Pixar will always have its core franchises to lean on, such as Inside Out, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo. But what Disney really needs them to do is build new ones that create the next generation of Pixar fans. And that’s where a movie like Elio comes in, with its story of a boy’s journey into space looking as if it’s just asking for sequels.
The story is actually pretty cool and should spark the imagination of kids who check it out. Elio is a boy obsessed with aliens who hopes to be abducted by them someday. He actually gets his wish, only for the extraterrestrials to confuse him for leader of our planet and in charge of communicating with all of these representatives from other galaxies.
Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil, and Shirley Henderson lead the voice cast. The film is directed by the trio of Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina. Shi directed the critically acclaimed Turning Red back in 2022. Sharafian and Molina worked on that film, too.
Elio opens in theaters on June 20th 2025.
SYNOPSIS: For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Elio,” the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.
