Editor’s Note: The following contains minor spoilers for ‘Elio’.Pixar did something very interesting withthe theatrical releaseofElio. Instead of a post-credits scene,the film ends with something new and unexpected. After the credits, a new teaser clip plays for the next Pixar animated feature,Hoppers. In the past, Pixar would release a new film with a teaser for its next movie that would play before the main feature. However, withElio, Pixar takes viewers by surprise and inverts one of the studio’s oldest traditions by putting a teaser for a new filmafter the closing credits. It’s time to unpack the post-credits scene forElio, which reveals a teaser for Pixar’sHoppers.
‘Elio’s Post-Credits Scene Reveals a Teaser Video for ‘Hoppers’
At first, the post-credits ending forEliois confusing and quite a shock. The clip shows a green lizard interacting with a smartphone and typing in a text message window. However, the lizard only presses the “lizard” emoji. The mysterious lizard performs the action repeatedly, as the audio message screen continues sounding out, “Lizard, lizard, lizard.” Meanwhile, the eccentric lizard appears hypnotized by typing in the lizard emoji,performing some bizarre action that only the lizard understands. The title screen then reveals thatPixar’s new film,Hoppers, hits theaters in March 2026. Initially, it appears that there would be a tag scene forElio, but instead, Pixar opts for a sneak peek atHoppers. Although the preview looks confusing at first, once the title reveals that it is for a new Pixar film, the footage makes a bit more sense. Granted, the teaser preview does not offer any context for the amusing lizard character, its name, or the role it plays in the story.
The ‘Hoppers’ Teaser Could Start a New Tradition for Pixar Releases
It’s not unusual for Pixar or Disney to adda post-credits sceneto their animated films, but Pixar throwing in a teaser clip for a new movie represents something wholly unique forElio’stheatrical experience. The previous norm for the Pixar theatrical experience entailed showing a teaser for a new Pixar release anda short film before the main feature. Pixar would similarly hide Easter eggs of its upcoming movies in its films in years past. The Pixar shorts tradition sadly ended withThe Incredibles IIin 2018, which featured the short film,Bao. That said, the teaser after the credits featured inEliocould be the start ofa fun, new tradition for Pixar. Previewing a new Pixar feature after a film’s closing credits would offer audiences a reason to stay past the credits. Hopefully, Pixar will continue exploring the technique in the future.
Pixar Likes to Hide Easter Eggs for Upcoming Projects in Its Films
Pixar and animation historians might have noticed how Pixar, in previous films, hints atits upcoming releaseswith visual Easter eggs or clues. In the 2001 Pixar classic,Monsters, Inc., the sushi restaurant, Harryhausen’s, showcases a painting in the background depicting a clownfish. Of course, clownfish are the main characters in the 2003 Pixar feature,Finding Nemo, which follows the story of a clownfish, Marlon (Albert Brooks), desperately trying to reunite with his lost son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). InFinding Nemo, a young child is seen reading a comic book featuring the character, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), over a year before the release ofThe Incredibles.The Incredibleslater features the car models of the characters Red and Doc Hudson from the 2006 filmCars. The 2008 film,WALL-E, shows the trademark walking stick used by Carl Fredricksen fromUpin the background multiple times. In short, Pixar usually made a habit of hiding references to its next movies in plain sight throughoutits new film releases. However,Eliopreviewing a new Pixar film after the credits representsan evolution of an old Pixar motif.
‘Hoppers’ Features an Intriguing Premise
The Pixar websitestates thatHoppersinvolves scientists who “have discovered how to ‘hop’ human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals.” The story follows the animal lover, Mabel, who uses the new technology and uncovers mysteries in the animal kingdom beyond anything she could have imagined. Based on Pixar’s premise, perhaps the lizard in the preview isa robotic lizard with a human consciousness. Or, maybe the lizard interacted with other robotic lizards with human brains, and now it’s trying to somehow communicate using a smartphone. Maybe it cannot think of anything beyond the “lizard” emoji. Either way, the premise forHopperssounds fascinating, and the teaser preview providesan intriguing hook for the upcoming feature. Hopefully,the comedically weird lizardfrom the teaser will resurface inHoppers, and we’ll soon learn more about that character.
While it’s interesting to havea new teaser previewafter the credits forElio, it would be exciting to seePixar’s pre-movie shortsmake a return, as they were an endearing part of attending a Pixar film, making fora grander, more unique theatrical experience. Moviegoers will not know a more robust trailer is released, offering a greater sense of the plot.
Hoppershits theaters on June 28, 2025.Eliois out now in theaters in the U.S.
