When Pete Docter told Deadline that his job is “to make sure the films appeal to everybody,” he was not describing creative ambition. He was describing a filter. The scene that did not make it into “Elio”—the one where the eleven-year-old protagonist imagined raising a child in the future with a male crush—reveals what “universal appeal” actually means: avoiding any market, any regulator, any country that might restrict or ban the film. “Appeal to all” is code for “appeal to censors.”
The Cut Scene Exposes the Real Meaning of Universal Appeal
According to the Wall Street Journal, as reported by Variety and Deadline, previous iterations of “Elio” included a scene depicting the title character raising a child in the future with a male romantic partner. That scene was removed. So was a pink bicycle, bedroom imagery suggesting a same-gender crush, and a “trash-ion show” fashion sequence. The Hollywood Reporter detailed how studio leaders were “constantly sanding down these moments” that alluded to Elio’s queerness. The original director, Adrian Molina—an openly gay filmmaker who had drawn on his own experience—departed. Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian took over and made the film “appeal to everybody.”
Docter’s framing to Deadline was explicit: “As time’s gone on, I realized my job is to make sure the films appeal to everybody.” He cited parents who were not ready to discuss certain topics with their children. But that justification collapses when held against Disney’s actual behavior. As MovieWeb documented, Disney modifies film content for international markets, particularly China—the world’s largest film market—cutting or substituting portions to appease government censorship requirements. LGBTQ representation is one of the first things to go. The Harvard International Review noted that Disney has been accused of being “in China’s pocket” for its content modifications. “Universal appeal” in practice means “no content that would trigger a ban in Singapore, Dubai, China, or conservative American markets.”
Deadline reported that Docter emphasized “clear mass appeal” and “a commonality of experience” over director-driven, semi-autobiographical stories. The removed scene—Elio imagining a future with a male partner and a child—is not niche. It is a universal human fantasy: growing up, finding love, building a family. The only thing that makes it “non-universal” is that some governments and some audiences refuse to see it. Disney’s solution is not to challenge that refusal. It is to cut the scene.
Appealing to Censors Is Not the Same as Appealing to Everyone
The distinction matters. A film that “appeals to everybody” would theoretically include stories that resonate across cultures and identities. A film that “appeals to censors” is one that has been stripped of anything that might offend the most restrictive gatekeepers. Disney has chosen the latter. Reuters reported that China bars media coverage of films that draw backlash; the WSJ documented how Disney and Marvel tailor content for Chinese audiences. When Docter says his job is to make films “appeal to everybody,” he is really saying his job is to make films that clear the lowest common denominator of global censorship.
The result is a hollow product. “Elio” earned $150 million worldwide against a $150 million production budget—Pixar’s lowest opening weekend ever, as The Hollywood Reporter noted. The New York Sun reported that Disney executives were finger-pointing over the “disastrous flop,” with some blaming the “erasure of queer themes” by nervous execs. The film satisfied neither audiences seeking representation nor audiences seeking a coherent story. It satisfied only the censors—and the censors do not buy tickets.
What This Actually Means
Disney’s “appeal to all” rhetoric is a euphemism. The cut scene of Elio raising a child with a male partner was not too specific, too niche, or too challenging. It was too gay for markets Disney refuses to walk away from. When Docter says his job is to make films appeal to everybody, he means his job is to make films that do not get banned. That is not the same thing. Until Disney admits that “universal” means “acceptable to censors,” the phrase will remain a lie that hollows out every story it touches.
Background
What is Elio? “Elio” is a 2025 Pixar animated film about an eleven-year-old boy named Elio Solís who is mistaken for Earth’s intergalactic ambassador. The film underwent a major creative overhaul after poor test screenings; original director Adrian Molina departed and queer-coded content was removed.
Who is Pete Docter? Pete Docter is Pixar’s chief creative officer and the director of “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul.” He told Deadline that his job is to ensure Pixar films “appeal to everybody,” a framing critics have argued masks censorship-driven cuts to LGBTQ content.
Sources
Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Gizmodo, MovieWeb, Harvard International Review, The New York Sun