Pixar's Elio Footage Reaction: Amblin And Galaxy Quest Combine For A Delightful Sci-Fi Adventure

Pixar's new movie "Elio" is taking audiences and the movie's titular character to space for an adventure the likes of which the animation studio has never embarked upon before. Sure, we've been to space in the beloved "WALL-E," and we've even hit lightspeed with a certain space ranger in the less celebrated "Lightyear," but "Elio" is taking us on an adventure that is completely removed from the comforts of life on Earth, bringing us into a vibrant otherworldly space station known as the Communiverse. 

In early May, /Film was invited to Pixar Animation's campus in Emeryville, California to watch new footage from "Elio" and learn about the making of their latest film. Directors Domee Shi ("Turning Red") and Madeline Sharafian (story lead on "Turning Red" and "Coco") revealed a selection of scenes totaling almost 25 minutes of footage that gave us an idea of the story they were trying to tell, introducing us to Elio, a young boy struggling to find a sense of belonging on Earth who sets his sights on the stars to find somewhere that might make him feel more comfortable and accepted. 

As soon as the movie starts, we learn that Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) has had a rough childhood on Earth, something that the trailer (seen above) hasn't touched upon at all. His parents died when he was very young, placing him in the care of his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), a Major in the Air Force who was on track to become an astronaut when her nephew tragically fell into her lap. She's not resentful about it, but Elio is still very sad about losing his parents and can't help but feel like a burden. Meanwhile, Olga simply feels out of her depth, though she loves Elio unconditionally and knows he's having a hard time feeling understood and accepted by kids his age.

However, when Elio wanders off in a new exhibition being installed in an air and space museum on Olga's base, he learns all about the vast reaches of space and the Voyager exploration program that set out to reach life on other planets. That's all the information Elio needs to begin trying to send out a message of his own to make contact with aliens and find a place where he finally belongs.

When Elio manages to send a desperate yet adorable S.O.S. message into space, he finally gets abducted from Earth by the alien leaders of the Communiverse, which production designer Harley Jesseup describes as "a colorful, interplanetary space station with the primary goal of maintaining peace and security in the universe." 

Pixar Animation

Upon his arrival, the ambassadors of the Communiverse come to believe Elio to be the leader of Earth, thanks to a little fib. Eager to prove himself, this little boy finds himself on a collision course with Lord Grigon, a fierce alien warlord who rules the planet Hylurg. Making him even more furious is his membership to the Communiverse being rejected, all while Elio is welcomed with open arms, fueling a desire for vengeance against the ambassadors who turned him away. The result is a storyline that shares elements with "Galaxy Quest," with Elio faking his way through being Earth's leader in a world that's so much bigger than he realizes, which could create more problems than he expects. 

Pixar Animation

But thanks to the presence of Lord Grigon, Elio also meets Grigon's son Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly), whose bright, tender, and generally positive personality makes him nothing like his father. He's chipper, kind, and quickly becomes Elio's first true friend, mostly because he shares a similar place in the universe. As the princeling son of Lord Grigon, he's soon to be installed in his formidable battle armor and take his place at the right hand of his father, but he's not really excited about the prospect, and he only pretends to be in order to not upset his father. Elio and Glordon may just be exactly what the other needs in order to figure out how to be true to themselves on their respective planets and finally feel like they belong.

Perhaps the most impressive element of "Elio" in the footage presented at Pixar was the stunning world of the Communiverse. It's a sci-fi world that you haven't really seen, not just from Pixar but in pretty much any sci-fi movie. It's truly otherworldly, and Pixar really pulled away from having an environment that just felt like an alien version of Earth. Too often, planet designs in sci-fi movies simply borrow elements of Earth and remix them in a way that feels just different enough to create awe but are still familiar enough to not make you uncomfortable. 

With the Communiverse, Pixar manages to make this space station feel like a massive organic structure, one where the members control their own gravity, which is necessary in a world comprised of four environmentally unique parabolic rotating discs (a volcanic hot disc, an icy cold disc, an aquatic disc, and a verdant, lush disc) with topography and structures on either side. They've crafted a world that's visually mesmerizing and strange without making it feel overwhelming. 

Pixar Animation

It also helps that the aliens in the Communiverse aren't merely humanoid species that take the bipedal human form and simply apply scales. There are so many unique species that take cues from wildlife that we're familiar with on Earth without making them simple alien versions of those creatures that we know, whether it's Ambassadorr Questa (middle, voiced by Jameela Jamil), a leafy, pink sea dragon alien who is one of the highest ranking members of the Communiverse always looking for the best in every new lifeform while keeping intense eye contact and invading personal space, or the effervescent, party-loving Ambassador Helix, (lower left, next to the little aliens with round heads, and voiced by Brandon Moon), who thinks he's seen it all. He's a little pompous and fancy, almost always with a glass of glorp in his hand, but he's still nice, and he's eager to show Elio everything he knows.

Pixar

You can also see some unique thought put into the Communiverse's technology, which includes a little circuit glob known as Ooooo (voiced by Shirley Henderson, or Moaning Myrtle from the "Harry Potter" franchise). She's a liquid supercomputer designed to accommodate and assist species of all kinds, making sure their language is universally translated and providing knowledge about anything and everything. She's also an infinite energy source that can shape shift into almost anything of the same relative size as she is. 

There's also tiny nanotechnology that allows members of the Communiverse to construct almost anything they need. Of course, Elio uses them to give himself a more regal space ambassador look, complete with a shimmering cape and boots. 

Based on the footage seen, Pixar truly succeeded in creating a world that kids can't help but want to visit themselves. It feels like the ultimate wish-fulfillment for Elio, and it will let children's imaginations run wild with the endless possibilities of outer space.

While the Communiverse delivers eye candy and sci-fi satisfaction to soak up on the big screen, the heart of the movie is the most important, and that's undoubtedly the friendship that blossoms between Elio and Glordon. 

Though the relationship between Olga and Elio will also pull at some heartstrings, in a movie about loneliness and the difficulty of belonging, it's young Elio and his space slug friend Glordon who seem like they'll really make the movie soar. Once Elio and Glordon meet, they cavort all over the Communiverse, drinking glorp, riding down a bathroom waterfall, and just being a couple of normal kids who happen to be from completely different species. It has the heart of Amblin Entertainment movies like "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," with a little bit of "The Goonies" and maybe some "Men in Black" on top of the "Galaxy Quest"-esque story. Helping that vibe along is a lively, 1980s-style, synth-kissed score from Rob Simonsen (composer for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and "Deadpool & Wolverine").

Pixar Animation

The real heavy lifting comes from voice actors Yonas Kibreab and Remy Edgerly. As Elio, Kibreab brings a delightful sense of wonder but also a heartbreaking vulnerability that you can't help but love. Meanwhile, as Glordon, Edgerly has one of the most adorable voices I've ever heard for a child character. Glordon has the cuteness of a character like Boo or Baby Dory but in a slightly older kid who just wants to be a kid. He's a squishy slug who bounces around gleefully, lifts up Elio's spirits, and has an infectious, undeniable adorable laugh. Audiences are going to love him, and I can't wait to see how the bond between Elio and Glordon pans out in the movie.

As director Domee Shi said about "Elio" during the presentation at Pixar, "We hope it resonates for those facing loneliness, just as 'Inside Out 2' did for those coping with anxiety."

That's a tall order, but based on what we've seen, there's certainly a lot of potential for a touching and exhilarating space adventure to unfold when "Elio" hits theaters on June 20, 2025.