Disney’s new movie, Elio premiered nationwide on 20 June 2025!
The movie is about 11-year-old Elio, who lives with his aunt Olga after the death of his parents. Olga is an Air Force Major who serves as an orbital analyst.
Young Elio is obsessed with space, and since he doesn’t have many friends, he dreams of being abducted by aliens to hopefully make some.
The movie explores themes that many military kids can relate to, such as loneliness, being an outsider, finding one’s place, and the importance of friendship.
Pixar Works with Disney
Beginning in 2019, Pixar reached out to the Department of Defense to assist with keeping the movie as accurate as possible regarding the military and military family life.
Pixar personnel toured Beale Air Force Base, Vandenberg Air Force Base, shortly before it was renamed as a Space Force Base, and Travis Air Force Base to get a feel for what aircraft flightlines are like. Pixar also wanted to learn more from military personnel and their families.
It should be noted that a good percentage of the animation for the movie took place before the full implementation of the United States Space Force, when the Air Force performed many of the jobs not done by the Space Force. Because of this, Olga and her coworkers are portrayed as Air Force members because re-doing the animation could have cost “several million” dollars.
A Galactic Adventure
Through a series of misadventures, Eliop winds up making his dream happen and goes on a galactic adventure where he becomes friends with an alien.
Elio is an 11-year-old who doesn’t feel like he fits in on Earth. He loves his Aunt Olga, and he knows she loves him, too, but she doesn’t really get him. “Elio’s parents passed away when he was younger,” says producer Mary Alice Drumm. “He’s lonely. He sees this magnificence in space—the promise of life—and he puts all his energy into that. He really believes that’s where he’ll find true connection.”
Olga Solis is a brilliant Major in the Air Force, stationed at Montez Air Force Base. Well-respected and highly decorated, Olga had plans to pursue the astronaut program. But her career trajectory changed when her nephew, Elio, came to live with her following the loss of his parents.
Olga’s pivot into parenthood was sudden and not without hiccups—Elio’s passion for space makes him hard to reach sometimes, but she loves him dearly. She wants more than anything for him to find his place in the world, as long as it’s on Earth.
In Theaters
Elio is in theatres now!
Share in the comments if you plan to see it or if you have seen it, what your thoughts are!
This article was written by Steve Bell, founder of Military Disney Tips.
Steve is a retired U.S. military member who has been visiting the Disney Parks since 1971 and writing about Disney military discounts and vacations for the military community for over 18 years.
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