Watch INDAC’s Johannes Wolters interview the Pixar creative (associate producer of ‘Coco’) at an April screening in Munich where she talks about team building, tough deadlines, and protecting artists so they can make the best film possible.
German animation and VFX community support organization INDAC has just shared with AWN a new video interview with Elio producer Mary Alice Drumm, who spoke after a recent screening and presentation in Munich on Pixar’s upcoming animated comedy.
INDAC head and driving force, well-know journalist Johannes Wolters (see his AWN work here), talked with Drumm about her work as a producer, the challenges, and whether or not she sees herself as tyrant or collaborator (said tongue in cheek). Enjoy:
In the cosmic misadventure, Elio, (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), is an 11-year-old space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession… his biggest wish is to get abducted by aliens. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.
Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly), Elio’s unexpected first friend, happens to be one of those alien lifeforms.
Directed by Madeline Sharafian (Burrow Sparkshort), Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red) and Adrian Molina (co-screenwriter/co-director of Coco), and produced by Drumm (associate producer of Coco), the film stars Kibreab, Edgerly, and recent Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, and features the voices of Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO.
Elio releases only in theaters June 20, 2025.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
