Pixar's surreal sci-fi space adventure Pixar movies on Disney's release slate, Elio is about 11-year-old Elio Solis, a young boy who accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador for planet Earth. With longtime Pixar writer Adrian Molina making his directorial debut for Elio, there are already a lot of signs the Pixar movie could be a return to form for the studio that has had more than a few cinematic stumbles of late.

While there haven't been many Elio cast revealed yet or much about the story beyond the basic premise, the teasers and behind-the-scenes reveals for the new Pixar movie have already gained attention — especially after 2023's Elemental became a hit on Disney+. With a 2025 release date set by Disney and the first teaser footage already available, there's plenty to discuss when it comes to Pixar's Elio. It seems to be unlike anything the studio has produced before, which is exactly what makes it such an exciting attraction.

Elio: The Most Recent News

New Footage Premieres At CinemaCon 2025

With the Pixar opus set to release this summer, the latest news arrives in the form of Elio screening at CinemaCon 2025. Disney was one of the main presenters at the annual movie preview convention, and they screened brand-new footage from Pixar's film. Unfortunately, most things screened at CinemaCon aren't available to the public yet, so ScreenRant (who was in attendance) has provided an in-depth description of what was shown.

The footage begins with Elio being abducted by aliens. When he gets up to the spaceship, a small floating bot scans Elio. It says it’s a liquid supercomputer and gives Elio a drink, compliments of the communi-verse — a community that combines the greatest minds from the universe. Apparently that drink is something everyone is having. Elio is their new “candidate.”

Elio is taken through their community and is introduced to a few new characters. Then he unlocks another computer that knows all of the answers to the universe, like, “What is the meaning of life? What lies beyond a black hole?” But Elio just wants to know who would win between a gorilla and another animal, which the computer sighs and answers “a gorilla.”

Later, Elio meets Glordon. Most of the footage is what has already been shown in the Elio trailer, but with more focus on the friendship between Elio and Glordon, as well as their adventure in space.

Elio: When Is The Pixar Movie's Release Date?

Pixar's Elio Premieres In The Summer Of 2025

The Elio release date is June 20, 2025. While the new Pixar movie was originally scheduled to release in March 2024 ahead of the release of the blockbuster Inside Out 2, it was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. There is no word yet about whether the movie will simultaneously be available on Disney+ or when the movie will otherwise hit streaming.

Who Is In The Cast Of Pixar's Elio

Zoe Saldaña Has ed The Cast

The Elio cast has only been partially revealed. America Ferrera was originally set to voice Elio's mom, Olga Solis, who works on a top-secret military project. However, she has since stepped away from the project due to scheduling conflicts, and has been replaced by Zoe Saldaña. Saldaña will play Elio's aunt, who is also named Olga, and will presumably fill the same spot in the storyline.

Meanwhile, Yonas Kibreab has the title role, a young boy who is mistakenly accepted as the ambassador for Earth and whisked away to an alien world. Two more Elio cast have been revealed, and Jameela Jamil s Brad Garrett who will play Ambassador Questa and Ambassador Grigon, respectively. The characters are two alien ambassadors that Elio meets at a strange, interplanetary location. Remy Edgerly plays the role of Glordon, a young alien who is the son of Ambassador Grigon, and forms a close bond with Elio.

Garrett's Ambassador Grigon appears to be the villain of the film.

The known cast of Elio includes:

Elio: What Is The Pixar Movie's Plot?

Elio's Story Has Been Tweaked In The Last Few Years

Elio has been subtly tweaked in the last few years since the movie was first revealed, and the plot has changed somewhat to accommodate those changes. The film follows the title character, a young boy who struggles to fit in, who wants nothing more than to be whisked away from Earth by aliens. He eventually gets that wish and is made Earth's ambassador in some sort of interplanetary alien congress. This was the basic plot from day one, but more details have come forward since.

Elio will learn a thing or two about growing up, and it's expected that the film will have plenty of Pixar's signature charm.

Elio will befriend a young alien named Glordon, who is the son of Ambassador Grigon. Unfortunately, Grigon has some sort of grievance with the interplanetary council and is threatening to blow the entire thing up. Now, Elio must team up with Glordon to help stop Grigon's plan. Along the way, Elio will learn a thing or two about growing up, and it's expected that the film will have plenty of Pixar's signature charm.

Pixar has released an official plot synopsis for Elio, which is as follows:

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar's all-new movie Elio, the universe calls back! The original feature film introduces Elio, an underdog with an active imagination who finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, survive a series of formidable trials and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.

Elio: Watch The Movie's Trailers Below

Pixar Has Released A Full Trailer For Elio

Elio bonds with one alien who also has a strained relationship with his aunt.

The new Elio trailer sees Elio sucked into outer space after chaos erupts at his mother's work, and he's mistaken for the leader of Earth by aliens. While it isn't clear why, Earth is seemingly on trial when Elio meets with other aliens at the interplanetary location, and it's up to the boy to save humankind. However, it isn't all end-of-the-world stakes, as Elio bonds with one alien who also has a strained relationship with his aunt. Based on the trailer, Elio promises one of the most colorful and spectacular-looking Pixar movies in years.

Over a year after the first teaser appeared, Disney dropped a second teaser for Elio in November 2024. Following a similar structure as the first, the teaser introduces the daydreaming Elio who gets more than he bargained for when he is abducted by aliens. Amazed at their magnificent world, Elio explores the extraterrestrial with a bit more trepidation than in the first teaser.

Pixar finally released a full trailer for Elio in March 2025, and it shows just how much the movie has changed over the years. It opens with Elio pining to be abducted by aliens, however he isn't quite sure how to react when he is actually taken to space to be Earth's ambassador. Once there, he makes friends with a young alien and must stop the dastardly Ambassador Grigon from blowing everything up (literally).