Amid setbacks and delays, the long wait for 'Earth's leader' Elio

Last Super Bowl, which took place on Feb. 9, left some people very disappointed—and I’m not talking about the fans of the Chiefs, who lost to the Eagles 22-40. I’m talking about the fans of Pixar’s Elio. Rumors had been circulating that Disney would drop a new trailer for the animated movie during the game’s commercial breaks, and anticipation was high. After promos for DreamWorks’ live-action How to Train Your Dragon, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, and other movies from successful franchises like Jurassic World: Rebirth and Mission: Impossible 8 – The Final Reckoning, Elio fans were left with nothing—not even crumbs.

It was clear that Disney prioritized the promo for Lilo & Stitch, showcasing the mischievous blue alien invading the field, and Marvel’s Thunderbolts, which got a full-length trailer. Later, fans learned that the House of Mouse had pushed Elio’s release date from June 13 to June 30. The movie was delayed by one week to avoid head-to-head competition with How to Train Your Dragon, which is set to hit theaters on June 13. After some setbacks and delays since Elio was announced in 2022, one might ask: is this a Disney problem, or just bad luck? Probably both.

If it were just the Super Bowl issue, it wouldn’t be that bad, of course. However, over the past few months, some Elio’s fans began to think that Disney is overlooking its science-fiction adventure film. Since D23 2024, in August, they’ve only released one teaser trailer for the general public, and it wasn’t until November 21.

According to Deadline, Pixar is not expected to host the world premiere of Elio at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. They are probably worried about a negative critical response, like what happened to Elemental in 2023. While this can be seen as a reasonable strategic decision, there’s an inevitable feeling that Disney doesn’t seem very confident about the pic.

Elio was first announced at D23 2022. Let’s remember that the movie was, initially, scheduled to be released on March 1, 2024, but due to issues like the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, changes in leadership, and other projects at Pixar, the premiere was delayed to June 13, 2025. Last month, the press reported that the release, as mentioned, had been pushed back by one week.

'Earth's leader'

Post-pandemic, it wasn’t easy for the cinema industry; it took some time to get moviegoers back to theaters like before. That period was especially tough for Disney, not only because of covid-19 pandemic. The House of Mouse faced significant financial difficulties and suffered big losses. For Disney it was preferable and less risky to invest in sequels rather than original movies.

However, the situation now is completely the opposite. Disney was one of the most profitable studios of 2024, driven by the success of Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2. ‘Elio’ follows a boy with the same name who ends up traveling through the galaxy and gets mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to the universe. Now, with less than four months until the new release date, there are expectations for new trailers and promos to come out in March.

Until then, Elio isn’t on his own. Some die-hard fans are tirelessly promoting the animated film by themselves on social media, and it’s great. Let’s see what’s next, and hopefully, we’ll get some good news. Elio and his fans deserve better.