In a shocking turn of events, just a year after releasing the highest-grossing American animated feature ever, Pixar has faced a colossal setback with its latest film, ‘Elio.’ This new release has set the record for the studio's biggest financial disaster, with projected opening weekend earnings of just $22 million, a staggering low in Pixar’s history.

A Disheartening Comparison to Toy Story

To put this in perspective, Pixar's former lowest opener was the beloved original ‘Toy Story,’ which made $29.1 million during its debut weekend—though it had an advantage, opening on a Wednesday and raking in $9.9 million before the weekend. Additionally, ‘Toy Story’ debuted in 1995 when ticket prices were vastly lower, meaning that, adjusted for inflation, that figure would equate to about $60.9 million today. By modern standards, ‘Elio’ is in a league of its own when it comes to dismal performance.

Elemental: A Silver Lining?

The lowest recent figure prior to this was $29.6 million for ‘Elemental,’ which ultimately surprised audiences by grossing over $154 million due to strong word-of-mouth. Should ‘Elio’ find similar traction, it might just scrape past the $100 million mark, though it has a long way to go to recoup its estimated $150 million production budget.

Behind the Scenes Turmoil

Disney's lack of substantial promotional effort for ‘Elio’ hints at foresight regarding its potential underperformance. The film’s troubled production history reflects frequent behind-the-scenes changes—original director Adrian Molina was replaced with Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi early in 2024. Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter mentioned that the new directors facilitated a deeper connection between the audience and the characters, though it's hard not to wonder how these changes impacted the film’s final cut.

A Call for Original Animation

As a passionate advocate for original animation, I hope for better box office outcomes for unique projects to counter the prevailing sentiment in Hollywood that creating original animated features is increasingly difficult. The truth is that studios still produce very few non-IP original animations, and those that do often seem disconnected from mainstream culture.

The Evolution of Pixar’s Storytelling

In its golden age, Pixar masterfully crafted stories that resonated with both kids and adults, avoiding the over-reliance on child leads—their early films smartly contained themes engaging for all ages. Sadly, as times have changed, many of those storytelling principles seem lost amid a newer focus that predominantly centers on children and teens in confusion and self-doubt. The promotional material for ‘Elio’ echoes this shift, depicting a chaotic blend of ambiguous characters and heavy-handed themes that feel more like a chore than an exhilarating cinematic adventure.

With ‘Elio,’ Pixar stands at a crossroads. Will it reclaim its foothold in the world of animated storytelling, or continue down a path fraught with uncertainty? Only time will tell.