Pixar Scrapped Movie for Too Much Girl Power — New Details Emerge

Every once in a while, Hollywood quietly buries a movie it was working on for years—sometimes because it just wasn’t working, other times for reasons that are... well, a little more eyebrow-raising. The latest Pixar lost project? 'Be Fri' (pronounced 'Be-Fry', and yes, it stands for “best friends”). And the reason for its cancellation, at least according to a former team member, is about as blunt (and arguably outdated) as you can imagine: apparently, it had 'too much girl power.'

Pixar Pulled the Plug on 'Be Fri'. Here’s the Backstory:

Pixar, as you probably know, is the studio behind what feels like half the animated classics on the planet – 'Finding Nemo', 'The Incredibles', 'Ratatouille', you get the picture. Most recently, they dropped 'Elio' in 2025 and 'Hoppers' just a few weeks ago. But there was this other movie, 'Be Fri': a project that had been percolating behind the scenes for years, inspired by director Kristen Lester’s real-life teenage friendship drama. The premise? Two teenage girls start to drift apart when one of them decides to save the world. Solid Pixar setup, honestly.

What Went Down? (Or: Why Didn’t We Get This Movie?)

Here’s where things get awkward. Around late 2023, Disney (Pixar's overlords, of course) watched a focus test screening of 'Be Fri'—and let’s just say, the notes weren’t exactly glowing. From what The Hollywood Reporter dug up, Disney wasn’t happy with the direction. They wanted a “major retooling.” The creative team, instead of pushing back, offered to redo the whole thing in six weeks. And they actually did it. Twice. Disney still wasn’t sold.

According to a now-anonymous former Pixar staffer:

'[Be Fri] 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."'

This is just one insider’s perspective, so take it as such. But let’s be real: it lines up with a handful of recent Pixar/Disney stories if you’ve been paying attention.

The Recent Pattern at Pixar (It’s Not Just This One Movie)

Now, it’s not like Pixar is allergic to putting girls at the center of their stories. 'Hoppers' and the upcoming 'Inside Out 2' both feature female leads. Still, the vibe inside the studio has apparently been pretty restrictive lately, especially when it comes to what stories are “allowed” to be told.

• On 'Inside Out 2', reports say Pixar execs tried to tone down Riley’s “gay” aspects.
• 'Elio' had LGBTQ themes cut before release.
• An openly transgender character was reportedly scrubbed entirely from the 2025 show 'Win or Lose'.

The finger-pointing seems to be aimed at Pete Docter, Pixar’s current CCO. One rather scathing (and also anonymous) former staffer summed it up:

'The joke around Pixar is that, for such a tall man, Pete has no spine at all.'

Like I said, plenty of inside voices, but none of it makes Pixar or Disney look particularly brave right now.

Final Thought

So, 'Be Fri' gets permanently shelved—not because it wasn’t good enough, apparently, but because studio execs worried little boys wouldn’t relate. The irony? Some of Pixar’s most beloved movies are about cars, rats, and even literal feelings. But a story about two girls as best friends? Suddenly too risky. Go figure.