At the Los Angeles premiere of Disney Pixar’s Elio, Jameela Jamil and the film’s creators emphasized the movie’s timely message of hope and empowerment for young people, especially in light of today’s sociopolitical climate. The space-themed adventure centers on young Elio, who is looking at the outer space for a sense of belonging.:
At the film’s premiere, co-director Madeline Sharafian spoke to the emotional tone of the story, “I think right now in particular I think a lot of people in the world can relate to where Elio is at the beginning of the film, where he has a very pessimistic view of Earth, which I think sometimes we’re all feeling.”
Sharafian said that as Elio connects with aliens and experiences the cosmos, he begins to shift his perspective. “He changes his view of Earth a little bit, so by the end of the film there’s a little bit more hope. So even if we can give the audience a touch of that I think that would be worth it, especially right now,” she said.
Jameela Jamil, who voices for Ambassador Quest in the film, echoed those sentiments. She added, “We need hope, because the world is a dumpster fire right now and we need young people to remember that they are capable of great things.” She continued, “People are fighting back and this film inspires young people to take it into their own hands and to not wait to be a famous politician or actor or celebrity.”
Jameela added that she wants children to have hope and remember that they have got potential that is unrealised yet.
Elio features the voices of Yonas Kibreab as the titular character and Zoe Saldaña as his aunt, with supporting performances from Brad Garrett, Dylan Gilmer, Naomi Watanabe, and others.
Disney Pixar releases Elio in India on June 20 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.