The first three minutes of the uncut footage from the Japanese version of Disney and Pixar's new animated film "Elio" (currently in theaters) was released on August 5th.
The protagonist of "Elio" is Elio, a boy who loves space and feels lonely after losing his parents, the people who understood him the most. Elio believes that somewhere in this vast world there must be a place where he "really belongs." His heartfelt 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. The two share a bond, but a threat that will shake the "world of the stars" approaches. The key to their salvation lies in a "certain promise" made between the two lonely people... This is the story.
The film will be directed by Madeline Sharafian, who was the story artist for "Coco" (2017), Domee Shi, director of "Me and the Red Panda" (2022), and Adrian Molina, who wrote and co-directed "Coco."
The Japanese voice actors include Kawahara Eito as the main character Elio, Tasuku Sato Nana Seino as his aunt Orga, Matsuyama Kenichi as Grodon's father Glygon, Noro Kayo as the helper computer Woooo, Watanabe Naomi as the peace-loving planetary ambassador Ova, and Mayurika Nakatani as Orga's subordinate and radio geek Melmac.
The newly released footage begins with a blue Earth emerging from space. Elio, the protagonist, has lost his parents and is taken to the Air and Space Museum, a place he often visited with his parents, by his aunt Olga, who has suddenly become a parent figure to Elio, and although she feels confused, she tries to be there for him. It should be a fun place, but seeing the children holding hands and talking happily with their parents makes him feel sad, and he runs into a restricted exhibition room.
There, Elio has a fateful encounter with Voyager, an unmanned planetary probe launched in 1977, along with a shining golden record created to deliver a "message from Earth" to other life forms somewhere in the universe. Seeing Voyager continuing its journey alone through the vast expanse of space in search of "someone" who will find it, Elio is reminded of his own loneliness and sheds tears... This is the key scene that triggered Elio's thoughts about space.
