Elio to stream on Disney Plus Sept. 17 after modest box office

Pixar’s latest animated film Elio will begin streaming on Disney Plus on Sept. 17, studio officials said, following a June 20 theatrical release that yielded modest box office returns. The science fiction adventure follows 11 year old Elio Solís, voiced by Yonas Kibreab, a space-obsessed boy who is accidentally beamed to the Communiverse and mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to a sprawling assembly of alien lifeforms.

Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina, Elio centers on the awkward charms of its underdog protagonist as he navigates eccentric extraterrestrials, a looming intergalactic crisis and the personal challenge of finding his way home. The voice cast includes Zoe Saldaña as Elio’s aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as the alien Glordon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, among others.

The film opened in third place on its first weekend, taking in about $21 million from roughly 3,750 theaters, a figure described by box office trackers as a historic low for Pixar. It finished with roughly $72 million domestically and about $153 million to $154 million worldwide, well below recent Pixar hits. Industry observers pointed to stiff...