Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Disney-Pixar’s ‘Elio’ arrives in Korea with message of hope for the lonely
From left, “Elio” producer Mary Alice Drumm and directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi pose during an online conference with Korean reporters, Tuesday. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
By Baek Byung-yeul
Disney and Pixar’s highly anticipated animated feature, “Elio,” promises a heartwarming tale of loneliness and connection, according to its producer and directors, Tuesday, ahead of its Korean premiere Wednesday.
“Elio” is a sci-fi adventure centered on Elio, a solitary boy on Earth who finds himself unexpectedly transported through the cosmos, where he encounters unique friends and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Co-director Madeline Sharafian, referencing her previous work on the beloved film “Coco” (2017), emphasized the central theme of “Elio” is finding a sense of belonging.
“When you first meet Elio, he’s very lonely on Earth, and he feels the sort of desperation to find a place where he belongs. And all of us on our crew have been dealing with that after the pandemic. We did a lot of research into the psychology of loneliness and where it comes from, and what you can do to escape a bit, to heal from it,” Sharafian told Korean reporters during an online press conference, Tuesday.
“We tried to make ‘Elio’ the kind of movie that if someone walks into the theater feeling very lonely and hopeless about their situation, that they can walk out of it when the movie is done with a little bit more hope."
A scene from Disney-Pixar’s new animation “Elio” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
Producer Mary Alice Drumm expressed her excitement about sharing the film with Korean audiences.
“We know Korea itself has such amazing animation and such amazing animation fans. We feel like ‘Elio’ is one of the most beautiful films we’ve ever made at Pixar. We can’t wait to hear what Korean audiences think about it,” she said.
Drumm also highlighted Pixar’s commitment to originality.
“Every Pixar film is a little bit different than the ones that came before it. I think when we were looking at ‘Elio,’ we have made two other sci fi films in ‘WALL-E’ and ‘Lightyear.’ We really wanted it to look different than those films,” she said.
A scene from Disney-Pixar’s new animation “Elio” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
Co-director Domee Shi shed light on the decision to portray the central relationship of an aunt and nephew.
“We were really excited to explore a family relationship that we do not commonly see in a lot of movies. Also, in telling a story about a boy struggling with loneliness on earth, he felt more lonely at the beginning of the movie if his parents were gone and he was in a more unstable relationship with his aunt, [than] if you’re watching a story about a mother and a son in conflict,” Shi explained.