We entered the 2026 with two Pixar movies slated. The first, Hoppers, came out in March, and Toy Story 5 arrives to the 2026 movies schedule in June. Given how well Hoppers performed and how popular the Toy Story franchise remains, this year is shaping up to be a big one for the animation studio. That me all the more shocked at the newly-revealed reason why Pixar canceled one of its recent movies, as I think it had the potential to be huge as well.
Last month, it was reported that Pixar scrapped a feature called Be Fri in late 2023 that had been in development for three years. Directed by Kristen Lester, who previously helmed the 2019 Pixar short Purl, Be Fri was going to follow two teenage girls who were once best friends, but started drifting apart, only to be sent on a journey across the universe to save humanity after learning that their favorite Sailor Moon-style TV show is real. Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Blaise Hemingway wrote the script, and editor Nicholas C. Smith, who had been working at Pixar for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2024, was also attached.
So what went wrong? Accord to an unnamed former Pixar employee who spoke with THR, Be Fri kept getting notes from higher-ups at Disney and went through four iterations before being scrapped. This source recalled that Lester, Hemingway, Smith and several storyboard artists put together that final iteration in just six weeks, whereas preproduction on an animated movie usually takes a year of storyboarding. The ex-employee continued about the final Be Fri footage that was created:
Article continues belowIt was on Hoppers’ level. 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.'
That’s a curious perspective in hindsight considering that 2024’s Inside Out 2, which once again focused on Riley and her emotions, became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. The female protagonist-focused Pixar movie before that, Turning Red, also earned positive critical reception, though it was released directly to Disney+ subscription holders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ex-Pixar staffer said that the Be Fri cancelation was “devastating,” and those who worked on the project held a “funeral” for it.
A different former Pixar staffer also told THR that some employees are “disappointed that the studio seems to let concerns about public perception lead its decision-making on movies like Elio and Be Fri.” The mention of the former is referencing how its LGBTQ+ storyline was cut. This same individual said that “the joke around Pixar” is that the studio’s leadership “has no spine at all.” Oh, and if Be Fri sounds a lot like Netflix’s KPop: Demon Hunters, which took the world by storm last year, you’re not alone. The first ex-employee said:
The comparisons to KPop Demon Hunters are pretty undeniable because there were musical aspects to it, and it was a rip-roaring time. I can imagine that whoever at Disney denied Be Fri to exist looks at KPop and is kicking themselves like, ‘Shit, I can’t believe Netflix is doing exactly what we wanted to do.'
If Be Fri had been anywhere the level of quality as KPop Demon Hunters, then I’m sure it would have crushed at the box office. It makes me wonder if any of the Pixar brass were kicking themselves over canceling Be Fri after seeing KPop: Demon Hunters’ success. Alas, it doesn’t sound like this will be one of those cases where a canceled movie is later revived, as the Pixar slate is filled up until 2029. As mentioned earlier, Toy Story 5 is up next, arriving on June 19.
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