A new report reveals many of the creative changes that pushed Elio in a different direction. The latest Pixar movie is struggling at the box office, despite an A CinemaScore and an 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. After its second weekend, the film has only grossed around $42 million domestically and $72 million worldwide against a $150 million production budget.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elio‘s downfall may have started a few years ago. The film was originally directed by Adrian Molina, a co-director of 2017’s Coco, who screened the film for an audience in Arizona in 2023.

Reportedly, the crowd enjoyed the film, but no one raised their hand when asked if they would pay to see it, sending warning alerts that changes needed to be made. Elio was initially portrayed as a “Queer-coded” character, but changes were made to make him more “masculine.” A former Pixar artist told the outlet that these changes removed much of what made the film special. Read the comment below:

“Suddenly, you remove this big, key piece, which is all about idenтιтy, 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.”

What This Means For Pixar’s Elio

These Changes Led To A Loss Of Talent

During the production process, Pixar added Madeline Sharafian, who wrote and directed Pixar’s 2020 short Burrow, as a co-director. However, Molina was dissatisfied with all the changes to his original vision and decided to leave the project. Turning Red‘s Domee Shi was then added to co-direct the film with Sharafian. Meanwhile, this led to departures from the cast.

America Ferrera was initially attached to voice Olga, Elio’s mom. According to the report, she left the project shortly after the changes and was “upset that there was no longer Latinx representation in the leadership,” according to the former Pixar artist. Zoe Saldaña was brought in to replace her as Olga, now Elio’s aunt in the story.

According to the artist, many of these changes came from Pixar rather than Disney, describing it as “obeying-in-advance behavior.” He brings up another note that was given for an upcoming film, which warned filmmakers against portraying divorce in an upcoming film. While Sharafian and Shi did an admirable job with the film, it looks like Elio may have been a victim of studio interference.

Our Take On Elio’s BTS Changes

The Changes May Not Have Affected Elio’s Box Office

It’s hard to tell how these changes could have impacted Elio‘s overall quality. The film was mostly well-received by audiences and critics, so it doesn’t seem like the BTS drama impacted the film too much. Elio‘s box office results likely wouldn’t have changed, even if Molina’s original vision was maintained. Firstly, it wasn’t broadly marketed by Disney, as there wasn’t a mᴀssive campaign compared to other Pixar films.

Another issue is that audiences have been conditioned to wait for Disney films on streaming. Many likely saw the trailer and decided to wait for it on Disney+. This is a problem that isn’t just affecting Disney but the movie industry as a whole. It’s interesting to hear what this film could have been, but preserving the original vision wouldn’t have saved it.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter