For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar’s original, all-new feature film Elio, the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. “He’s an unusual kid who’s obsessed with getting abducted by aliens,” says director Domee Shi. “He feels like a lot of us feel sometimes—lonely, unwanted, like no one understands us. Elio feels like there’s nothing for him on Earth—he dreams of going to another world where he’s accepted for who he is.”
Adds director Madeline Sharafian, “He’s so bright and very driven, but he puts that energy into trying to contact aliens rather than reaching out to people around him. He’s even modified a ham radio to send signals to space, but what really gets the aliens’ attention is the Voyager satellite—it’s a real thing that’s still out there.”
On the satellite is what’s known as the Golden Record—a veritable “message in a bottle” from children around the world. In “Elio,” aliens receive the messages and make contact. “Elio is instantly convinced it’s the real deal,” says Sharafian. “He hijacks the signal and is able to respond with an S.O.S. to the aliens.”
So, when Elio is beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, he’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be. “It’s a wish fulfilled,” says Shi. “He has the exact opposite reaction that anyone else might have after getting abducted by unknown beings from space. He’s elated. I feel like this movie really embodies that sense of wonder and imagination. It’s so exciting to see him finally going into space and seeing all of his dreams come true.”
According to producer Mary Alice Drumm, the film is rooted in research. “We met with Dr. Jill Tarter early on—she’s one of the founding members of the SETI Institute,” says Drumm. “[Tarter] is an astronomer who’s studied extraterrestrial intelligence. She taught us to think about space in a more expansive way that in turn made us feel more connected here. We’re all Earthlings. There’s a strong theme of connection in this story that really resonated with all of us.”
Elio is 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, p.g.a. (associate producer of “Coco”). The screenplay was written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones. Adrian Molina also contributed to the story.
Pixar Animation Studios’ animated films showcase stylistic points of view when it comes to characters
. For “Elio,” however, artists had to go above and beyond—way above and way beyond—to create a cast of characters that includes both humans and multiple species of aliens. “A big part of our world on Earth takes place at a [coastal] military base,” says production designer Harley Jessup. “Everyone, except Elio, wears the same Air Force uniform—muted tan camouflage. Elio stands out in this monochromatic world. He’s quirky and colorful.”
Director Domee Shi explains that the subdued tone at the military base comes from their lead character. “We’re not saying that all military bases are cold and calculated,” says Shi. “There are many wonderful people who work on these bases. But from Elio’s POV he just feels so different. He’s a fish out of water, and we kept that top of mind as we were lighting and shooting his life on Earth—ensuring he felt like the odd boy out—like an alien on Earth. And then when he’s finally in space, we feel the switch from alien on Earth to being welcomed to this vibrant, warm world with open arms.”
Not that the aliens in the Communiverse all come with arms. Artists created dozens of alien species with an assortment of limbs, varying manners of moving and imaginative ways of expressing themselves. “It’s like the coolest club in the universe,” says Shi. “Leaders from planets near and far come together in this fascinating, layered place to share knowledge.”
Adds director Madeline Sharafian, “It’s an incredibly expansive space because each alien species needs a habitat that works for them. Aliens of all shapes, sizes and languages get to live together. It’s very aspirational.”
Filmmakers called on cast members representing locales around the world to help establish the pure vastness of the Communiverse and its inhabitants. “The aliens come from different planets with different ways of communicating—we really wanted to represent that,” says Shi.
Stylistically, filmmakers leaned into the fantastical nature of this new world—both on Earth and in space—they didn’t want a realistic feel. According to animation supervisor Jude Brownbill, the look of animation for “Elio” called for holding poses for a beat. “It’s a bit like the way 2D animators work with their drawings,” she says. “In 3D animation, the computer can interpolate those drawings perfectly—but we moved away from that a little to ensure we hold each pose a beat longer before moving to the next.”
Elio, of course, is the link between contrasting worlds where humans and aliens, young and old, peacemakers and warlords ultimately have more in common than anyone imagines.
Two Distinct Worlds Call for Creativity and Contrast
Designing and crafting the world for Disney and Pixar’s “Elio” felt in some ways like working on two different films. Says production designer Harley Jessup, “Early on, we knew that we would be designing two very distinct worlds. Earth was clearly based on authentic military research, while the Communiverse was grounded in the tiny details of nature, lending an organic order that I think the audience will recognize. Through that amazing macro-photographic research, we tried to look at space in a new way.”
For planet Earth, filmmakers set out to create an austere world, a place that audiences would understand a boy like Elio might yearn to escape. Says Jessup, “The military base is shown as acres of tarmac and Brutalist concrete buildings—very hard edged with a lot of repetition and rectangular symmetry.”
Graphics art director Kyle Jones worked with military consultants to craft the look. “We did everything from military patches to details within the headquarters, mission control and computer screens,” he says. “We tried to be authentic and work within a palette of colors including muted blues, browns and grays.”
According to Derek Williams, director of photography (layout/camera), the goal of shot composition and camera selections is to help convey the story from Elio’s point of view. “When we’re on Earth, we have to tap into how he’s feeling emotionally,” he says. “What is Elio dealing with? How can we show that visually with the camera? I wanted to explore keeping the camera very flat, conveying a feeling of loneliness.
“We also played with centering Elio in frame,” Williams continues. “And one of the things I talked to the directors about was this idea of frame within a frame. We looked for opportunities to frame him within a hallway, within a doorway or window. It’s another way to give that feeling of being trapped.”
Jordan Rempel, director of photography (lighting), adds, “We tried to keep things pretty linear, even in the way we treated light and shadow, trying to keep things static. We wanted the light itself to come from the sun or from practical lights, bulbs.”
Olga, eager to offer Elio a change of scenery, enrolls him in Camp Carver, created for the children of military personnel. Though breathtaking, the redwood forest does little to convince Elio, who still dreams of getting beamed up to space. According to Jessup, the untamed wilderness provides an almost enchanted backdrop for Elio’s long-awaited alien abduction. It’s an unearthly transition from the rigid setting of the military base to the vibrant world known as the Communiverse. “The contrast is dramatic—the Communiverse is all curves and translucent surfaces,” says Jessup. “We were inspired by photographs of tiny structures in nature, and we found that by just looking through the microscope, we’d be transported to an astonishing natural world very different from what audiences have come to expect. We were excited by everything from tiny mushrooms and fungus to crystals and microscopic sea creatures. We really wanted to create a fresh take on space.”
Sets supervisor David Luoh says he’s excited to share with audiences the epic breadth of their take on outer space. “I have a fondness for when we see the Communiverse as a whole, like when Elio first encounters that world,” he says. “You can see the outer shell where the alien species grow their crops. Then we have four orbiting, twisting discs— each one hosting a different biome: aquatic, lush forest, icy tundra, and hot with lava. Nestled inside those discs, there’s an inner paraboloid with skylines of central Communiverse infrastructure and a radiant core of light and energy, all with intricate, dynamic details sprinkled throughout.”
Artists and technicians assembled a vibrant world with blink-and-you’ll-miss-them details—from alienesque architecture to varying vegetation. “It’s designed as a reflection of the aliens who came together to create it,” says Luoh. “It’s our version of the United Nations—species from across the galaxy coming together and forming a brilliant, cooperative interspecies society.”
With an environment so rich—from the sets to the various alien species—lighting was an essential element to anchor the audience’s view. “There’s so much variety in the alien characters in terms of shape and color and size, each one requires special attention in each scene to make them as appealing as possible,” says Rempel. “We look at what’s most important in each shot—that might mean suppressing a character that’s too interesting or overwhelming—pushing and pulling those elements the story needs. When they’re all interesting, it’s so tempting to want to take it all in. We use light to direct the eye in those situations.”
Graphics art director Kyle Jones ensured the graphics fit the vibrant look of the Communiverse. “We created a universal alien design language that we could use everywhere,” he says, “from the magenta takeover on Olga’s computers, which is a bit mysterious and unsettling, to hologram signage in space. We wanted to find a unique take on symbology that didn’t look like anything that already exists but still feels recognizable as both a language and alien.
“The graphics in space are more organic with a softer shape language and a prismatic look with Ooooo energy that perhaps powers all their technology” adds Jones. “There’s so much energy, you can feel it undulating in almost everything.”
Pixar Animation Studios creates worlds never-before imagined
Helping to bring those worlds to life every single time are composers like Rob Simonsen, who tap into their armories of instruments and sounds to create scores that transport audiences—in this case, to space.
Simonsen infused the score with depth from every angle. “It’s a heartfelt adventure through space and memory,” he says. “It’s also a meditation on signals—on how we reach out, and what it means when something reaches back.
“From early on, we were drawn to the idea of a signal, which is a simple pulse that opens the film,” Simonsen continues. “It’s the sound of humanity reaching out, asking if we’re alone. It’s the sound of Elio’s wondering if he’s alone. Loneliness is a big theme in this film. That concept became part of the DNA of the score. We created a theme tied to that signal, which becomes the sound of the response from the Communiverse—that we aren’t alone, that we’re part of something much bigger.”
According to Simonsen, the score focuses less on where Elio is—Earth or space—and more on the emotional needs of the story. The composer pushed the limits of creativity to accompany Elio on his mission. “There are a lot of moments using synths to create colorful arpeggios that function within the overall orchestration,” he says. “But we also take moments to feel large expanses with analog synth washes and processed sounds from Buchla, Moogs and other synths. There was a lot of programming in it that feels technical but also human. The washes are more about Elio’s emotional landscape than literal outer space. Space itself gets treated more with orchestral sweep. The synths are used to reflect longing, memory and internal movement.”
As the titular character, Elio received a special theme to spotlight his journey. “Elio’s theme starts with a leap of a major 7th,” says Simonsen. “It gives it this reaching quality, like he’s looking for something just out of reach. It ties to memory, to family, to wonder. We used it throughout, sometimes in very subtle ways. It’s one of those themes that hopefully grows in meaning the more it returns.”
MADELINE SHARAFIAN (Directed by) joined Pixar Animation Studios as a story intern in 2013, and returned for a full-time position in May 2015 as a storyboard artist on the Academy Award®-winning film “Coco.” She also worked as a story lead on Pixar’s feature film “Onward.” Sharafian directed “Burrow,” the Academy Award-nominated short film that came out of Pixar’s SparkShorts program. “Burrow” released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, along with Pixar’s Academy Award-winning feature film “Soul.”
Prior to Pixar, Sharafian worked at Cartoon Network as a storyboard artist and writer on the show “We Bare Bears.” She also created character designs for the pilot episode while she was attending CalArts.
DOMEE SHI (Directed by) began as a story intern at Pixar Animation Studios in June 2011, and was soon hired as a story artist on the Academy Award®-winning feature film “Inside Out.” Since then she has worked on the feature films “The Good Dinosaur,” “Incredibles 2” and the Academy Award-winning “Toy Story 4.” In 2015 she began pitching ideas for short films, and soon was greenlit to write and direct “Bao,” which won the Academy Award for best animated short film. In her role as a creative VP, Shi is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. Shi made her feature film directorial debut with “Turning Red,” which was released on Disney+ on March 11, 2022, and was nominated for an Academy Award®.Shi graduated from the animation program at Sheridan College, where she was fueled by her love of anime/manga, Disney and Asian cinema influences that can be seen in her work to this day. Shi was born in Chongqing, China, and resided in Toronto, Canada, for most of her life. She lives in Oakland, Calif., and notes that her love of animation is rivaled only by her love of cats.
ADRIAN MOLINA (Directed by / co-screenwriter) began at Pixar Animation Studios as a story intern in the summer of 2006. Since joining the studio full-time that fall, Molina has worked on the Academy Award®-winning feature films “Ratatouille” and “Toy Story 3,” and was a story artist on “Monsters University.” Molina served as the co-director and writer on “Coco,” released in November 2017. “Coco” earned a Golden Globe® for best animated feature film, and two Academy Awards for best animated film and best original song for “Remember Me.” Prior to Pixar, Molina attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in character animation. Molina resides in the East Bay, Calif.
JULIA CHO (Screenwriter) is an American playwright and television writer. She was born on July 5, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. She studied at Amherst College, the University of California, Berkeley, and New York University, and later attended Juilliard. Her plays, such as 99 Histories, The Language Archive, and Aubergine, explore themes of memory, identity, and human connection. She has also written for television series like Big Love and Fringe.
MARK HAMMER (Screenwriter) is known for his work in comedy and adventure films. While details on his career are less widely documented, he has contributed to various projects in Hollywood. He wrote the screenplay for Two Night Stand (2014), a rom-com starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton, and Shotgun Wedding (2022), an action-comedy featuring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. He is also credited as a writer for the upcoming Pixar film Elio (2025). Hammer has expressed a passion for keeping the romantic comedy genre alive, despite claims that it is fading. He once mentioned that his love for rom-coms drives him to write them, believing that “funny stories about love” should never go out of style.
MIKE JONES (Screenwriter) is a filmmaker known for his work in animation and independent cinema. He was born in 1971 in San Antonio, Texas, and studied film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Jones has worked extensively with Pixar Animation Studios, co-writing films like Soul (2020), Luca (2021), and Elio (2025). He also wrote the English adaptations of Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Before his screenwriting career took off, Jones worked as an entertainment journalist, serving as Managing Editor at Filmmaker Magazine and Executive Editor at IndieWire. His first screenplay, EvenHand (2002), was featured at major film festivals, including *AFI, Tribeca, and South by Southwest. At Pixar, Jones collaborates closely with directors, artists, and editors on every aspect of storytelling. He has also contributed to the senior creative teams behind Coco, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Turning Red, and Inside Out 2.
