Pixar’s Delayed Film Elio Gets New Directors and MCU Star Zoe Saldaña

by

As a dedicated follower of Pixar’s journey over the years, I find myself both intrigued and slightly concerned with the changes happening behind the scenes for their upcoming film, Elio. With its delay to March 2025, it seems that this film is undergoing quite the transformation, much like Toy Story 2 did back in 1999.

Pixar has disclosed some backstage adjustments for their future movie titled Elio, which centers around a young boy falsely identified as Earth’s representative by extraterrestrials. A sneak peek of the film was initially unveiled in June 2023, but its release was pushed back to March 2025. The story follows an 11-year-old boy who is misconstrued as Earth’s diplomat by aliens.

According to a conversation with The Wrap, Pixar’s head creative officer Pete Doctor shared some backstage adjustments concerning the character Elio. The movie will now be helmed by Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian from Turning Red, who also directed the Pixar short Burrow. Previously, Adrian Molina, co-director of Coco, was set to direct Elio. However, Doctor mentioned that Molina has been reassigned from Elio and is now working on an important project that we can’t discuss yet, but it promises to be thrilling, and Molina is equally enthused about it.

As your go-to lifestyle guide, I’m excited to share some intriguing news! It appears that Zoe Saldaña is set to slip into the shoes of Elio’s aunt Olga in an upcoming production, a role originally intended for America Ferrera. Unfortunately, due to scheduling clashes, America had to bid adieu to this project.

As an ardent admirer, let me share a captivating insight about Shi and Sharafian’s direction of Elio, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak:

The films “Elio” and “Snow White,” featuring Rachel Zegler, have been postponed until 2025. This delay for “Elio” is due to extensive reworkings of the film, in addition to delays caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Notably, this marks the first time that Pixar has credited both directors as such, rather than co-directors, for a single project, with “Elio” being the film in question.

The movie chronicles the story of eleven-year-old boy named Elio Solis, who inadvertently assumes the role of Earth’s Ambassador to the cosmos when he is transported by aliens to the Universe of Communication. As Elio, he must forge relationships with various alien species and overcome a sequence of challenging ordeals.

Pixar’s history demonstrates adaptability through instances like the revamping of Toy Story 2 and Ratatouille, both premiered in 1999. Toy Story 2 underwent significant changes just nine months prior to its premiere, leading to a hectic production process yet resulting in one of the greatest animated films ever made. Directed by Jan Pinkava, Ratatouille experienced a similar overhaul 18 months before its release, eventually earning critical acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

In the year 2010, Brenda Chapman stepped down as director for the movie “Brave”, which later became a successful box office hit and received an Academy Award. However, the film drew criticism over its impressive trailers. Bob Peterson, responsible for developing “The Good Dinosaur”, was taken off the project due to narrative problems, leading to production delays from May 30, 2014, to November 25, 2015. As a result, Bob Peterson’s role shifted from co-director to just a director, and Bob Sohn took over as the full director. “Brave” received mixed reviews, marking Pixar’s first significant financial flop at the box office. The delay in releasing Elio’s film might have impacted its subsequent success.

Elio’s theatrical premiere in the U.S. is set for June 13, 2025, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Originally planned for a March 1, 2024 debut, the movie’s release was pushed back to its current date due to a delay announced in October 2023.

Read More

2024-08-14 13:08