Elio | June 13, 2025 | Pixar | Domee Shi (Turning Red) directs

[ThomasNicole]

The designs have way more in common with Luca / Turning Red than Onward or any DW movie

[AniNate]

If anything the premise and art design call Monsters Inc to mind the most. Probably is aiming more for the cutesy adventure vibes but I don't think that's an inherent detriment either critically or commercially.

[BK007]

14 minutes ago, ThomasNicole said:

The designs have way more in common with Luca / Turning Red than Onward or any DW movie

 

The vibe from the trailer released awhile back puts it in Onward/Home territory than Luca or Turning Red.

 

Looks thoroughly safe and mediocre - and given that it was seemingly reshot, clearly it wasn't very good either. 

 

The premise is just not very strong to begin with so it's always going to be an uphill battle and Strange World and Wish have shown that there is no bottom for an unappealing looking movie.

[ThomasNicole]

1 hour ago, BK007 said:

 

The vibe from the trailer released awhile back puts it in Onward/Home territory than Luca or Turning Red.

 

Looks thoroughly safe and mediocre - and given that it was seemingly reshot, clearly it wasn't very good either. 

 

The premise is just not very strong to begin with so it's always going to be an uphill battle and Strange World and Wish have shown that there is no bottom for an unappealing looking movie.

Onward was fantasy action, Elio is not. There’s no resemblance at all in the trailers. 
 

I think you’re putting too much pressure in a 90 seconds teaser to say it looks throughly mediocre. 
 

And reshoot in animation is a somewhat common process. Most Pixar movies got tons of strong revisions half the way to go. Inside Out nearly lost it’s director months before release. 

 

It’s just that the cases where it did goes wrong is more talked like The Good Dinosaur. It doesn’t mean anything until is ready. For all we know, Domee is a very gifted director.

[cannastop]

1 hour ago, ThomasNicole said:

The designs have way more in common with Luca / Turning Red than Onward or any DW movie

 

1 hour ago, BK007 said:

 

The vibe from the trailer released awhile back puts it in Onward/Home territory than Luca or Turning Red.

 

Looks thoroughly safe and mediocre - and given that it was seemingly reshot, clearly it wasn't very good either. 

 

The premise is just not very strong to begin with so it's always going to be an uphill battle and Strange World and Wish have shown that there is no bottom for an unappealing looking movie.

Elio  himself looks like a character from Luca or Turning Red. Dunno about all the aliens and stuff, maybe that's where the Dreamworks or Onward stuff comes in.

 

yeah there's Wish and Strange World, but there's also Elemental, which even if you didn't like it, grossed $500m ww.

[cannastop]

8 minutes ago, ThomasNicole said:

For all we know, Domee is a very gifted director.

we don't even know exactly how Domee Shi is involved, or how Adrian Molina is, either.

Edited August 9 by cannastop

[ThomasNicole]

Just now, cannastop said:

we don't even know exactly how Domee Shi is involed, or how Adrian Molina is, either.

I think tonight at D23 this will be cleared, very curious if it’s 2 directors now or a replacement happened.

 

I would like a trailer but it’s far away so i doubt. Hoping to get at least some original announcements tho, since some sequel should be locked.

[kayumanggi]

[YM!]

Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian are directing Elio now

 

[Box Office Hit]

 

[AniNate]

Disappointed that Molina was booted but Shi/Sharafian are a strong combo that I'm sure can bring this home with good results.

 

Also ironic that the aunt character was replaced instead of the kid as one might've expected from a delayed production.

 

 

Edited August 10 by AniNate

[ThomasNicole]

Docter seems really honest about this lol. 
 

He said the long delay was mainly due to strike but confirm it changed significant things with the change of directors. 
 

He does seems very confident tho that the movie is shaping up to be great since the changes. I hope it’s good, i love Turning Red and i want that same chaotic good energy in a space movie.

 

Seems like they’re in good terms with Molina too and he just doing another movie now.

Edited August 10 by ThomasNicole

[Darth Lehnsherr]

Always nervous with a director change but I trust in Domee Shi.

[cannastop]

3 minutes ago, Darth Lehnsherr said:

Always nervous with a director change but I trust in Domee Shi.

I'm surprised they also nrought on Madeline Sharafian. Like Docter said, this is the first time a Pixar movie had two full directors rather than one full director and "co-directors".

[AniNate]

Sounds like Yonas Kibreab's voice still hasn't cracked yet, so seems Pixar lucked out there

[BadOlCatSylvester]

Damn, so the rework rumours were indeed true. And unlike many other retoolings we will always have a trailer of the original version to contrast and compare when the new version is ready to be shown. I'm really interested in finding out how much got changed. It's a shame Molina couldn't make the movie work, but I do wish Shi luck and hope she secures a happy landing.

[ThomasNicole]

2 minutes ago, BadOlCatSylvester said:

Damn, so the rework rumours were indeed true. And unlike many other retoolings we will always have a trailer of the original version to contrast and compare when the new version is ready to be shown. I'm really interested in finding out how much got changed. It's a shame Molina couldn't make the movie work, but I do wish Shi luck and hope she secures a happy landing.

Docter said everything in that teaser is still in the movie exactly like was presented. 

 

From what he said, they didn´t changed the overall plot, characters or designs, he said that was always very well put together. 

 

He said the issue is that the protagonist wasn´t really connecting with audiences until too late, it was hard to understand who he is early on. They reworked his personality and motivations if my reading is right, in order to make people to care about him before the second act takes over. 

[cannastop]

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/adrian-molina-no-longer-directing-pixars-elio-madeline-sharafian-and-domee-shi-take-over-242393.html

 

Quote

While Molina is still being credited as a director, this is a Brenda Chapman/Brave-type of situation where the credit will be in name only.

...

 

Although the news of Molina’s departure had not been previously announced until D23, Cartoon Brew understands that Molina, who had his big break as a writer and co-director on Coco, stepped off as director of Elio back in January of this year.

So Adrian Molina will be credited?

Edited August 13 by cannastop

[cannastop]

wrong thread

Edited August 13 by cannastop