Post-credits scenes have become a staple in modern cinema, offering audiences extra moments that can tie up loose ends, provide a final joke, or, most excitingly, tease what’s coming next. Pixar’s latest animated feature, Elio, continues this trend, featuring not one, but two scenes after the main story concludes, with the final one directly pointing towards the studio’s future slate.
For viewers who stuck around after Elio‘s cosmic adventure, the end credits offered both an epilogue for the titular character and a peculiar glimpse into Pixar’s subsequent project.
The Mid-Credits Scene: An Epilogue for Elio
Appearing midway through the credits roll, the first bonus scene provides a sweet continuation of Elio’s journey back on Earth. After his accidental stint as Earth’s ambassador to the Communiverse, Elio is shown relaxing on a beach alongside his new human friend, Bryce. Sporting “Masters of Ham” gear, they utilize Bryce’s ham radio setup to attempt contact with the aliens Elio befriended.
Their efforts prove successful! They manage to reach Glordon, one of Elio’s notable alien acquaintances from the Communiverse headquarters. With the help of a translation disc, Glordon expresses excitement at hearing all about Elio’s experiences since returning home. The scene cuts to black just before Elio can begin his tale, leaving audiences to imagine his retelling but providing a satisfying note that his cross-species connection has endured. This scene functions primarily as a final character beat, wrapping up Elio’s personal arc.
The Final Post-Credits Scene: A Cryptic Tease
Appearing at the very end, after all the credits have finished, is a much shorter, more perplexing, yet ultimately revealing scene. It features a cartoon green lizard in a dark void. The lizard is shown repeatedly typing the lizard emoji on a smartphone. Each time the emoji is input, a robotic text-to-speech voice is heard saying the word “Lizard.”
While strange on its own, this seemingly random clip is actually a direct teaser for Pixar’s next original feature film, titled Hoppers, which is scheduled for release in March 2026.
Unpacking the Tease: What is Pixar’s Hoppers?
According to information shared by Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, Hoppers centers around a unique premise. The film is set in a world where scientists have developed groundbreaking technology that allows them to “hop” their consciousness into lifelike animal bodies. The purpose of this invention is to facilitate communication and understanding between humans and the animal kingdom.
The story follows a young animal lover named Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda), who uses this technology to transfer her consciousness into the body of a beaver. Her mission is to enlist the help of various animals to stop an environmentally damaging construction project spearheaded by the local Mayor Jerry (voiced by Jon Hamm). Docter has described the film’s concept as being “kind of like Avatar, but cuter.”
Connecting the Lizard to Hoppers
The connection between the Elio end-credits lizard and the Hoppers plot was explicitly confirmed by Docter during a presentation showcasing upcoming Pixar projects. Footage from Hoppers shown during this presentation included a scene where Mabel, in her beaver form, attempts to communicate with Mayor Jerry. Importantly, this scene featured the very same green lizard from the Elio end tag.
In the Hoppers footage, Mabel and the lizard utilize text-to-speech technology, similar to what is heard in the Elio post-credits scene, to convey their message to the mayor. This not only confirms the lizard as a character within the Hoppers narrative but also suggests that animal emojis and text-to-speech might play a recurring or significant role in how the human consciousnesses inhabiting animal bodies communicate.
Ultimately, Elio‘s end-credits sequence serves a dual purpose: providing a final, heartwarming moment for its own protagonist while cleverly using a humorous, out-of-context clip to build intrigue and directly introduce the unique world and concept of Pixar’s next animated endeavor, Hoppers.
