Just a few days before Pixar released its first film of 2023, Elemental, the studio also teased its next film, Elio. The first teaser trailer was dropped on June 13, giving viewers an in-depth look into Pixar’s out-of-this-world film. Elio isn’t slated for release until next year, but that first look was magical enough to start raising interest, especially as viewers ponder if Elio can help get Pixar and Disney computer-animated films back on track. Both Disney and Pixar’s most most recent animated feature films—Strange World and Lightyear, respectively—were rare box office flops for the studios.
Meanwhile, Pixar has also spent some time away from the big screen in recent years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio chose straight-to-streaming releases for three of its most recent films; Soul, Luca, and Turning Red all debuted on Disney+. Pixar also brought Lightyear to Disney+ just one month after its theatrical release. Elemental is one of the first films in a long time to receive an exclusive theatrical release with no current date set for streaming. Following on its heels will be Elio, which is also expected to be a theatrical release.
There’s a lot of anticipation for whether Elemental and Elio will help Pixar find its stride and prove that these animated films deserve the theatrical treatment. Additionally, there’s hope that the potential success of these releases will inspire Pixar to create more original works instead of churning out more Toy Story and Cars films after interest has already waned.
Here’s everything we know so far about the studio’s upcoming film Elio.
Elio release date
After initially announcing a tentative spring 2024 release date for Elio, Disney confirmed the film will premiere in theaters on March 1, 2024.
Elio teaser trailer
Elio‘s teaser trailer confirmed that the film will not be confined to Earth. It depicts aliens’ first contact with our planet as they reach out to Elio’s mom, who seemingly works on some top-secret project to make extraterrestrial contact. However, this historical event is interrupted when little Elio tries to video call his mom at that very moment. The aliens mistake him as the “leader” of Earth that they demanded to meet. This is when some extraordinary things start happening, like a gorgeously animated wave seemingly being frozen in time, spaceships beaming up life forms from Earth, and Elio touring the galaxies. Things quickly get messy, though, as Elio must prove to the Communeverse that he is the authentic ruler of Earth.
Elio voice cast
Leading the cast of Elio is Yonas Kibreab, who voices the eponymous protagonist. Kibreab is a young actor on the rise and is best known for his role as Finn Fox on Sweet Tooth, as well as his guest appearances on Blood Moon and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Starring opposite Kibreab is Barbie and How To Train Your Dragon star America Ferrera, who portrays Elio’s mother, Olga.
After the debut of Elio‘s first teaser trailer, Jameela Jamil and Brad Garrett were also confirmed to have joined the voice cast. Their exact roles haven’t been unveiled, but it is believed they will be playing extraterrestrial ambassadors who Elio meets on his intergalactic adventure.
Elio plot
Elio follows 11-year-old Elio Solis as he gets unexpectedly swept up in a galaxy-wide adventure when he is mistaken for the ambassador of Earth. It’s not just aliens that he gets mixed up with, but an entire Communeverse, which appears to be a union of advanced species from across the universe. While it is unclear what this union wants with Earth, one of the other ambassadors does mention the planet being on “trial,” which doesn’t sound particularly good. However, Elio must handle the situation himself because to admit there’s a mistake would result in his memory being wiped.
Elio is shaping up to be a unique twist on a classic alien abduction premise. And its young protagonist appears to be the perfect new Pixar icon. He’s an eye-patch-wearing, precocious, and imaginative little boy with a big heart and even bigger determination. With strong representation and a unique sci-fi premise, it will be exciting to find out what else Elio has to offer as it draws closer to its theatrical release.
(featured image: Pixar)
