and Pixar's "Elemental" Photocall during The 76th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Carlton Beach on May 26, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by) Looking back, we can see that the film that previously held Pixar's title for having the lowest opening weekend box office numbers might mean that Elio still has a chance to be a commercial success. Elemental, released in 2023, originally debuted with $29.6 million domestically. Similarly to Elio, people talked about what this meant for the future of Pixar until it went on to earn $496.4 million after it achieved success internationally. Considering that Pixar has been in this exact position before, and the fact that it happened with their last film, it wouldn't be farfetched to say that Elio might achieve the same trajectory, even if it doesn't achieve success at the international level. I don't need to delve into the economy and its impact on the average American citizen; we see, hear about, and experience it in our everyday lives. The truth of the matter is that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, especially families, have opted to wait for films that will inevitably be released on streaming services like Disney+. Pixar films like Soul, Turning Red, and Luca all debuted on Disney+, which showed families that theaters and waiting for films to have physical releases were no longer the only options for watching movies they anticipated. With transportation costs, tickets for parents and children, and added concessions, families realize it's cheaper to stream a film on a service they're already paying for than to plan an entire outing to see a movie that could easily cost $70 or more. Even films like Disney's Encanto found much of it's success after it's virality from hit songs like 'We don't talk about Bruno' and 'Surface Pressure,' with the latter gaining traction because of streaming, proving that impact doesn't just exist in the theater. While I prefer original IPs, the average consumer is meticulous when deciding where to spend their hard-earned money. Today, every dollar needs to be accounted for, and some would choose the familiarity of franchises, something that they know they can trust, over something original that they can't guarantee will need to be prioritized. Still, despite Elio experiencing an underwhelming opening at the box office, we've seen Pixar come out on top time and time again. Expectations for movie theaters have changed over the last five years, and studio executives are aware of this. With a high score from critics for its original story, Elio might be playing the long game for success, but that wouldn't be anything Pixar isn't prepared for if films like Elemental serve as any indication. So often, critics expect films to be successful overnight. Still, in this current market, it might be safer to let films, especially those with original concepts and stories, grow into their success organically. We need to be patient.
Business Insider
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
What's working and failing at movie theaters this year, from 'Sinners' to 'Snow White'
Hollywood studios are rebounding, thanks to "A Minecraft Movie," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Sinners." Box-office analysts shared their biggest takeaways from the year so far. Originality still works, for adult movies at least, and horror is outshining superheroes. The movie business is back — kind of. So far, 2025 has been a relatively strong year for film studios. Through last weekend, the US box office was up 18.1% compared to the same period last year, according to Comscore. That's despite a rocky first quarter in which the domestic box office sank 12% compared to 2024. "It feels like the good old days," film critic Scott Mantz said. Still, the US box office is set to fall far short of the glory days of the late 2010s, when Star Wars and Marvel were firing on all cylinders. Business Insider asked three box-office analysts and movie pundits about their top takeaways from the first half of 2025, and what lessons movie moguls should learn from what's working in theaters. They pointed to trends like superhero fatigue and the strength of horror, and noted that the breakout success of "Sinners" showed original movies can be blockbusters. 1. Originality is alive and well Although live-action remakes are a hot trend, audiences still crave fresh ideas. "Original stories are starting to rally now," box-office analyst David A. Gross told BI. "They're incredibly important, and it's good to see them connecting." This category's salvation was "Sinners," which is the biggest breakout of the year so far. The vampire movie set in Mississippi captivated viewers, raking in $364 million worldwide. It had a $90 million budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film was so buzzy that it only fell 6% in its second weekend. "The success story of the year, to me, is Ryan Coogler," Mantz said of the "Sinners" director. Word of mouth carried that movie, as well as flicks based on familiar IP, like "A Minecraft Movie" and "Lilo & Stitch," Comscore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. "Great marketing can buy you a strong opening weekend," Dergarabedian said. "But a great movie gets you long-term playability." 2. But a big swing on an original family movie just fell flat Originality hasn't worked this year for kids — at least not yet. Pixar's "Elio" just had the worst debut in the storied studio's history, while remakes like "Lilo & Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon" were both smash hits. "We all want originality, but it doesn't always pay the bills," Dergarabedian said. While this might seem like a paradox, movie-industry analysts say it makes sense, as taking the whole family to the movies requires more effort and money. "Those family audiences are very price-sensitive, and they're also risk-averse," Dergarabedian said. "They want to know: What are they getting into?" Family-focused films are opening to $30 million in the US this year, versus $38 million last year, Gross wrote in his email newsletter this week. However, that figure for this year is still the second-best since the pandemic. "Breaking through with an original family story has become an enormous and expensive challenge," Gross wrote this week. 3. Superhero fatigue is a thing Much digital ink has been spilled about so-called "superhero fatigue," and for good reason. "Superheroes are a diminished genre compared with the pre-pandemic years," Gross told BI. "These are still important and powerful titles, but there's a lot less of this than before." There are four superhero movies on the slate in 2025. Disney's Marvel already released "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolts*" to underwhelming results, as they each grossed roughly $400 million on what THR reported were budgets of $180 million. The "Captain America" reboot didn't impress critics, who gave it a 48% Rotten Tomatoes score. And while Mantz said "Thunderbolts*" was "a good, solid movie" that critics and audiences liked, it featured lesser-known Marvel characters that didn't strike him as overly memorable. When asked about superhero fatigue, Dergarabedian simply said: "There's bad movie fatigue." Theater owners now hope Warner's "Superman" and Disney's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will save the day later this summer. 4. Horror has been anything but horrible Horror movies are scaring up huge ticket sales this year. Besides the smash hit "Sinners," Gross also mentioned the sneaky successful "Final Destination: Bloodlines," which made $280 million on a $50 million budget, according to Variety. "They're relatively inexpensive to make, and there are more titles than ever," Gross said of horror movies. Universal's "M3GAN 2.0," a sequel to the surprise hit M3GAN about a killer AI-powered doll, will look to maintain that momentum when it debuts this weekend. 5. Politics is poison — or is it? The days when actors and companies were praised for sharing their political views seem distant. "Snow White" is a masterclass in how to not promote a movie, Mantz said, calling it "a disaster of its own making." The live-action remake of the Disney classic got branded as "woke" by conservative critics. Then there were remarks by the star Rachel Zegler about the original film and the war in Gaza. "One tweet can derail a movie," Dergarabedian said. However, one analyst said politics weren't the biggest problem for "Snow White." "I don't think everybody just said, 'It's woke, let's not go,'" Gross told BI in March. "I just think it is a little bit confusing; it's cross-signals. I think a lot of it goes back to the film — the reviews are not good." 6. Big budgets, big expectations "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," the eighth installment of the iconic Tom Cruise franchise, earned strong reviews from fans and critics, who assigned it Rotten Tomatoes scores of 88% and 80%, respectively. However, "The Final Reckoning" also had a huge budget of an estimated $400 million (including marketing costs), according to THR. At that price tag, Dergarabedian believes theatrical profitability could be an uphill battle for the newest "Mission: Impossible" movie, considering that it has made just under $550 million a month after its debut — without accounting for theater owners' cut. Apple's big-budget "F1" movie will face a similarly tough road to profitability when it hits theaters this weekend. While Dergarabedian doesn't know the details of the studio-theater split for "The Final Reckoning," he said the film made 70% of its money overseas, which is a promising sign. "This is in no way a flop," Dergarabedian said of Cruise's latest film. "To me, a flop is a movie that is both unprofitable and is not a good movie." There are also other ways for "The Final Reckoning" to generate money, like on-demand rentals and leading viewers to Paramount+. "It's more about what having this film in theaters means long term for the studio," Dergarabedian said. "It's chess — it ain't checkers."
Chicago Tribune
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Morton Grove optometrist points to patch-wearing ‘Elio' in the Disney/Pixar movie to focus on kids' eye health
The new Disney/Pixar film 'Elio'— where the youthful title character dons a bright blue eyepatch — has presented a ripe opportunity for a Morton Groove optometry professor and blindness prevention advocate to call attention to children's eye health. In the animated film, which debuted in theaters June 20 and took third place at the box office with its $21 million opening, Elio is a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. But he also wears a protective patch after being accidentally poked in the eye. Morton Grove resident Sandra Block, doctor of optometry, said she appreciates the fact that the film calls attention to eye challenges that children could face. 'The good thing is it's highlighting that vision is important in daily life,' Block told Pioneer Press. 'People don't think of vision as a problem. This might bring it to the forefront.' And for kids who may need an eyepatch but refuse to wear it, seeing this fun movie character could help take away the stigma. Block, who is professor emeritus at the Illinois College of Optometry, president of the World Council of Optometry and emeritus member of the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors, shared her knowledge of eye issues that children can face. Among them, Block reported that between 2% and 4% of children are diagnosed with amblyopia, more commonly known as lazy eye. 'Many types of amblyopia are not very visible,' Block said. She said the ones that are obvious can be recognized either when the child is in preschool or by the parent when their child is between 3 and 5 years old, although a large number of them are identified between the ages of birth and 12 months. Block said some kids with amblyopia are frequently told to wear an eyepatch. They wear it over the healthier eye in an attempt 'to get the 'lazy' eye to start to use vision more — forcing it to be used when it hasn't been used for some time,' Block said. The doctor noted that some children refuse to wear the eyepatch. But families can draw inspiration from Elio, who is mistakenly identified as Earth's leader and finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms — wearing a blue eyepatch. Other issues of concern regarding children's eye health include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Block said that a lot of research is being done on these issues and some conclusions have been reached. 'We need to identify it early,' Block said. 'We need to get kids outside because the more time they spend outside the better it is. We need to educate the families and the pediatricians to know who's at risk. And try to keep the screen time down.' Perhaps Elio can be an inspiration.
