‘Elio’ Trailer Reveals What Happens When Universe Finally Calls Back

Disney and Pixar have released the final trailer for Elio. We’ll have a lot of coverage about the film in the coming weeks leading up to its release. So, expect behind-the-scenes insights, interviews with the creative team, and deep dives into the story, characters, and visual design.

The final trailer offers the clearest look yet at Elio’s intergalactic adventure, blending humor, heart, and stunning visuals.

In Elio, Disney and Pixar flip the classic “are we alone?” question on its head. When an imaginative 11-year-old named Elio sends out a message to space, he gets an unexpected response. With his wish to be abducted finally coming true, Elio hopes to find a friend in the Communiverse, a massive intergalactic council comprising aliens from across the cosmos. However, they think he’s Earth’s ambassador. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Elio has to navigate strange new worlds, connect with bizarre and charming alien species, and figure out who he really is — all while representing a planet he barely understands himself.

So the trailer reveals a lot of Elio’s (Yonas Kibreab) struggles on earth as he tries to adapt to his new living situation with Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana). He skips school and tends to be a loner — as noted by his lack of interest in playing with other kids at the Camp Carver army base. Olga is just as confused as she doesn’t have a clue how to take care of a child at this stage of her life. She’s seems very structured, which is a contrast to Elio’s free-spirited personality.

So Olga tries to encourage him to make friends, adding that she lived on the base too when she was a kid. However, when she says, “You might not believe me right now, but this will be good for you,” But Elio cringes at the thought of playing rough house with other kids. He’d rather have his head in the stars. And all he’s ever wanted was a place to fit in. Soon, that cry for help gets answered.

The trailer hypes viewers up by showing how much of a good time Elio is having, while simultaneously showing us how he’s out of his depth when he is mistaken for being the leader of Earth who dares to take on Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett).

Along with the teases of the humor and playfulness, the new trailer gives us a glimpse into Elio’s emotional arc, hinting at themes of identity and belonging. “Back home, I didn’t fit in,” he says to his new friend Glordon, a cute and cuddly alien slug who has been called a liability, a disappointment, an enigma, a problem, and a headache. Overall, it gives us a hint at how the film will balance the playful to poignant, showing that this cosmic adventure is just as much about connection as it is about spectacle.

Directed by Madeline Sharafian (Burrow Sparkshort), Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red), and Adrian Molina (co-screenwriter/co-director of Coco), and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of Coco), the film features the voices of Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson as Ooooo.