Zoe Saldana has been added to the cast of voices for Pixar’s “Elio,” the studio’s 29th animated film. The story centers on a young boy named Elio who is accidentally transported to an intergalactic organization and is mistakenly appointed as Earth’s ambassador to distant galaxies.
Saldana will voice the role of Elio’s aunt. At the D23 Expo, she shared her enthusiasm for the character, saying, “I felt a real connection to the character and wanted to see a representation of how a real family works on screen. The relationship you and I share in the movie felt authentic.”
Pixar describes the film as follows: “The story introduces Elio, an imaginative underdog who is unintentionally beamed up to the Communiverse, an intergalactic coalition with delegates from various galaxies.
Mistaken for Earth’s representative to the universe and unprepared for such a role, Elio must build relationships with quirky alien beings, endure challenging trials, and find out who he truly is.”
Scheduled for release on June 13, 2025 (after being pushed from the 2024 calendar due to last year’s industry strikes), this sci-fi adventure was first revealed at the 2022 D23 Expo.
Directed by Adrian Molina, co-director and screenwriter of the Oscar-winning “Coco,” the film also features America Ferrera as Elio’s mother Olga, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, Brad Garrett as Ambassador Grigon, and Jonas Kibreab as Elio.
Following a less successful release with “Lightyear” in 2023, Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has achieved remarkable success, surpassing $1.5 billion globally and becoming one of the year’s top-grossing films.