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Attempting to replicate the phenomenal success of “Inside Out 2,” Pixar is following up that sensational hit with its next animated project, the delayed release of “Elio”.
This imaginative kids film has had a few stumbles out of the gate, with reshoots, rewrites, and minor cast changes that have postponed its original March 1, 2024 release slot which has now been pushed out to June 13, 2025.
Regardless of those shifts in tone and narrative focus, “Elio” now seems back on track for a Pixar summer launch that should appeal to families searching for a whirlwind outer space adventure starring a precocious boy in a sweet coming-of-age story of interstellar proportions. Check out the new teaser above and official poster below!
“A space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession, Elio’s all in for an epic undertaking when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide,” the film’s synopsis reads. “When Elio is mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, he 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.”
Directed by Madeline Sharafian (“Burrow”) and Domee Shi (“Bao” short, “Turning Red”) with contributions from Adrian Molina (co-director of “Coco”), and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (“Coco”), “Elio’s” superb vocal cast included Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO. Molina initially helmed the film by himself but was replaced by Sharafian and Shi to give the spacefaring movie a less somber tone and add more levity and fun.
“The character of Elio, and I can’t really even talk about it without giving away plot points, but I think they’ve made some major discoveries on him that really helped the audience to connect and to move forward with the character into the second act, which is, course, where all the meat happens,” Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, told TheWrap regarding the major alterations.
“I do feel like ‘Inside Out 2’ really hit because we were able to talk about anxiety in a way that really resonated with audiences. And I think the core of this film that Maddie and Domee have really found has to do with the feelings we all sensed a lot of times, that we’re in this big world full of people, but we’re alone. But we don’t have to be. And that’s really the core of the film, and it’s what makes me really excited about it, because I think it has a potential to really speak to audiences in a way that they’re going through a lot of this, as we all are in the world right now.”
Disney/Pixar’s “Elio” blasts into theaters on June 13, 2025.