If you forgot to stick around for the post-credits scenes tacked onto the end of Elio, this past weekend’s Pixar release teased two things. And if you haven’t seen it—what are you doing here? Kidding, we welcome the curious as we break down the unexpected scenes between the potential Elio spin-off Easter egg and a glimpse of Hoppers, Pixar’s next original concept film.
First, we see Elio and his new friend, Bryce, reconnect with Glordon using their prototypical intergalactic radio, leaving things open for more adorable sci-fi adventures. Unfortunately, the film has been underperforming, but we hope it gets legs as the run continues in theaters and eventually at home, so we get more stories in Elio‘s universe. We miss Glordon and need to see the trio in more space travel hijinks.
The next post-credits glimpse previews Hoppers, totally out of the blue for the studio which doesn’t usually do sizzle scenes like that. We’d much rather have the short films that used to screen in front of Pixar releases back! Hoppers, due out next year, is another original Pixar IP, which might also be affected by how Elio and Pixar’s other non-sequel movies have been doing.
In the tease we see a big-eyed lizard sitting atop a phone pressing the lizard emoji in a text over and over again. The head-scratcher of a clip is unsettling and funny, but maybe not enough to get the hype it’s aiming for. All we know so far about Hoppers is that scientists have figured out how to transfer human consciousness into lifelike animal robots to communicate with other species. Think Avatar but with wildlife, a high-concept idea we’re definitely intrigued by.
Alas, the internet’s loud demand for original movies still isn’t paying off with ticket sales, at least not in this case, so who knows what the future of Pixar originals will look like. Elio deserves a shot and it’s such a bummer the film is having challenges drawing crowds to the cinemas. Meanwhile, Disney has begun to pivot back to properties with proven track records; as just one example, Toy Story 5 is due out next summer.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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