The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. 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.
Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian are both attending VIEW Conference 2025 in person. Their live presentation on Elio promises to be one of this year’s showcase sessions. VIEW Conference 2025 takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy.
Tickets are now available from the VIEW Conference website:
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian to VIEW Conference 2025,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Disney and Pixar’s Elio is among the most eagerly awaited animated films of the year, and the dazzling talent of its directors is sure to light up our stage in Turin.”
About Domee Shi
Domee Shi began as a story intern at Pixar Animation Studios in June 2011, and was soon hired as a story artist on the Academy Award-winning feature film “Inside Out.” Since then, she has worked on the feature films “The Good Dinosaur,” “Incredibles 2” and the Academy Award-winning “Toy Story 4.” In 2015 she began pitching ideas for short films, and soon was green lit to write and direct “Bao” which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In her role as a Creative VP, Shi is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production.
Shi most recently made her feature film directorial debut on “Turning Red,” which was released on Disney+ March 11, 2022, and was nominated for an Academy Award. Currently, Shi is directing Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Elio,” alongside directors Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina, and producer Mary Alice Drumm. “Elio” is set to release in theaters June 20, 2025.
Shi graduated from the animation program at Sheridan College where she was fueled by her love of anime/manga, Disney, and Asian cinema influences that can be seen in her work to this day.
Shi was born in Chongqing, China and resided in Toronto, Canada most of her life. She currently lives in Oakland, California and notes that her love of animation is only rivaled by her love of of cats.
About Madeline Sharafian
Madeline Sharafian joined Pixar Animation Studios as a story intern in 2013, and returned for a full time position in May 2015 as a storyboard artist on the Academy Award-winning film “Coco.” She also worked as a story lead on Pixar’s feature film “Onward.” Sharafian also directed “Burrow,” the Academy Award nominated short film that came out of Pixar’s SparkShorts program. “Burrow” released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020 along with Pixar’s Academy Award-winning feature film “Soul.” Currently, Sharafian is directing Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Elio,” alongside directors Domee Shi and Adrian Molina, and producer Mary Alice Drumm. “Elio” is set to release in theaters June 20, 2025.
Prior to Pixar, Sharafian worked at Cartoon Network as a storyboard artist and writer on the show “We Bare Bears.” She also created character designs for the pilot episode while she was attending college at CalArts.
VIEW Conference Creativity Deep-Dive Workshop
On the run-up to this year’s conference in October, VIEW Conference presents an in-depth creativity workshop led by multidisciplinary artist Liberty Worth and paper sculpture designer Megan Brain. This 3-day workshop provides a collaborative space in which visual artists can gain valuable knowledge and develop brand new skills. The workshop takes place June 19-21 at ITS Piazza dei Mestieri, Via Jacopo Durandi 10, Turin, Italy. Tickets are available from the VIEW Conference website:
About VIEW Conference
An English language event, VIEW Conference 2025 takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Enjoy this unrivaled opportunity to network with award-winning film directors, animators, artists and game designers as they deliver an incredible program of keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses. Explore cutting-edge thinking in a wide range of creative and technology-based fields as a stellar line-up of stars from Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Celebrate the latest achievements in Animation, VFX and Games and share unforgettable visions of the future.
The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.