Pixar's 'Elio' trailer reveals Earth's pint-sized leader in new cosmic adventure

It’s been a banner year for big screen animation tentpoles so far, with crowd-pleasers such as Dreamworks’ “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and Universal Illumination’s “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” taking audiences by storm and ringing up huge box office numbers worldwide.

Disney/Pixar has been strangely quiet of late with “Elemental” arriving this weekend without much fanfare or high praise, so it’s time to raise our gaze down the calendar a bit to 2024 when Pixar’s next family-friendly sci-fi feature, “Elio,” is slated to land and here’s a new teaser to tempt young viewers and their folks.

Directed by Adrian Molina (screenwriter and co-director of “Coco”) and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of “Coco”), “Elio” showcases the vocal talents of Yonas Kibreab as Elio, America Ferrera as Elio’s mom, Olga, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, and Brad Garrett as Ambassador Grigon. Its intergalactic absurdities amid a serious case of mistaken identity could prove to be a winning combination for this big-screen cosmic adventure.

a young boy is beamed up into the night sky by a blue tractor beam — “Elio” teaser poster (Image credit: Pixar)

Here’s the official synopsis:

“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.”

Amazingly, this will be Disney and Pixar’s 28th feature film and with its “Coco” creators’ pedigree, precocious kid star, striking visuals and outer space premise that plays on the age-old sci-fi catch phrase, “Take Me To Your Leader,” “Elio” seems poised for a successful spring launch suitable for children of all ages.

“Elio” arrives in theaters on March 1, 2024.

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Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.