Pixar boss explains why Elio was stripped of LGBTQ+ themes

Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter has revealed the real reasoning behind the 2025 film Elio being stripped of LGBTQ+ themes.

The decision came after Adrian Molina, the original director at Disney Pixar, left the production team due to subtle queer-coded elements being removed, following feedback from Docter.

Docter has now spoken out, after Elio was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

“We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy” – Pete Docter on stripping Elio of its LGBTQ+ themes

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Docter explained that Pixar did not want their film to ignite conversations between parents and their children regarding sexuality.

“We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy,” he said. Directors Madeline Sharafian and later Domee Shi took over and reworked the film.

Elio was seen by critics as a huge box office disappointment, grossing only around $154 million worldwide.

“If we’re going to just crank crap out, let’s shut the doors” – Docter on Pixar budget

“If we’re going to just crank crap out, let’s shut the doors,” Docter said. “I’d rather die trying to make something that we genuinely believe in.”

Elio’s love of fashion, his “trash-ion show” pink tank top, and the decor in his bedroom hinting at a same-gender crush were some of the character developments removed.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the team who worked on production were saddened by the removal of LGBTQ+ themes.

“Elio just becomes about totally nothing” – an anonymous Pixar artist on the stripped LGBTQ+ themes in Elio

An anonymous former Pixar artist told the outlet: “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.”

“Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about identity, and Elio just becomes about totally nothing,” said the artist.

Despite over 40 nominations at the 2026 award season, Elio did not win in any major categories.