Pixar creatives explained how Elio‘s most unexpectedly beloved character was designed to be both cute and terrifying. Elio follows the story of a recently orphaned 11-year-old boy fascinated with space and aliens who gets abducted and mistakenly named Earth’s official ambᴀssador in an intergalactic council. Co-directed by Turning Red‘s Domee Shi, the film explores connection, grief, and idenтιтy. While the movie is packed with colorful worlds and cosmic creatures, the standout character is the visually strange but extremely heart-warming companion, Glordon. Now, the team behind Elio is opening up about how the character was brought to life.

Speaking with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan, Domee Shi and producer Mary Alice Drumm described how Glordon evolved from a simple idea into one of the most beloved elements of the film. According to Drumm, the design was inspired by a tardigrade, a microscopic “water bear.” The creative team also emphasized that one of the reasons Glordon became an emotional standout was thanks to Remy Edgerly’s voice acting. Check out their full comments below:

Mary Alice Drumm: I know! I love him. You feel for him, you cry for him, you love him.

When we were thinking about what this movie would be like, we wanted to create a space we’ve never seen before. We would love to go to an alien planet and meet some aliens, but it was more difficult. So there’s a creature called the tardigrade, a microscopic creature also called a water bear. That was the original spark for Glordon.

But then we had to say to our animators, “What if we have a character with no eyes and no eyebrows?” We work with the best animators in the world, and they were happy to tackle that. So you do have this little creature that has no eyes or eyebrows, but you feel really moved by him in the film. And his voice performance by Remy Edgerly is just amazing.

Domee Shi: It makes the character.

Drumm: Yeah, it makes the character. We heard Remy when he was very young, probably too young for the role, but we knew it would take some time for the movie. He just sparked. He’s a big reason why we all love Glordon.

Shi: It’s that perfect contrast between a horrifying design with crazy sharp teeth and then the cutest, sweetest boy voice coming out of that mouth.

What Glordon’s Design Means For Elio

Pixar Still Excels At Creating Unexpectedly Emotional Characters

Glordon highlights Pixar’s ongoing ability to connect audiences with their characters in unexpected ways. By deviating from the usual wide-eyed design and embracing a strange, mouth-only creature with razor-sharp teeth, Pixar pushed past traditional visual shortcuts and relied on body language and voice performance to communicate emotion. That gamble clearly paid off, as Glordon’s gentle personality and loyalty shine through his monstrous look. Glordon and Elio’s (Yonas Kibreab) journey is a mirror to the movie’s larger theme of finding understanding despite differences, whether those are cultural, emotional, or even biological.

The fact that Glordon has become an audience favorite is a result of Pixar’s animators and storytellers’ hard work, paired with Edgerly’s overly adorable voice acting. Having that childlike sincerity offset Glordon’s scary look creates a powerful contrast that makes him all the more lovable. His success with viewers proves there’s always room for creative risks in mainstream animation, and they’re often what audiences end up loving the most. Like Inside Out‘s Bing Bong, Glordon has joined a proud legacy of Pixar movie characters who leave a lasting emotional impact.

Our Take On Glordon’s Design & Characterization In Elio

He Deserves A Spot Among Pixar’s Best Sidekicks

Glordon might not be Elio’s protagonist, but he’s becoming one of Pixar’s most memorable sidekicks. The mix of menacing visuals and innocent voice acting works brilliantly, especially in a film all about empathy and miscommunication. Glordon’s not just comic relief, he’s a deeply emotional narrative tool and essential to the heart of the movie. It’s also a refreshing reminder that Pixar still knows how to surprise audiences emotionally.

Like WALL-E or the lamp in “Luxo Jr.,” Glordon connects through movement, voice, and vulnerability rather than Pixar’s traditional expressiveness. Glordon’s popularity will only continue to grow, and it’s easy to see why. As audiences flock to theatres to see Elio, they’ll find he’s weird, sweet, tragic, and, most importantly, he’s proof that sometimes the best Pixar characters don’t need eyes to see or be seen.

Elio is now playing in theaters.