Elio: On the red carpet with the cast and creatives at the London premiere

The new Pixar animated movie Elio is a visual kaleidoscope of colour that centres around an alien-obsessed young boy who wants to travel to space. The film, which is directed by award-winning duo Dommee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, also features an all-star voice cast that help bring these vibrant characters to life.

When Elio (Yonas Kibreab) has to live with his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) after a tragic accident leaves him orphaned, he seeks comfort in the stars and soon dreams of an intergalactic adventure. After he is accidentally transported to another planet, he finds himself chosen as the ambassador for Earth, and as he bonds with alien lifeforms and battles against vengeful villains, he begins to deal with his own grief, the meaning of friendship and where he belongs in the world.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of attending the premiere of Elio, where we spoke to Kibreab about his lead role as Elio, what the messages were for viewers and what he particularly liked about the script when he read it.

Brad Garrett entertained us with his thoughts about playing the evil character Lord Grigon, the similarities with Elio and the joy of being cast in this film.

We spoke to Jameela Jamil about her character, Ambassador Questa, how empowering it was to have female directors in the seat for this Pixar feature and what she particularly liked about the messages within the story.

Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafin spoke about sharing the role as directors for this movie, where the idea originated from, and what they both hope viewers will take away from watching this.

We spoke to Aston Merrygold about his part in the film, where he appears on a military base, what it was like to voice on a Pixar film and the joyful messages that spring out from the storylines.

Ezelle Alblas

Elio is released nationwide on 20^th June 2025.

Watch the trailer for Elio here: