Pixar chief defends cutting LGBTQ themes in film, calls to focus on making good movies, not 'therapy'

Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter told The Wall Street Journal that he chose to cut some LGBTQ storytelling from a recent film because "We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy."

The Journal published an interview on Friday with Docter, noting that the studio once famous for smash hits like "Toy Story" is acknowledging it stumbled in recent years.

"I got into animation because it’s easier to draw people than talk to them," Docter said. He helped create some of Pixar’s earlier, more popular work, like "Monsters, Inc.," "Up" and "Inside Out." Recently, however, he said, "I probably overindexed on, ‘Do whatever you want.’"

According to the Journal, some current and former employees say Docter was too "conflict-averse" and let directors make autobiographical movies that did poorly at the box office.

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"As time’s gone on, I realized my job is to make sure the films appeal to everybody," he said.

The Journal noted that several recent Pixar originals during its rough patch had been inspired by their creators’ own experiences growing up.

"The first original movies Pixar made under Docter included ‘Luca,’ about a shy Italian boy who’s secretly a sea creature, and ‘Turning Red,’ about a Chinese-Canadian girl who transforms into a giant panda during puberty. Both were inspired by their directors’ experiences growing up," the Journal reported. 

In late 2023, however, Docter reportedly gathered Pixar’s staff to bluntly give them what would later be remembered as the "come to Jesus" speech, telling them they took the wrong path by making so many autobiographically inspired movies and needed more universally appealing projects.

Around that same time, Pixar’s leadership was shown a film in progress called "Be Fri," short for "Best Friends," whose story was based on its director’s experience with a platonic breakup. Docter canceled the production.

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Another recent film, "Elio," faced a reckoning of its own during production. 

"Test audiences liked the story of a lonely boy who finds friends in outer space, but said they wouldn’t pay to see it in a theater. So in 2023, Pixar ordered an overhaul, though more than half its animation was complete," the Journal reported. "When director Adrian Molina told the crew he was leaving the movie, whose title character was inspired by his childhood, people cried."

Two new directors were brought onto the project to replace Molina, and according to people who worked on it, they removed elements which suggested Elio, the main character, was gay, including a pink bicycle and a scene in which he envisioned raising a child with his male crush.

Docter noted that Pixar as a company had found that some parents did not want entertainment to spark conversations with their children they were not ready to have. "We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy," Docter said.

While the new version of "Elio" tested slightly better after such overhauls, it still went on to be a flop.

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By contrast, Pixar's latest film, "Hoppers," appears to be a step in a more positive direction, and has had glowing reviews.

Docter said he believes Pixar will remain a strong asset to Disney if it sticks to its main mission of creating great films. 

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