America Ferrera Shares the Intergalactic Power of a Madre’s Love in the New Teaser Trailer for ‘Elio’
In recent years, Disney has really stepped up their game regarding representation.
There’s “Wish,” which featured the first Afro-Latina princess. Then, “Coco” explored heartfelt themes of family, memory, and grief via the lens of Dia de Los Muertos. And who could forget “Encanto,” which became a cultural phenomenon and transformed many of the ideas surrounding Latinos and our heritage.
Now, Disney has partnered with Pixar for their latest endeavor, “Elio.” America Ferrera, who is voicing Olga, the titular character’s mamá, posted a teaser trailer for the film on Instagram. In the caption, she shares, “So excited for everyone to see what we’ve been working on!”
At first glance, “Elio” already looks out of this world. The trailer gives us a good glimpse into the film’s plot, which involves a young boy being abducted by aliens in what appears to be a cosmic freak accident. Naturally, he then has to pretend to be the leader of Earth — a classic coming-of-age tale!
“Elio” comes from writer-director Adrian Molina from “Coco”
The movie was written and directed by Adrian Molina, who’s had an illustrious career with Pixar thus far. He’s worked on the “Toy Story” franchise, “Luca” and “The Good Dinosaur,” just to name a few. His greatest claim to fame, however, may be “Coco.”
Molina co-directed “Coco” with Lee Unkrich, and the film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. “Remember Me,” which tugged at everyone’s heartstrings, walked so that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” could run, adding to a long history of success for Disney and Pixar in the Latinx community.
Molina, who is of Mexican heritage, captured childhood innocence and the longing to discover who you are and where you belong in “Coco,” themes that seem to be present in “Elio” as well.
Family will similarly play a significant role, as Elio’s relationship with his mother, Olga, seems strained. She seems to be the reason he gets caught up in that big intergalactic mess. After all, she is the one that contacts the crew of quirky alien characters at her military post.
The cast boasts a diverse bunch
While America Ferrera is voicing Olga, we can also expect the vocal styling of Jameela Jamil, Brad Garrett, and rising star Yonas Kibreab, who is voicing Elio himself. Social media has reacted to the trailer, with most people excited about the prospect of our adorable, eye-patched protagonist navigating the “Communiverse.”
This kooky adventure across the universe sounds like un tremendo arroz con mango — and one we can’t wait to dive into.
