Elio is an upcoming American computer-animated science-fiction adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Written and directed by Adrian Molina (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Mary Alice Drumm, and executive produced by Pete Docter, it stars Yonas Kibreab, America Ferrera, Jameela Jamil, and Brad Garrett. The overall 28th feature film produced by the studio, the story follows an eleven-year-old boy named Elio Solis (Kibreab) who accidentally becomes the intergalactic Ambassador of planet Earth after being beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens for making contact. Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms and survive a series of formidable trials.

Elio is Pixar's third animated film to tackle the science-fiction genre, following WALL-E (2008) and Lightyear (2022). The film was officially announced at the D23 Expo in September 2022, with Molina and Drumm already attached to the project, while casting was revealed.

Elio is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 1, 2024 in the United States.

Premise

Voice cast
 Yonas Kibreab as Elio Solis, a one-eyed eleven-year-old boy who accidentally becomes the ambassador of Earth by making contact with aliens in the Communiverse.
 America Ferrera as Major Olga Solis, Elio's mother who runs a top-secret military project.
 Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, an alien who is one of the ambassadors of the countless planets.
 Brad Garrett as Ambassador Grigon, a bulky alien who is one of the ambassadors of the countless planets.

Production

Development
On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Pixar announced a new film titled Elio, with Adrian Molina writing and directing and Mary Alice Drumm producing. It marks Molina's feature-length directorial debut after he co-directed Coco (2017), which he also co-wrote. At the same time, Molina and Drumm talked about the film by helping pose the question, "What if I told you we're not alone in the universe, and everything you've ever heard about aliens is true?" Shortly after, the announcement came with a planned screen glitch and a message with alien text saying, "Bring us to your leader."

Casting
On September 9, 2022, during the D23 Expo, America Ferrera and Yonas Kibreab were announced to have been cast in the leading voice roles of Olga Solis and her son Elio, respectively.

On June 13, 2023, with the release of the teaser trailer and poster, Jameela Jamil and Brad Garrett joined the film's voice cast.

Release
Elio is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on March 1, 2024, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Marketing

Following the project announcement, the first look concept art of the film was released on September 9, 2022. Joshua Meyer of /Film said it "sounds like the kind of fresh, original storytelling that Pixar built its brand on." A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2023, featuring "Good Feeling" by Austin French. Ethan Anderton of /Film said "Adding some charm to this story is the fact that Elio isn't exactly the most confident kid. Though he's artistic and creative, he's also more of an indoor kid who doesn't fit in with his peers. But perhaps being among a group of aliens who aren't human will allow him an opportunity to make a connection without any societal pressure. This just might be the opportunity Elio needs to come out of his shell." Pauli Poisuo of Looper says while it "obviously doesn't give too much of the story away, it certainly looks gorgeous and intriguing."

References

External links

2020s animated films
2020s children's animated films
2020s English-language films
2020s American animated films
2024 computer-animated films
2024 fantasy films
2024 directorial debut films
3D animated films
Alien abduction films
American 3D films
American children's animated science fiction films
American children's animated space adventure films
American animated science fantasy films
American science fiction adventure films
Animated films about extraterrestrial life
Animated films set in outer space
English-language films
Films about mother–son relationships
Films set on fictional planets
Pixar animated films
Walt Disney Pictures films