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Credit: PixarDisney allegedly forced the cancellation of a new Pixar movie.
For decades, Pixar built its reputation on bold original storytelling. Films like Toy Story (1995), Finding Nemo (2003), and Up (2009) proved that audiences would show up for unfamiliar worlds if the emotional hook was strong enough.
That formula has become harder to sustain in recent years. The studio’s newer original titles — including Soul (2020), Luca (2021), and Turning Red (2022) — were widely praised but struggled to match the cultural or box office impact of Pixar’s earlier classics (hindered in no small part by the pandemic’s impact on theatrical releases).
The uneven reception has pushed Pixar toward safer territory. Sequels now dominate the studio’s schedule, with Toy Story 5 already on the horizon and Inside Out 2 (2024) temporarily becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Even so, Pixar hasn’t completely abandoned new ideas. The studio’s recent release, Hoppers (2026), surprised many observers with strong reviews and a global box office haul exceeding $330 million, offering rare proof that audiences will still embrace original animated films.
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But behind the scenes, Pixar’s internal situation may be more complicated than it appears.
Disney Halted Pixar Project After Years of Development
Pixar has recently faced scrutiny over a scrapped feature film that insiders say was years away from completion.
According to a report, Pixar had spent roughly three years developing a movie titled Be Fri before it was abruptly canceled in late 2023. The decision stunned employees, especially given how far the project had progressed.
The film was created by director Kristen Lester, best known for the Pixar short Purl. Her story drew from personal experience, centering on two teenage girls whose friendship fractures before they discover their favorite anime-style TV show is real.
The pair would have embarked on a cosmic mission to save humanity, blending coming-of-age drama with an intergalactic adventure. Writer Blaise Hemingway and longtime Pixar editor Nicholas C. Smith were also part of the core creative team.
Former Pixar staffers say the project underwent multiple revisions after feedback from Disney leadership. By the time development ended, Be Fri had reportedly gone through four major iterations.
At one stage, the team was given just six weeks to overhaul the film. That meant compressing nearly a year of typical pre-production work — including storyboarding and narrative restructuring — into an intense stretch of nonstop work.
Even after the overhaul, the project reportedly failed to secure Disney’s approval.
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One former employee claimed executives doubted the story’s broad appeal, believing young male viewers might struggle to connect with a film centered on two girls.
“It was on Hoppers’ level,” the source told The Hollywood Reporter. “It befuddles me why they passed on it, but with each round of notes, 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.'”
The source described the cancellation as devastating internally. Pixar employees reportedly held an informal memorial for the project, leaving behind artwork and notes honoring the film that never made it to production.
Ironically, the film’s themes have been compared to KPop Demon Hunters, which beat Pixar for an Academy Award earlier this year.
The decision to axe Be Fri arrived during a tense period for the studio. Around the same time, Pixar was also reworking Elio (2025) and facing backlash tied to the box office disappointment of Lightyear (2022).
Some former employees say leadership has grown cautious about projects that could attract controversy or appear risky from a marketing perspective.
Despite the internal turbulence, Pixar’s slate continues to move forward. Toy Story 5 arrives in theaters this summer, and original projects like Gatto remain in development.
A History of Tension Between Disney and Pixar
Tensions between Disney and Pixar date back long before Disney purchased the animation studio. During the early 2000s, Pixar CEO Steve Jobs clashed repeatedly with then-Disney chief Michael Eisner over control of their partnership. Pixar produced the films, but Disney retained distribution rights and significant authority over sequels and characters, leaving Jobs frustrated with what he saw as limited creative control.
The relationship deteriorated so badly that Jobs publicly announced in 2004 that Pixar would seek a new distribution partner once its contract expired. Disney even began developing sequels to Pixar films without Pixar’s involvement through a separate studio, further inflaming tensions. Relations only improved after Bob Iger replaced Eisner in 2005 and moved to repair the partnership, eventually leading to Disney’s $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar in 2006.
More recently, tensions resurfaced during the pandemic when Disney diverted several Pixar films straight to Disney+. Soul, Luca, and Turning Red all skipped traditional theatrical runs in favor of streaming premieres. Pixar employees reportedly felt the move undermined the studio’s work and conditioned audiences to expect its original films at home rather than in theaters.
Do you think Disney made a mistake axing Be Fri?