It was revealed on June 25th that a song by the four-member rock band "BUMP OF CHICKEN" has been chosen as the Japanese ending song for Disney & Pixar's new animated film "Elio" (released August 1st). The song chosen is "Ribbon," which was released as a digital single in 2017, the 20th anniversary of the band's formation. The Japanese trailer, which includes the song, was also released on the same day.
The protagonist of "Elio" is a boy named Elio who loves space and feels lonely after losing his parents, who were his biggest supporters. Elio was thinking that somewhere in this vast world, there must be a "true place for me". His sad wish is answered, and he is invited to the dreamlike "Comniverse" where representatives of the stars gather. There, he meets Grodon, an alien boy who is just as lonely as him. "I love you just the way you are"... A threat that will shake the "world of the stars" approaches before the two who share a heart. The key to saving them lies in a "promise" made by the two lonely people... This is the story.
The directors are Madeline Sharafian, who served as a story artist in "Coco" (2017), Domee Shi, who directed "Me and the Red Panda" (2022), and Adrian Molina, who wrote and co-directed "Coco". In the Japanese version, the protagonist Elio will be voiced by 11-year-old Eito Kawahara, and the lonely alien boy Grodon will be voiced by 6-year-old Tasuku Sato.
The Japanese version trailer shows a beautiful and colorful "world of stars" that is fantastically depicted with Pixar's video technology. In the second half, the famous song "Ribbon" by BUMP OF CHICKEN, loved by fans, flows gently to embrace those who feel lonely.
BUMP OF CHICKEN's "Ribbon" is a song that tells the story of the band, a group formed by childhood friends since kindergarten, who have run through their lives while reaffirming the "bonds" that are the theme of this album, and the important "connections" that they have made over and over again, even when they seem like they might come undone, like a ribbon.
The members, who are all big fans of Disney and Pixar films, expressed their joy at the decision, saying, "When we received the offer, we were all surprised and thrilled, and were overjoyed. We want to tell our younger selves when we were talking enthusiastically about how amazing and fun Toy Story was when it was first released."
The full comments from the members are as follows:
◇BUMP OF CHICKEN's full comment
Thank you so much for choosing our song "Ribbon" as the Japanese ending song for "Elio."
Disney and Pixar have released many masterpieces to the world, and we have always loved them from the past to the present, so when we received the offer, we were surprised and thrilled, and all the members of the team were thrilled.
I wish I could tell our younger selves when we were younger, talking enthusiastically about how amazing and fun "Toy Story" was when it was first released.
I had the opportunity to see "Elio" a little early, and I laughed and cried many times. After the show, we all shared our emotions with each other.
I am truly happy to have been involved in such a wonderful production by Disney and Pixar, which I love so much. I definitely want to go see it again when it's released.
