While 2026 is the year of major film and TV series releases, it’s also a bummer in most cases. This can be said for major studios axing projects, and Disney happens to have done the same to a Pixar film. The reason? It’s too girly, but there’s more to it!
Disney drops Pixar film for being too girly
The Wall Street Journal reported that Pixar’s film Be Fri was cancelled by executives. The reason they stated was that it was laden with themes of ‘girl power,’ and one of the staff members behind the project revealed:
Disney just didn’t feel like little boys could see themselves in the film enough. Basically, Disney reps were like, ‘We can’t have a girl power movie.’”
They even told the magazine that the film would have been on the level of Hoppers. It is indeed contradictory to Pixar’s past achievements, where most of the stories had female leads.
But there are also additional speculations that the film reportedly had similarities with K-pop Demon Hunters. Be Fri was about the friendship breakup between Birdie and Jules. It is a devastating loss for both characters as they finally find out that their favorite Sailor Moon is real and they’re teleported into that very universe.
It is interesting how some executives made it about the girl power themes, as the staffer noted. That’s because Pixar has time and time again delivered heartrending films with impeccable storytelling.
While Inside Out explored mental health through Riley’s eyes, Brave navigated Merida’s conflicted relationship with her mother. It is based on a Scottish folk tale, though Pixar gave it a fantastical twist in a purely Disney fashion.
Then came Elementals, which happens to be one of the most underrated films by the studios. It followed the journey of Ember and her fiery family that makes way for themselves in a world of Water-Dominated Elementals.
They explore community, love, and belongingness and identity through shared experiences. It reached out and spoke to so many people out there.
This move comes as a shock to most fans who feel it’s rather bizarre. This is considering the movies Disney has produced over the decades. The fans aren’t quite happy with this statement whatsoever.
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