EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KGO) — Pixar’s 29th animated feature, “Elio,” combines an out-of-this-world adventure with a down-to-Earth message.
“This is a story about a boy who, like, gets his wish, which is to be abducted by aliens and to arrive at a place in a world that accepts him and that he feels like he belongs in,” director Domee Shi explains.
“So many of us have wanted to run away, maybe not to outer space, but we’ve all felt that way before. Right?” adds producer Mary Alice Drumm.
To help reinforce the theme of the story, it was important for filmmakers to create a strong contrast between Elio’s life on Earth and his visit to the Communiverse, a bright and colorful place in space.
“Earth is very monochromatic. It’s very, like, there’s like, sharp edges. There’s like lots of shadows. But once Elio gets into space, it’s as colorful as he is,” Shi reveals.
For production designer Harley Jessup, creating the Communiverse was an exciting and challenging task.
“There wasn’t too much of a description of it, except that it should look really appealing to Elio, should look exciting and not dystopian, very colorful, fanciful kind of version of outer space,” Jessup shares.
According to art director Ernesto Nemesio, the Pixar team drew inspiration from San Francisco Bay Area weather.
“To help contrast Communiverse from Earth, it was nice having the fog element as well, because then we never had really warm daylight scenes on Earth because we always wanted Elio to feel out of place and not quite at home. So it helped us keep the palette more muted,” Nemesio says.
In the film, Elio travels millions of miles, encounters alien creatures and even makes some friends. Ultimately, he discovers where he truly belongs.
“By watching the film and watching Elio go through his journey, you can come away from his experience with a little bit more hope for the future,” director Madeline Sharafian states.
“Yeah, just the feeling that we aren’t alone in this universe, and that all it takes is to reach out to the person next to you,” Shi adds
Elio is in theaters now.
Disney is the parent company of Pixar and this station.
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
