The animation powerhouse Pixar has had a turbulent run recently. After cementing itself as the king of the medium throughout the 90s and early 2000s, a shift back to making more original movies, and less sequels, has shaken the hierarchy of Hollywood.

Pixar finally got a much-needed hit last year with Inside Out 2‘s release, as the sequel broke box office records on its way to making $1.6 billion. However, the studio’s struggles recently have more so come with its original films. After pushing Soul, Luca, and Turning Red straight to streaming, audiences have been less interested in Pixar’s original offerings in theaters.

That’s a difficult reality for the studio that created brilliant original films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Up, and Wall-E to face. Elemental had a surprising box office comeback as it grossed nearly $500 million in 2023, but the studio had another stumble this year in theaters.

While audiences didn’t flock to cinemas to see the latest Pixar movie, there’s a new avenue to see a sci-fi adventure with an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Elio Is Now Streaming On Disney+ After Underwhelming Theatrical Run

Pixar returned to original programming in 2025 with Elio, a fresh story about a young boy who is taken from Earth after a mix-up leads an alien group to believe he’s the planet’s leader. The Disney-owned animation studio released the film in theaters on June 20.

Now, 89 days later, Elio is now streaming on Disney+. The release gap is tied for the shortest Pixar has had since the pandemic, but notably behind Inside Out 2‘s 103 days separating theatrical and streaming releases.

The reason for Elio coming to Disney+ now, as opposed to later, is due to its underperformance in theaters. The movie’s mostly positive reception did not translate to audiences checking it out in that format. It only grossed $154 million at the worldwide box office, the lowest total for any Pixar movie to receive a wide theatrical release.

Despite everything that went wrong with Elio‘s box office in theaters, the streaming release is a chance for the movie to finally find its audience. The movie is now instantly available for any Disney+ subscriber, and the family-oriented nature of the service should result in the film climbing its charts quickly.

There are several reasons to watch Elio too, if you haven’t already. The animation is visually stunning in Pixar’s usual fashion. The main relationship between the human boy, Elio, and his young alien friend, Glordon, is hilarious and sweet. Plus, there’s the emotional story at its heart that has become the studio’s trademark.

That’s a big reason why Screen Rant’s Rachel Labonte gave it a 9 out of 10 in her Elio review, saying, “[Elio] is just as big-hearted and imaginative as Pixar’s best, poignantly reminding us all that even when it doesn’t feel like it, we are not alone.”

It’s clear based on the box office results that many people skipped over seeing Pixar’s latest, but that should change now that its on streaming. Elio is a cute adventure with some sci-fi flourishes that is tailor-made for the whole family to enjoy together. Now yours can from the comfort of your couch.