be thankful Comes from director Kristen Lester, who helmed the 2019 Pixar short Pearl. For three years, he and a team of about 50 people worked on a story based on his personal experiences of losing a childhood friend. In be thankful, However, that reality turned into an adventure as two friends went their separate ways when they discovered their favorite anime shows were the same sailor Moon, It was real, and they had to travel across the galaxy as a result.
Feels good, right? And, now in 2026, it’s easy to see how a movie about young women coming together for an action-packed fantasy adventure to save the world could be a hit. especially when you realize be thankful Netflix’s biggest film to date (and winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Animated Film), Kpop demon hunter.
“Compared to kpop demon hunter “It can’t be denied that there were musical elements to it, and it was an exciting time,” a source told The Hollywood Reporter, who elaborated on the story. be thankful. “I can imagine that whoever at Disney would have denied be thankful sees existence kpop And beating ourselves up like, ‘Shit, I can’t believe Netflix is doing exactly what we wanted to do.'”
So why did Disney cancel?i am thankful? Well, again, The Hollywood Reporter’s story gets into the details. But originally, Pixar and Disney executives gave notes on the film multiple times and eventually, the filmmakers basically asked for six weeks to reshoot the entire film. “it was on hopper‘Level,'” a source told the trade about that version. ”It puzzles me why they pushed it forward, but with each round of notes, Disney didn’t feel like little boys could see themselves in the film adequately. Basically, Disney reps were like, ‘We can’t have a girl power movie.'”
Ouch. Really big ouch. Especially when you wonder what those people think inside out And inside out 2 Are? how about Brave? how about to be red? These are all films about young women with some kind of supernatural feel. Which, it certainly seems so, be thankful Was also.
However, it’s important to note that all of this happened shortly after the release of Tremendous light yearsWho was attacked by the right-wing media over a gay kiss. So it seems like Disney was even more cautious and less risk-taking at that time. However, while some like Ilio A lot of time was given to rework, be thankful Was just killed. According to the trade, Pixar employees even held a funeral of sorts for it.
While we are excited for films like toy story 5, incredibles 3And coco 2It’s sad to hear that Pixar and Disney executives abandoned what seemed like at least a good idea. Especially now, thank you kpop demon hunterWe see that there was every chance of success.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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