Disney Delays Pixar's 'Elio' Release to Prevent Box Office Clash with 'Dragon'

5 months ago

Disney Delays Pixar’s ‘Elio’ Release to Prevent Box Office Clash with ‘Dragon’

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Walt Disney Studios Adjusts Release Calendar

Walt Disney Studios has made a notable update to their upcoming release schedule, revealing that this summer’s highly anticipated Pixar original, Elio, will now debut on June 20, a week later than originally planned. This strategic shift breaks away from Pixar’s traditional Father’s Day Weekend release slot and allows Disney to avoid a direct competition with Universal’s live-action adaptation of the beloved DreamWorks classic, How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois.

Additionally, the studio has either removed or rescheduled several “Untitled Disney” project reservations, indicating a refined focus on their upcoming slate.

The new release date for Elio also provides a broader window for Disney’s own live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which is set to premiere on May 23, helmed by Oscar-nominated director Dean Fleisher Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). Notably, Elio stands as the only fully-animated major studio release between The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (March 14; Ketchup Ent.) and Smurfs (July 18; Paramount).

Disney appears to be making calculated moves, especially following a successful 2024 where their titles dominated the global box office, with Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2 taking the top three spots.

Elio is directed by a talented trio: Madeline Sharafian (Burrow SparkShort), Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red), and Adrian Molina (co-screenwriter/co-director of Coco), with production led by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of Coco). The film follows an alien-obsessed boy who is mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader and whisked away to the intergalactic “Communiverse,” where he forms friendships with extraterrestrial beings and plays a crucial role in preventing an interplanetary disaster.

Upcoming Disney Animation and Related Films

- Snow White (live action) – March 21

- Lilo & Stitch (live action) – May 23

- Elio (Pixar) – June 20

- Zootopia 2 (Disney) – November 26

- Hoppers (Pixar) – March 6, 2026

- Toy Story 5 (Pixar) – June 19, 2026

- Moana (live action) – July 10, 2026

- Ice Age 6 (20th Century Animation) – December 18, 2026

- Frozen III (Disney) – November 24, 2027

[Source: Deadline]

Persons

Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina, Mary Alice Drumm, Dean DeBlois, Dean Fleisher Camp

Company Names

Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Universal, DreamWorks, Ketchup Ent., Paramount, Disney, 20th Century Animation

Titles

Elio, How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Smurfs, Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Moana 2, Snow White, Zootopia 2, Hoppers, Toy Story 5, Moana, Ice Age 6, Frozen III

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