Disney loves an unlikely hero. From the misfit turned cop, Judy Hopps, to the undercover solider, Mulan, to the scrawny villager turned God, Hercules, Disney’s iconic films typically feature a hero who started as a zero.
With upcoming Pixar projects like Elemental lighting up theaters this Friday, June 16, and Wish debuting on November 22, Disney unveiled an out-of-this-world addition to its portfolio. From the screenwriter, co-director, and associate producer of the beloved film Coco (2017), Adriana Molina and Mary Alice Drumm have unearthed another underdog for Disney fans to meet: Elio.
“Uh… Earth’s Leader”
The Disney and Pixar duo released exclusive first looks into Elio, the 28th film in the Pixar lineup. Voiced by Yonas Kibreab, Elio steps into an unlikely leadership role when he’s cast into what Pixar calls a “Communiverse” in outer space.
While people typically call out to the universe for answers to life’s questions, this imaginative young boy with an eye patch accidentally intercepts a peculiar call from an unknown world. In the trailer, an unlikely request disrupts multiple computer screens at a facility, saying, “Bring us your leader.”
Suddenly, wires are crossed, and an enormous alien ship abducts an unsuspecting Elio. Abruptly ending a phone call with his mother (America Ferrera), completely unaware of the abduction underway, Elo utters, “Okay, bye—I love you.”
Once aboard the spaceship, Elio is confronted with a host of eccentric alien lifeforms who hang onto his every word. After being asked by a tiny, pink alien to state the name of his “home world,” Elio nervously stammers, “Uh… Earth?”
When mistakenly identified as an intergalactic ambassador, Elio has to think on his feet, claiming to be the earth’s leader. The entire foreign planet comes to know his home planet as Uh… Earth. In addition to the nickname the aliens assign Elio’s home planet, they presume all Uh… Earth’s creatures say the phrase, “Okay, bye—I love you.”
Check out the Elio teaser trailer released by Pixar here:
The trailer wasn’t the only Elio news released into the human world. On Twitter, @DiscussingFilm shared Pixar’s dreamy galaxy depiction in its newest film:
First look at Pixar’s ‘ELIO’.
The film is directed by ‘Coco’ co-director Adrian Molina and follows a boy who is mistakenly identified as the ambassador for Earth. pic.twitter.com/1nm4cCn123
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 13, 2023
With stunning visuals, quirky quips, and the charm of Pixar Animated Studio classics like Coco, the all-new movie Elio takes off in theaters on March 1, 2024.
