Do you remember a couple of years back when Disney CEO Bob Chapek stepped in over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill? Now it’s time for Pixar to put its foot in its mouth, and just as it’s got a new (and apparently pretty good) movie in Hoppers playing in theaters.
Longtime studio alum Pete Docter spoke to the Wall Street Journal recently about a number of things, including some recent duds like Elio and Lightyear. The former had an LGBTQ storyline cut that many who worked on it argued made for a better and more complete movie than what hit theaters in 2025. According to Docter, this aspect of the film was cut because the studio didn’t want kids seeing things they weren’t prepared for or hadn’t talked about with their parents. “We’re making a movie,” he said, “not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.”
Now, it’s worth noting that over the decades, Pixar has explored topics such as, but limited to: becoming a widower, suddenly becoming a single or adoptive parent, environmental collapse, existential dread, motherhood, and job burnout. The first Incredibles has a subplot where Elastigirl thinks Mr. Incredible is having an affair, Toy Story 3 has the toys accept death by furnace, and Elemental is about interracial relationships. The last two movies Docter directed were Soul, which is about a Black man finding joy in his life again, and Inside Out—maybe the most therapy-ass movie (and series) in the studio’s entire 40-year tenure—is about messy preteen emotions that lead to its main character running away from home.
Suffice to say, Pixar specializes in playing therapist or mediator for many things parents probably wouldn’t want to chat about with their young’uns. Docter’s comment sucks, and illustrates how empathy and personhood only goes so far. But hey, enjoy Hoppers and wait to see how long before he issues an apology or clarification. I give it to Thursday.
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