Interview: ‘Elio’ Directors Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafin and Producer Mary Alice Drumm Expand the Pixar Universe [VIDEO]

Three years after her first feature, Turning Red, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Domee Shi returns with Elio, a sci fi story about an orphaned boy who dreams of escaping his life on Earth to go and live somewhere far away.  

Pixar alum Madeline Sharafian, who worked with Shi on Turning Red, co-directs this space adventure, and Mary Alice Drumm, whose credits include Brave, The Good Dinosaur, and Coco, worked closely with them as the film’s producer. 

At its heart, Elio is about family and acceptance. It is also a sci fi adventure set in a vibrant and unique fictional place. And yet, Shi, Shafarian and Drumm set out to do extensive research to make their made up world feel plausible. Their journey took them to unexpected and surprising places including the headquarters of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and discovered a surprising connection between the non-profit research organization and Pixar Studios.

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation will release Elio in theaters on June 20.