Zoe Saldana Joins Pixar’s ‘Elio’ Cast

Zoe Saldana has joined the voice cast for “Elio,” the upcoming 29th film from Disney’s Pixar. The movie tells the story of a young boy named Elio who unexpectedly finds himself beamed up to an interplanetary organization, where he is chosen as Earth’s ambassador to other galaxies.

Saldana will voice Elio’s aunt in the film. “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,” she remarked during D23.

According to Pixar’s plot description: “The original feature film introduces Elio, an underdog with an active imagination who finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, survive a series of formidable trials, and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.”

The sci-fi adventure “Elio” is slated for a June 13, 2025, release, having been moved from the 2024 calendar following last year’s industry-wide strikes. Unveiled first at the 2022 D23 Expo, the film is directed by Adrian Molina, who was the screenwriter and co-director of Pixar’s Oscar-winning “Coco.” The voice cast features America Ferrera as Elio’s mother, Olga; Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa; Brad Garrett as Ambassador Grigon; and Jonas Kibreab as Elio.

Pixar’s previous release, “Lightyear,” had a rocky performance, but the studio rebounded with “Inside Out 2,” which recently surpassed $1.5 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

Source: Variety