So, what's the dealio with Elio?
Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar's upcoming movie schedule includes lots of sequels, like Zootopia/Zootropolis 2, Frozen 3, Toy Story 5, and Incredibles 3, but what about their original flicks? Well, they have a few titles lined up, and Elio — a new sci-fi comedy which will take us on an extraterrestrial trip — is up next.
After Lightyear disappointed at the box office in 2022, a follow-up was instantly scrapped. But that didn't mean Pixar would stay away from new sci-fi projects, since they've been huge for Disney in the past. In fact, many moviegoers and animation fans would argue that WALL-E remains Pixar's finest work so far. Will Elio be able to truly rocket up the charts after the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake brings the aliens to Earth?
Here’s everything we know so far about Elio, Pixar’s next animated flick.
What is the release date for Elio?
Elio will be shown exclusively in cinemas on June 20, 2025. Despite a few pandemic-era stumbles, Disney and Pixar are doubling down on theatrical releases as an answer to dwindling interest in streaming shows and movies. Elio will undoubtedly turn up on Disney+ for streaming fans later in the year too, though.
This strong summer 2025 position was established after a year-long delay that was announced in October 2023, plus a far smaller release date bump revealed a few months ago. Elio was originally scheduled to release on March 1, 2024.
According to Pixar creative honcho Pete Docter, the huge delay happened due to both the SAG-AFTRA strike as well as changes in leadership on a number of Pixar projects.
What is the plot of Elio?
Pixar’s new movie follows an 11-year-old kid named Elio Solis, an underdog who becomes the intergalactic ambassador of Earth by accident.
The official synopsis shared by Disney confirmed that the story directly deals with mankind's search for intelligent alien life. Excitedly, contact happens, but a mistake puts the spotlight on little Elio. He's quickly beamed up and asked by the 'Communiverse,' an "interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide," to represent planet Earth as a whole. Of course, a kid is totally unprepared for such a task, but could he be the key to saving us?
While the first trailer focused on the start of it all and how Elio reacts to the aliens and their questions and demands, we could infer from other shots and small moments that his adventure might be quite classical in its structure, potentially drawing inspiration from other Disney sci-fi romps such as Lilo & Stitch?
Recent trailers have revealed more of the movie’s dramatic core, and it looks like Elio will feature a blend of action-heavy beats and comedy as Elio and the aliens try to prevent (or cause) a major incident on Earth. We're excited to see a comedic take on the classic alien invasion movie formula, as hits like the Men in Black series and Mars Attacks have proved it can work.
Elio Trailers
Elio’s first teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2023, and, as a first look, it's kind of perfect; it doesn't unveil plot beats past act one, and it only gives you a taste of the characters to come. You can watch it below:
Fast-forward to November 21, 2024 — after the aforementioned major delay — and Disney and Pixar basically pretended nothing had happened, restarting the marketing campaign with another teaser trailer that was far more transparent. Watch it here:
Last but not least, we got an extensive look at the movie with the main official trailer on March 19, 2025. This one is heavier on spoilers and plot beats, so those already sold on the premise may want to skip it. If you don’t care and just want to see more, check it out here:
Which actors are in Elio?
The full voice cast for Elio hasn't been 100% confirmed yet, but we do know about these four names already attached to it:
- Yonas Kibreab (Sweet Tooth) as Elio Solis, the kid mistakenly identified as our ambassador.
- Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) as Ambassador Questa, an elegant, pink alien politician.
- Brad Garrett (Tangled) as Ambassador Grigon, the bulky, four-legged alien seen in the trailer.
- Zoe Saldaña (Avatar) as Olga Solis, Elio's aunt.
- Shirley Henderson (The Mandalorian) as Ooooo, a liquid supercomputer.
- Remy Edgerly (Sing 2) as Glordon, a slug-like young alien.
It must be noted that the character of Olga Solis was originally voiced by America Ferrera (Barbie), who was announced as part of the voice cast back in 2022. She stepped down due to scheduling conflicts following the movie's delay and creative shake-up, which included making Olga the main character's aunt instead of his mother.
Elio directors, writers, & crew
Elio's directing team consists of Domee Shi (Turning Red), Madeline Sharafian (Burrow), and Adrian Molina (Coco). The script was written by Molina, though extensive rewrites that seemingly happened after the delay have yet to be credited.
Molina was initially announced as the sole director of Elio, which would've marked his feature-length solo directorial debut after co-helming Coco alongside Lee Unkrich. We didn't learn until June 12, 2024, that Turning Red's Domee Shi was working on Elio too. She was later confirmed as the new director, alongside Sharafian, at the D23 event (the ultimate Disney fan event), which took place on August 9-11. Molina left Elio to start work on a new project (now confirmed to be Coco 2) and will reportedly get a credit in the final movie as co-director. Rob Simonsen (Deadpool & Wolverine) worked on the original soundtrack.
Elio is just one of the many upcoming sci-fi movies arriving this year. So, while you're preparing for its launch, why not check out some of the best animated space movies for kids in the meantime.
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