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Elio is a 2025 animated science fiction adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. The story follows Elio Solís (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), an 11-year-old orphan who lives with his aunt Olga (voiced by Zoe Saldaña), a major in the Air Force.
He inadvertently contacts aliens and is mistaken for Earth’s ambassador after being beamed up to the Communiverse, a gathering place for representatives from different worlds. During his cosmic misadventure, he befriends Glordon (Remy Edgerly), the son of the warlord Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), and navigates intergalactic diplomacy, cloning schemes, and various crises.
This journey also involves interactions with other ambassadors, the mind-reading alien Questa, and a clone created to cover his absence on Earth. The cast features Jameela Jamil and Matthias Schweighöfer in supporting roles.
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The film features a variety of classic Pixar Easter eggs and references, including nods to the Luxo Ball, Pizza Planet truck, and A113, and appearances or homages to characters from other Pixar films, such as Luca and Coco. Attentive viewers will also notice subtle tributes to sci-fi classics and hints toward upcoming Pixar projects.
References & Easter Eggs in Elio that most people missed
10) Reference to Coco
Once Elio gets in touch with extraterrestrials, he returns home with Tia Olga, and without wasting time, he grabs his parents’ picture from an ofrenda. In Mexican culture, ofrendas are altars made to honor dead family members. This is a direct reference to the tradition seen in Coco, where putting a relative’s photo on an ofrenda allows their spirit to visit the living world during Día de los Muertos.
Additionally, there is a Frida Kahlo painting in Olga’s house. Kahlo is a famous Mexican artist who is in Coco, getting ready for a performance for Ernesto de la Cruz’s concert. These factors serve as cultural nods to Pixar’s earlier work while highlighting the characters' connection to Mexican heritage.
9) The Pizza Planet Truck
The Pizza Planet truck is a Pixar Easter egg that has appeared in the studio's films almost since its inception. It first appeared in Toy Story (1995) and has since become a recurring Easter egg in almost every Pixar movie, except The Incredibles.
In Elio, the yellow truck can be seen briefly outside Melmac's house, serving as a cameo for viewers who notice the reference. Pixar's decision to position the truck in Elio is their continual inclusion of visual cross-references that depict characters from one story interacting with others from different movies within the studio's filmography.
8) Luxo Lamp
Luxo Sr., the larger Pixar lamp and father of Luxo Jr., is known for his appearances alongside Luxo Jr. in the studio's groundbreaking 1986 animated short, as well as in some educational shorts like Light and Heavy, Upside Down, and Surprise. Luxo Jr. is the mascot of Pixar; most prominently, he is seen when the studio logo is changed.
The presence of Luxo Sr. symbolizes Pixar’s creative past. In Elio, Luxo Sr. sits at a desk, surrounded by other sci-fi and space-themed objects. His unique size and timeless design have made him a fan favorite and one of the studio's visual Easter eggs in Pixar movies, a tribute to the studio's animated past.
7) The Pixar ball
The Luxo Ball also appears on Elio’s desk, though it is less prominent than Luxo Sr. The ball, visible as a small sticker on the rocket, features the iconic yellow color with a blue stripe and a red star. It first appeared in the 1986 Pixar short Luxo Jr., alongside the lamp character. It has since become a recurring Easter egg in many Pixar films and continues its tradition with a subtle appearance here.
6) A hidden tease for Hoppers
Pixar's upcoming film Hoppers is set for release on March 6, 2026. The story follows Mabel, a 19-year-old animal lover who uses technology to transfer human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing her to communicate with the animal world.
Directed by Daniel Chong and produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle, the film features voice performances by Piper Curda as Mabel, Bobby Moynihan as King George, and Jon Hamm as Mayor Jerry.
In Elio, a file named "Hop_script" on Melmac's computer desk hints at the upcoming Hoppers film, serving as a hidden reference. The film has also gained attention for the character Tom the Lizard, whose meme-worthy moment involves repeatedly pressing a button while an automated voice repeats "Lizard."
5) Reference to The Thing
When Elio is taken to the Communiverse, a clone is created to serve as his substitute on Earth. Visually, the clone's birth from a microwave-like cloning machine is very disturbing, as it changes from a distorted form to Elio's likeness.
Director Domee Shi confirmed in an interview with Variety that the clone's design was inspired by John Carpenter’s 1982 film The Thing, which tells the story of a shape-shifting alien that frightens Antarctic researchers.
Although this movie doesn't reach The Thing's level of scary, the making of the clone still brings back some of the creepy aspects from Carpenter's iconic film, mixing sci-fi references with Pixar's style.
4) A Star Trek cameo
The opening scene at the Montez Air & Space Museum ignites Elio's enthusiasm for space. While visiting the museum, he stumbles upon a mysterious Voyager 1 exhibit that has not yet been opened. A narrator shares information about the Voyager spacecraft, drawing him into a gorgeous room full of stars.
Kate Mulgrew, known for her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, provides the voice of the narrator. This serves as a nice little Easter egg referencing the show while fitting seamlessly within Pixar's sci-fi genre. It might not be a reference that most children will realize, but the grown-ups, particularly fans of the Trek series, will recognize and be delighted by this acknowledgment of one of the most loved TV shows of the franchise.
3) Reference to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg that tells the story of Roy Neary, an Indiana man who experienced a UFO sighting, and his life was changed.
One of the film's most important scenes shows the first contact with the alien mothership through a musical exchange, where light and sound are used to communicate. The humans send a five-tone musical phrase, and the aliens reply with one note that matches the humans, thus a kind of musical conversation is established.
In Elio, a comparable musical device is implemented when Melmac plays the alien signal from the Communiverse for Olga, serving as a tribute to the famous communication method from Close Encounters.
2) The number A113
The number "A113," a familiar Pixar Easter egg referencing the animation department at the California Institute of the Arts, goes by a new name in Elio as "Area 113," displayed as a decorative hack on Elio's camo backpack. This stylization pays homage to the famous Area 51 Air Force base, which inspires the film's alien-related themes.
By adding "Area 113," the studio's history of hidden messages is linked to the film's storyline of contact with extraterrestrials and secretive government facilities.
1) A character from Luca makes a cameo
Near the climax, while flying a spacecraft with Olga, Elio communicates via ham radio with several people on Earth. One voice identifies herself as "Giulia from Italia," referencing a main character from Pixar’s Luca.
Giulia Marcovaldo is depicted as a red-haired Italian girl who befriends Luca and Alberto and helps them win the Portorosso Cup. A key aspect of her character is her passion for stargazing, which she shares with Luca.
Pixar’s inclusion of Giulia in Elio suggests a connection between the two films, implying that her enthusiasm for space continues.
Elio is now available to stream on Disney+.
