Yahoo Movies What we know about Elio, Pixar's next animated adventure
The animation studio returns with a heartfelt intergalactic mix-up…
Hold on to your heartstrings because Pixar looks set to dabble with your emotions once more in Elio, an intergalactic tale of space-aged mistaken identity.
The movie marks the studio’s 29th feature film release, continuing a legacy that began with 1995’s Toy Story, and follows Inside Out 2 which debuted in June 2024.
Audiences will be able to enjoy this coming-of-age tale on the big screen when it receives a theatrical release in summer 2025 — but before that happens, what exactly do we know about Elio? Read on to discover all the key details about Pixar’s latest, including plot details, its voice cast and more…
When will Elio be released?
Elio will be released in UK cinemas on 13 June, 2025. It was delayed from its original release date of 1 March 2024 due to Hollywood strikes. As with most Disney releases, we can expect Pixar’s new one to eventually become available to stream on Disney+ although an exact home release date has yet to be revealed.
Is there a trailer for Elio?
The teaser trailer for Elio was released in November 2024, introducing us to the title character as he’s beamed up aboard a starship.
Judging by the footage, Elio looks to be as cockle-warming as it is funny, with Pixar’s beloved attention-to-detail animation style bringing a new hero out of his shell and into our hearts. Watch it below.
What happens in Elio?
By all accounts, Elio looks set to be another tearjerker from Pixar — a studio that has become pretty adept at luring water out of our eyeballs (we’re still not over Up’s opening sequence if we're being honest.)
It focuses on Elio, our young titular hero whose rather neglected family life is thrown up in the air when he’s plucked from obscurity to become Earth’s official spokesperson in an intergalactic senate.
Known as the Communiverse, this gathering of interplanetary species has mistaken Elio for Earth’s ambassador, forcing this shy underdog to find not only his own voice but the voice of all of humanity. Before his journey is through, he’ll have to befriend strange new alien lifeforms and survive a series of ominous-sounding trails, becoming a new person and an unlikely leader in the process.
The official Elio synopsis explains: “Alien-obsessed Elio discovers the answer to that question when he is transported to the Communiverse, an interplanetary paradise that is home to intelligent life from galaxies far and wide. But when he’s mistaken as Earth’s leader, he’ll have to form unexpected bonds, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and make sure he doesn’t lose the opportunity to live out his ultimate dream.”
Who is in the Elio cast?
13-year-old Yonas Kibreab takes centre stage as Elio. Kibreab may be familiar to some viewers thanks to his live-action work in shows like Sweet Tooth and Disney+’s Star Wars spin-off series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Avatar and Marvel star Zoe Saldana will play Elio’s aunt, while The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil will star as the extra-terrestrial Ambassador Questa. Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett will voice Elio’s new alien pal Ambassador Grigon.
Speaking at Disney event D23, Saldana said she “felt a real connection to the character and wanted to see a representation of how a real family works on screen.”
Ugly Betty and Barbie star America Ferrera was originally cast as Elio’s mother Olga. However, she later left the project due to scheduling conflicts.
As it stands, that’s all the details we currently have regarding Elio’s voice cast but we’re sure more names will be unveiled as the movie speeds towards its June 2025 release date.
Elio was originally due to be directed by Adrian Molina, the co-writer of Academy Award-winning Pixar hit Coco — but he left the movie in 2024 to work on another project. Molina was replaced by Turning Red filmmaker Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, who helmed the short film Burrow.
Elio will be released in UK cinemas on 13 June, 2025
