A few years ago, Pixar has been going through some internal crises so intense that they eventually spilled over into the public eye. Beyond the box office affected by the pandemic, the “rejection” of original projects led the studio to focus its efforts mostly on sequels, such as
Inside Out 2
and the coming ones
Long live 2
,
The Incredibles 3
e
Toy Story 5
.
It is precisely for this reason that seeing Elio arriving in theaters, with a touching story full of what built the company’s emotional empire, represented a relief for fans of the film industry. However, some past problems have resurfaced this week. According to sources
The Hollywood Reporter
, the film that hit the big screen is very different from its original conception.
It is known that several changes were made to embrace a more playful tone in the plot, but it has become public knowledge that the protagonist would be a queer character, something that would reflect the creator’s identity.
Adrian Molina
, original project director – later replaced by
Madeline Sharafian
e
Domee Shi
These sources state that, although it was not a film about the boy coming out of the closet, it would include elements that would bring him into that sphere.
He would have passions for environmentalism and fashion, as well as have a poster of something
crush
in her room. However, executives requested that the character become male and his preferences be changed. With demands for changes from the top and a test screening that, although well-received by the audience, did not guarantee a theatrical release, the director left the film.
I was deeply sad and hurt by the changes that were made,” said Sarah Ligatich, former assistant editor at Pixar and member of the company’s internal LGBTQ+ group, PixPRIDE. “The exodus of talent following this version was truly indicative of how many people were unhappy that they had altered and destroyed this beautiful work.
“It became quite clear during the production of the film’s first version that [studio executives] were constantly changing those moments in the movie that alluded to Elio’s queer sexuality,” said another source who preferred not to be identified.
“The Elio that is now in theaters is much worse than Adrian’s original best version.” Another former Pixar employee who worked on the movie added: “[The character] Elio was so cute, so fun, and had so much personality, and now he seems much more generic,” noted another former employee.
At this rate of reworking, Pixar’s leaders seem to keep setting other standards for the studio’s upcoming films. In addition to banning relevant queer characters, environmental messages must be softened, and marital problems cannot exist in these stories. “They told a director: ‘You can’t have divorce in this movie,’ which is really crazy,” another source commented.
These testimonies echo the open letter written by Pixar employees in 2023, when professionals were fighting against a bill that directly affected the LGBTQIAPN+ population and how the company became involved in this political battle by vetoing queer characters in its stories.
Elio continues to play in theaters.
Read the article at radarsantri.com
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